bits from bob....
A few years ago, a Christian college lectureship focused an urgent need in the church. We must "Seek the Divine Agenda." In our day, some push for change while others are frustrated with the possibility of change. Because it is not always easy to distinguish message from methods, accusations of apostasy are hurled, and counter-accusations of legalism echo back. Some want faster change, some want to slow change down.
I am disturbed by some of what I hear. To speak in broad sweeping general statements, with accusing fingers, thoughtlessly, destructively, divisively hurts the Lord's church. Casting stones at Phariseeism, brandishing labels, setting up straw men, taking sides, and pronouncing guilt by association are all too common. In most cases, the people accused have never been approached by the accusing party. There have been no conversations, no contacts, no spirit of loving concern. Innuendo and assumed motives are set forth as true in prints and reprints with no checks for accuracy. Such ought not so to be!
Faulty (and false) information floats and is repeated, not only in church squabbles, but about organizations and persons in the broader culture. For example, an article from one of "our" periodicals was recently copied verbatim for a newspaper article. The article claimed a national organization had adopted a pro-homosexual platform. A quick check of the facts reveals that the statement is not true. The organization's convention adopted no policy. It is true that pro-homosexual literature was distributed in public areas at the convention, but that distribution was beyond the control of the organization. We would likewise have little control if a homosexual group decided to distribute literature on the public sidewalks in front of our buildings.
If anything is ruining the influence and impact of the churches of Christ as the new millennium begins, it may be the words we hurl so carelessly. Because such is not becoming children of God, the world turns a deaf ear. The world is watching us, consider what it sees.
The divine agenda is that we live honorable, exemplary lives among our neighbors. Let us be about the task! The tongue and pen are indeed mighty. Perhaps they should be labeled: Danger Zone!