Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Gay marriage, Abortion, and Enron.

Maybe I'm so far off it's not even funny or maybe I'm just angry and wanting to think outside the Christan norm...but a discussion with my small group tonight made me think about this central question: is the Church apart of the the main "battle" going on in the world today?

Of course, it's hard to read such a question without hardly any context but immediately I thought 'no...it isn't!' Even though I generally frown upon such language (i.e., "we've got a battle to fight today, and the Church must fight back!") I understood the question and still found myself disagreeing. Consider the past presidential election for instance.

Were the two main issues (gay marriage and abortion) evangelical Christians rallied behind really the ones central to the global Church's concerns at large? Meaning, were these issues the main battle going on in the world today? Were these the biggest hindrances to people coming to Christ? Or coming to God?

Once again---like in the good ole' scary Bible times---people who know very little about God and don't even pretend to call themselves Christians generally seem to be the ones fighting for justice, for peace, for love. So when the Enron scandal came out, how did the Church respond? Did it speak vehemently and passionately against this corporate scandal of injustice, lying, cheating and stealing, like it did when it spoke about abortion and gay marriage? Or was it merely just another story of man wanting too much money and the Church believing that there were other more pressing issues out there? Could it be possible that maybe, the Church missed the boat---again!?

In the New Testament, it's no surprise to the average person that Jesus addressed the problem of greed and the love for money as the single greatest threat to knowing Christ. Yet, when was the last time you heard a sermon on America's equating salvation with earning more money? When did the Church last picket corporate criminals who steal from middle and low income familes just so they can take another week of vacation in a year?

Somehow, most of us Christians (including myself), don't seem to be too concerned with that whole "sell everything you own and follow me," command that Jesus gave. No, we're on America's side for the most part. After all, how dare we question this Christian nation's values? How dare we suspect that the things that America holds to be its dream is not at all what we Christians should be living or dreaming for?!

4 comments:

Tara said...

When are you going to write a book like "Blue Like Jazz?" =) Love you!

Chalupa said...

some days i think about very similar things neville. i think the sad part is that i'm pretty sure i never really do much about it except pass my ideas on to a few people that run into me and are willing to listen to me. i know being aware of something is better than being oblivious but i know that i'm nowhere near the point of selling everything i own and giving it away.

Neville said...

you tell me tara.

and chalupa, all i can say is echo the great movie "Ghost" and say..."ditto."

CB said...

Hey,

You posted in my blog a few months back, and I decided to check up on you again today.

I'm not Christian. I don't believe in Jesus, God, or the Holy Ghost. I don't even understand what the Holy Ghost is (outside of the third symbol of the Trinity)! lol ... Still, I like to think I lead a moral life. I stand up for what I believe in, namely, equal rights, and I try to treat people fairly, no matter what they believe.

I've always wondered why all the various religions seem to pick on homosexuality. There is so much *real* "evil" out there to be dealt with. The Church in America has been very skilled in rallying its people against same-sex rights, if it put that skill to a better use, like say, picketing corporate criminals, maybe it would really accomplish something.

I think it would be really nice to finally stand *with( a large group of Christians, instead of standing against them.