Keith Giles writes over there at Subversive1.
If your Christianity is relatively comfortable because it doesn’t demand that much from you other than to believe that Jesus is out for your best interests and wants you to be happy, warm and cuddly, then you might want to give Subversive a miss.
Likewise if you are already set on what Christianity is and it is highly politicised and ticks certain boxes that Christendom applauded, then again Subversive is not going to be your cup of mint tea.
For those who are up for having their faith challenged and stimulated then Keith’s blog is right up your street.
All that as a prologue to what I’m sharing. The other day Keith wrote about who God hates. I recommend you give it two reads. One to get it. The second to let it get you. It is another outstanding blog on the issue on how church should react and respond to sinners both in and out of the church.
I read with great sadness again the story of people with issues who were abused, neglected and rejected by those claiming to be part of the Body of Christ. I read again of people too afraid to ever go back to church again because of those negative experiences. I read it and my heart mourns.
I am reminded of teenage girls whose desperate need for being valued and wanted leads them into pre-marital sexual relations resulting in a child born out of wed-lock. I am reminded of the scorn poured on that girl and the ‘disciplinary measures’ given to that girl for such behaviour, meanwhile the man responsible is given a pass and left off lightly. I am reminded of how the hostility forces her and her baby to leave the church and seek validation elsewhere.
I am reminded of that young man going through his struggles understanding his sexual identity and feeling ostracised because the other young men appear to be gung-ho about their heterosexuality and anti-homosexuality stance. I am reminded of how his feeling becomes so wound up without release and no one to turn to for an ear to hear and a heart to understand. I am reminded how that frustration leads to him leaving church and seeking validation elsewhere.
I am reminded of that man whose lived rough on the streets for so long that he no longer remembers what it was to have three full meals a day. I am reminded of how he was ignored when he entered the church building, how the regular church-goers sneered at the stench he made. I am reminded how people never got involved in his life to discover he needed more than a cup of soup, but he needed direction, support and somewhere to start to find himself and deal with the alcohol issues that lead him to lose everything he valued. I am reminded how those who turned their backs on him lead to him leaving the church and seeking validation elsewhere.
I am reminded of these and other stories of how the church has failed in its core mission of loving God and loving others.
I am encouraged, however, by other stories of brothers and sisters in Christ who didn’t need to wait for someone to ‘give them permission’ and didn’t wait to see who else was going to do something. I am reminded of those who did not go with the flow, but bucked the trend.
I am reminded of the group of people who engage with the party revellers on Friday and Saturday night and offer a place of peace and rest. No judgements, only acts of kindness with words full of grace and hearts full of love for anyone who comes their way.
I am reminded of the couple of older ladies who make it their point of duty to know those girls who are selling their bodies in the red light areas of the city. They look to be a support for them in whatever way they can and be a source of comfort when things are not working out and when they feel the pressure to feed a drug habit they thought they overcame.
I am reminded of those who visit their local YMCA hostel and engage with the broken, hurt, depressed and lonely young people who have been kicked out of home and rejected by society. I am reminded of their passion to come alongside these young people, share life, offer advice and guidance with no string attached but to know the love of God.
There are still those in the Body of Christ who remember that Christ embraced those society rejected. There are still those who remember that while we were still the enemies of God rejected and oppressed by the shackles of sin, Christ came and rescued us by His life, death and resurrection as the ultimate act of love. There are those who as a result of this love want to share this love exactly with those who have been rejected. They see that it is exactly when you have fallen that it is where you need the love. They recognise that Jesus did not come for those who have it altogether. He came knowing we don’t have it altogether, and we can never have it altogether until we are reconnected to the one who created us altogether.
These economic circumstances with the knock-on effect on morale and social pressures, it is not unusual for people to experience more of the forces that leads to alienation. There are expressions of church that still reflect how marred they can be as humans and rather than reflecting grace, mercy, compassion and truth, are more concerned with hypocritical standards of piety and moral purity. Yet thank God that there are those who remain a part of Christ’s Body who are desperate and eager to show that holiness and righteousness is manifest in acts of grace and love to those that society have rejected.
God help them. God help us all.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 