Any more "elephants in the room?"

A few weeks ago, I blogged about a future series I'd love to do. I had several good comments but I really don't think we've explored this enough. So..I'm bringing it back. I need your help.

There are very few things as wearisome to a Pastor as the infighting in the kingdom of God over gray issues. Most God-fearing people can settle their theological and philosophical disputes on the black and white issues, but the gray issues become bloody battlegrounds of bias.

Mark Batterson, of National Community Church in Washington DC, blogged about some of these issues when he wrote:

"About four hundred years ago, a German theologian named Rupertus Meldenius, was frustrated with the infighting and backbiting in the church. And he said something so profound that it has passed the test of time." He said:

In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.

We have turned "issues into elephants"! We love to skirt around the issues. The church bells ring with criticism and gossip because of the "elephant". The "world" cuts us out of the equation because we don't care enough about their "real needs" to put down our battle axes.

Would you take a second to comment on this question: What "elephants in the church" would you like to see us speak about during an upcoming series? What are the real issues that intrude on our divine purpose? I am not sure what my timetable will be on doing this series, but hopefully sometime soon.

This should be interesting.

Comments

[D Sample]

This is a fantastic post. As soon as I get done with this all-nighter of work, I'll have some brain power to respond.

[Josh Lewis]

There are a number of areas that are fall into what traditional Pentecostals consider "holiness" issues, but yet are not even an afterthought to society, and the church world, at large. I think it could be beneficial to address these areas from a Biblical and historical perspective so that Lifers from all backgrounds would be on the same page as we strive to be like Christ on a daily basis.

[LauraP]

I think some of the most prevalent "grey" issues today are: alcohol use, abortion, divorce, prejudice, accountability of leaders, gossip, and spiritual gifts.

However, in the spirit of not skirting the real issues, here's my "elephant". Should a church remain tied to an organizational affiliation that seems to have lost sight of its divine purpose -- an organization that promotes strict legalism over grace?

IMHO, Christian churches should strive to follow Christ's example by reaching out to all who are in need regardless of their appearance, status, or history of wrongs. These churches need to address the REAL needs of people (spiritual, emotional, and physical) instead of legislating a behavior system. Yet the confusion and controversy surrounding non-essential "holiness" issues still prevent many from focusing on what's really important.

[A.J. Wood]

I think one of the "elephants" is as Christians, our perceptions of ourselves, and how we are perceived by other faiths and non-believers. Globalization through technology has increased not only awareness, but the speed at which information is delivered to the masses.

I hear and see more about what "Christians" are doing wrong, (Rev Manning calling out politicians as b@st**ds, Church groups picketing military funerals) as opposed to seeing the positive stories where Christ is making a difference. When a celebrity takes a moment to thank God in the public eye, it seems to be met with much skepticism, not only for the person's intent, but God Himself.

It would be nice to be witness to more examples of Christlike behavior, and less scandal.

If I understood LauraP's statement, I would agree that churches should be the leaders in guiding/educating society's morals not the government. History teaches us that law is influenced by those in power, and those in power, however good their intent, cannot be expected to act without personal agenda or outside influence.

[Derrick Sample]

Let me first say that I don't think we have any "elephants in the room" of any significance at ALC. Your ability to be direct without having to defend every little decision is a credit to you and your leadership. While there are things that aren't discussed over the pulpit, I don't sense an apprehension to discuss them, but rather an ability on your part to keep the focus on things that matter. This is a tricky balance, but I think your attitude and approachability make that possible.

I could get into some of the specific things that I think are issues that might traditionally be considered "elephants in the room", but I am going to respond to the question in broader terms for now. I grew up in the UPC, and when I think back to how much time and energy I've wasted wondering if this rule was right, or whether that person was still saved, it kind of makes me sick. These things were, by and large, the defining characteristics of my belief system for a long time. We had the "whole truth", and no one else did - in part because of the way we dressed. The arrogance of that is mind-boggling.

As is human nature, we have a tendency to lose sight of how to prioritize certain things. We tend to make much out of characteristics that are tangible, because it's easier to recognize and evaluate. We look at hair, dresses, beards, jewelry - because they are all so easy to see and identify. It is easy to measure a person by these benchmarks since you can't see what's in their hearts. I believe that what were originally set up as holiness guidelines have become the defining characteristic of our movement. I don't know that I agree that the organization has lost its defining purpose, but I believe that the purpose frequently gets lost behind the procedure. If you look back on the founding members of the UPC, you would be surprised to see women in earrings and men with beards. The fact that most of us don't know that is a testament to how things become distorted over time.

One big thing that I think happens frequently is that we confuse church law and God's law. I think the church often sets rules to protect their members in a broad sense, though the rules themselves may not be Biblical. I don't think this is a bad thing -- until it starts being taught as if it is Biblical. Every organization has a right to have bylaws. If you don't agree with them, you don't have to be a part of that organization. For instance, I can't find anything (conclusively) in the Bible that says that consumption of alcohol is wrong. There is much debate about whether "wine" in the Bible was fermented or not, or whether is was sometimes, and other times not. I see a great deal about drunkenness, drinking in moderation, not defiling your body, etc. Here is a link to an interesting analysis of the issue if you're interested (http://www.tektonics.org/lp/nowine.html). But how does an organization legislate something like that? You can't say, "you can drink, but only in moderation." Moderation is defined differently by everyone. So, in order to protect people, it makes sense to play it safe. Just don't. You'll be better off not subjecting yourself to a temptation to abuse alcohol. I think that is very valid. BUT - it may not be biblical, thus it's organizational. The problem comes when we lose sight of that, and begin to attempt to judge others' salvation based on our organization guidelines.

