Contrary Discernment
This post is dedicated to M@, who will adore it if he reads it.
Today I had occasion to do something that I do far too seldom; I sat down for a lengthy chat with Super Dave and Mrs. Super Dave, two of my absolute favorite people in the world. The conversation was repeatedly permeated by their two daughters, aged (nearly) five, and three months.
During the course of my visit, Super Dave at one point picked up his guitar and began strumming, and I noted that I would like to eventually, when I have money, I'd like to learn how to play the bass guitar so that I can be cool like the Cardinal of Rhythm. This inspired a discussion about the relative merits of Bono and his representation of Christianity. As you will all have gathered by now, I have a particular amount of emotional capital invested in this issue, as I consider Bono to be my Pontiff. Super Dave, on the other hand, is very skeptical of Bono.
As I attempted, in vain, to provide evidence that Bono's the real deal, Super Dave made frequent references to scripture, most of which I felt to be taken somewhat out of context. Being almost wholly (and admittedly) ignorant of the subject, most of Super Dave's objections stemmed from a single incident: Bono's defense of the "F" word when used as an adjective, vice its use to describe the act of coitus.
Super Dave is a person who I respect immensely; he's a former United States Marine, a devoted father and husband, and a dedicated academic. In the things that he does in his life, he makes the utmost attempt to be a discerning individual, and to live his life in as Biblical a way as is humanly possible. However, Super Dave is also precisely the kind of person who drove me out of the church (his church, as a matter of fact) when I was in high school. Dave went on and on today about how we're not to judge those outside the church, but how the Bible simultaneously admonishes us as Christians to be judgmental of those who claim to be "regenerate" in Christ. I realize that he's well-intentioned; unfortunately, his attempts at caution and spiritual protection amount to little more than condescension.
Super Dave is the kind of person who frustrates me. He's absolutely obsessed, to the point of being pushy about it, with the notion of getting me involved with a church; because as far as Super Dave is concerned, no one's spiritual existence can be complete without affiliation with a congregation. Super Dave, who has no problem himself with consuming alcohol, avoids it because he wouldn't want to send the wrong idea to non-Christians, or even to other Christians who are too narrow-minded to realize that consumption of alcohol does not equate to apostasy. He's also the kind of Christian who gets intensely skeptical, and sees someone as fraudulently faithful, if that individual says a "coarse" or "harsh" word. A Christian can sing a song that's the modern version of Job or Jonah, but that's not good enough for Super Dave; and that's especially frustrating to me, respecting him, and thinking that he's closed-minded to the degree of cutting himself off from the wonders of God's power in people's lives.
Super Dave even went so far today as to criticize Bono for trying to improve this world. I will freely agree with Super Dave's point: the world is going to come to an end, and we should not be complacent. However, would Super Dave criticize Christian missionaries for building houses, or establishing hospitals, or teaching people English? Would Super Dave criticize those faith based organizations that are involved right now with rebuilding the lives of those in the Gulf Coast region? I think that he would not.
Christians get criticized enough for "having their heads in the sand" about legitimate issues like homosexuality and humanistic propaganda. We don't need to look like a bunch of nut jobs by not drinking, or by avoiding man-made words like "fuck" and "cock" and "damn". When someone blasphemes the name of God, then we have something to be upset about. When someone gets piss steaming drunk and puts themself in a position to hurt themself or others, then we have something to be upset about. When someone drives others away from God's love by holding them to some sort of extra-Biblical, legalistic standard over something as asinine as a word, then we have something to be upset about.
In the meantime, when I go out with my friends, Christian, pagan, or heathen, I'm going to enjoy a pint of Guinness like a normal human being, because its wonderful taste and various nutritional qualities are a blessing to me. When I have a conversation with a friend, and a coarse word slips out, I'm not going to worry about it; after all, what I should really be worried about, and avoiding, is the sin of blaspheming the name of God. And Christian or not, I'm going to do what I can to avoid judging people, because the only thing that accomplishes is to harden my heart, and not in a way that's at all productive.
As I said before, I immensely respect Super Dave, and I feel that I can learn a lot from him, and enjoy his role in my life; but I refuse to allow his paranoia to rub off on me, and I will continue to leave myself open for the Spirit to move in Mysterious Ways: around me, through me, and within me. In fact, this attitude will prove to be one of the things I've learned from Super Dave, even if it's as a result of being contrary to his example.
