What is the bottom line?

Working at a church, the two things I am asked about the most (other than "What's wrong with those high school kids these days") are creation vs. evolution, and homosexuality. Typically I just listen to people share their views, telling me how stupid anybody who doesn't agree with them is and rationalizing any faults in their own arguments. When asked my opinion, I usually mumble some form of half-affirmation which they take as agreement. The truth is, my opinions are based on very different reasoning, and as much as I would like to bring them to a similar understanding, I know it takes time.

What is this understanding? I understand the Bible as the text that seeks to lead us into Kingdom of God living. It is a lifestyle that is centered upon God and our neighbor, begun by the crucified God and lived through grace, love, faith and hope.

So when somebody asks me where I stand on creation I have two answers floating through my head, which I share only if I think they can handle one or both. First of all, who's to say that the 7 days in Genesis are literal? The sun wasn't created on day 1, nor was man. Furthermore, as any Old Testament scholar will tell you, it is a poem. A poem! Do you read poems literally? No! Does that mean there is no way there can be a literal 7 day creation story? No again. If we believe in a God who creates the earth from nothing, we can also believe in a God who makes the earth look older than it is, or even plants some crazy old fossils for fun. Here's the point in all of it: it doesn't really matter. What matters is Christ crucified. What matters is that we live our lives for the sole purpose of glorifying God. A christian who spends their life arguing and fighting for two pages of the bible to be read in a certain way is missing the point. The bottom line is that our main goal should always be to live into the reality of the kingdom. If your faith rests entirely upon the creation story as literal truth, what are you going to do when this theory becomes fact? Become a citizen of God's kingdom and those sorts of worries won't be there. The rest of that stuff is a massive footnote.

As for homosexuality...that is a harder topic. William Webb's book did a great job of showing that God's view doesn't really change when it comes to this sort of thing. I do think that sooner or later there will end up being some sort of evidence that it is genetic. That leaves us in a sticky situation, one which leaves me pointing back at God's kingdom yet again. If we live for God's kingdom, we no longer live for ourselves. Which means all of us have to repel those things within us that cause us to desire living in a contrary manner. How can anyone who defines themselves by how they receive pleasure be living into God's kingdom? Living into the kingdom means living to please God, not ourselves. The problem with sin is that is causes all of us to be self-centered, and this goes beyond homosexuality to all people. This is why the US is so very far from God's will, though many incorrectly believe us to be some sort of city on a hill. At the same time, though, I do not stand against gay marriage. Maybe that sounds crazy with what I have already written, but I don't think oppressing homosexual men and women will suddenly cause them to want to change their ways. The kingdom has not been demonstrated to them at all at this point. Can we show love in a better way without supporting their actions? I hope so.

Somewhere in here is a glimpse of my bottom line. If I'm going to stand for something, it is going to be love, mercy, forgiveness. God's kingdom is the only thing worth living for. It's worth fighting for too, but that fight has already been won. Now it's just a matter of living as citizens. That's the bottom line.

Peace,
Matt

Currently Reading: Naked by David Sedaris. Hilarious and brilliant.