My hope is that we at ALC always keep sight of this difference.

[Becca]

I agree with Derrick and LauraP's comments. A huge grey area is alcohol use, abortion, divorce, prejudice, accountability of leaders, gossip, and spiritual gifts. Some things like Derrick mentioned have been organizational guidelines vs. biblical.
I had a Pastor tell me that alcohol in moderation was not wrong. Well, who determines that? At what point does it become a sin- complete intoxication?

I know there have been several cases when friends of mine that have visited ALC and have asked about these particular subjects...mainly,alcohol and whether or not is was wrong.

I honestly couldn't answer their question. I told them to pray about it and ask GOD to show them.

[Derrick S]

I know you actually want NEW people to comment, so I decided to just post an additional response on my blog. Here is the link:

http://www.halfwritings.com/2008/05/12/more-elephants/

[Chadrack]

If we're talking gray issues - I wanted to go old school a little. Thankfully, many of these are not issues with the majority of OUR church body, but these still seem to come up again and again. Hair cutting (women), facial hair (men), piercings (ear, etc, etc), tattoos, modesty (wearing of shorts, women wearing pants, etc), going to the movie theater just to name a few...

Since many of these items are personal convictions that God puts on individuals, I'd be curious to see how gray issues - in general - would be addresses from the pulpit.

If I missed the point of this post, I apologize.... I'm new to all of this blogging technology stuff...

[Jeana Marie]

Elephants.. WOW love the topic...
It frustrates me how many focuses on so many non essential things.. ex:
sinners prayer v/s repentance
tongues before or after baptism...
how do you loose your salvation
what is sin? have you ever visited as church where god jesus the holy ghost and the pastor reign... its amazing to me how some churches control their congregations by guilt and fear .. many people coming out of a situation like that don't understand freedom.
conviction v/s condemnation
personal convition v/s essential docterine
After surviving a year of Bible College, we went on chorale tour. One service we could wear our hair down, the next because of the church had to wear it up. One place we couldnt wear open toed shoes, another no red was allowed.. the churches were so focused on being Jesus's personal police that grace was not evident in the congregation...
Grace.. another big concept...Maybe the definition of grace. identity in Christ v/s a distored perspective of what christians expect us to be..spiritual v/s emotional healing..
or unconditional love...
sorry jeff you got me going

[Derrick S]

Hope you don't mind, but I put this question out to a broader audience. 'Course, I drove them to MY blog so I could expand my readership ;), but I also linked to your blog, so you should see some more hits. This is an Apostolic Oneness message board.

http://www.apostolicfriendsforum.com/showthread.php?t=14841

[Nick Mathis]

I might be a little late on this but I think it would be great to expose and dispose of the elephants. We probably all have similar thought about the "grey" areas of Christianity but to really put it out there would be useful. If we are to be of one accord I think it is important to know what we agree on.

[Jeana Marie]

Im with nick... put the elephants on parade!

[Ben Sanders]

I'm not afraid to see some elephants on display ... or to shoot most of them.

[JCO]

Bro. Hennigan,

I would absolutely LOVE to hear a series on this topic. There is currently an extremely painful division in my family due to the strict UPC background I was brought up in. Because I have "strayed" from the standards, some in my family view me as a backslidden Christian or that my love for Jesus Christ has wavered, when in fact it has only grown stronger. It breaks my heart that I cannot share my excitement and passion for Jesus with my own family, because they question the validity of my relationship with Him.

[Christina S]

Elephants?! We have elephants?!? I suppose that as a whole every church has "elephants", but as a fairly new member of ALC I can't say that any area has jumped out at me. I know my past experiences with other churches I have felt the pressure to "keep up w/the jones" by what I wore, how I prayed, and so on. I can honestly say that from day one I have never, ever felt as if there were two faces to our chruch. With that said, if we do have "elephants" within our church, I'm with Derrick S and I'd, too, like to see how these issues are addressed. I love you guys, and thank you for loving me back.

[Danny Olivieri]

Pastor Jeff,

There are things that bring people together and things that divide. It would be Great to hear about both sides of the coin for a fair balance. One powerful divider is Legalism and all it entails. One powerful Uniter is of course Jesus Christ and a Relationship with him based on our worth and not just our performance or appearance.

[StevenT]

Hey Bro,

After having spent many years in ministry...I can only agree emphatically that the elephants are what usually trample the circus leader! I am consistently amused at where we as Christians draw the proverbial "line in the sand". We have the propensity to preach or stand hardest against things that we don't battle against, and typically give more leeway towards things we struggle with.

You should have a blasty blast hunting elephants, I mean really...what's a good Safari hunt without game?

Love you man,
-Steven T.