Thus saith the Fly.
Today I had occasion to do something that I do far too seldom; I sat down for a lengthy chat with Super Dave and Mrs. Super Dave, two of my absolute favorite people in the world. The conversation was repeatedly permeated by their two daughters, aged (nearly) five, and three months.
During the course of my visit, Super Dave at one point picked up his guitar and began strumming, and I noted that I would like to eventually, when I have money, I'd like to learn how to play the bass guitar so that I can be cool like the Cardinal of Rhythm. This inspired a discussion about the relative merits of Bono and his representation of Christianity. As you will all have gathered by now, I have a particular amount of emotional capital invested in this issue, as I consider Bono to be my Pontiff. Super Dave, on the other hand, is very skeptical of Bono.
As I attempted, in vain, to provide evidence that Bono's the real deal, Super Dave made frequent references to scripture, most of which I felt to be taken somewhat out of context. Being almost wholly (and admittedly) ignorant of the subject, most of Super Dave's objections stemmed from a single incident: Bono's defense of the "F" word when used as an adjective, vice its use to describe the act of coitus.
Super Dave is a person who I respect immensely; he's a former United States Marine, a devoted father and husband, and a dedicated academic. In the things that he does in his life, he makes the utmost attempt to be a discerning individual, and to live his life in as Biblical a way as is humanly possible. However, Super Dave is also precisely the kind of person who drove me out of the church (his church, as a matter of fact) when I was in high school. Dave went on and on today about how we're not to judge those outside the church, but how the Bible simultaneously admonishes us as Christians to be judgmental of those who claim to be "regenerate" in Christ. I realize that he's well-intentioned; unfortunately, his attempts at caution and spiritual protection amount to little more than condescension.
Super Dave is the kind of person who frustrates me. He's absolutely obsessed, to the point of being pushy about it, with the notion of getting me involved with a church; because as far as Super Dave is concerned, no one's spiritual existence can be complete without affiliation with a congregation. Super Dave, who has no problem himself with consuming alcohol, avoids it because he wouldn't want to send the wrong idea to non-Christians, or even to other Christians who are too narrow-minded to realize that consumption of alcohol does not equate to apostasy. He's also the kind of Christian who gets intensely skeptical, and sees someone as fraudulently faithful, if that individual says a "coarse" or "harsh" word. A Christian can sing a song that's the modern version of Job or Jonah, but that's not good enough for Super Dave; and that's especially frustrating to me, respecting him, and thinking that he's closed-minded to the degree of cutting himself off from the wonders of God's power in people's lives.
Super Dave even went so far today as to criticize Bono for trying to improve this world. I will freely agree with Super Dave's point: the world is going to come to an end, and we should not be complacent. However, would Super Dave criticize Christian missionaries for building houses, or establishing hospitals, or teaching people English? Would Super Dave criticize those faith based organizations that are involved right now with rebuilding the lives of those in the Gulf Coast region? I think that he would not.
Christians get criticized enough for "having their heads in the sand" about legitimate issues like homosexuality and humanistic propaganda. We don't need to look like a bunch of nut jobs by not drinking, or by avoiding man-made words like "fuck" and "cock" and "damn". When someone blasphemes the name of God, then we have something to be upset about. When someone gets piss steaming drunk and puts themself in a position to hurt themself or others, then we have something to be upset about. When someone drives others away from God's love by holding them to some sort of extra-Biblical, legalistic standard over something as asinine as a word, then we have something to be upset about.
In the meantime, when I go out with my friends, Christian, pagan, or heathen, I'm going to enjoy a pint of Guinness like a normal human being, because its wonderful taste and various nutritional qualities are a blessing to me. When I have a conversation with a friend, and a coarse word slips out, I'm not going to worry about it; after all, what I should really be worried about, and avoiding, is the sin of blaspheming the name of God. And Christian or not, I'm going to do what I can to avoid judging people, because the only thing that accomplishes is to harden my heart, and not in a way that's at all productive.
As I said before, I immensely respect Super Dave, and I feel that I can learn a lot from him, and enjoy his role in my life; but I refuse to allow his paranoia to rub off on me, and I will continue to leave myself open for the Spirit to move in Mysterious Ways: around me, through me, and within me. In fact, this attitude will prove to be one of the things I've learned from Super Dave, even if it's as a result of being contrary to his example.
Thus saith the Fly.
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