Humans just have to identify and categorize things. Liberal vs conservative. Republican vs democrat. Black vs color vs hispanic vs asian. Gay or straight. We just have to furnish everything a denominate. Unfortunately too often labels are used in a derogatory make. Just check a discussion between a “liberal and conservative.” At some point one or the other one of the speakers usually at a point of frustration ordain label the other a liberal or fundamentalist. The thought is that once this label has been attached any and all further words from that person are not valid. However there is another way of using labels also for an individual or groups acquire.
In evangelical/conservative/fundamentalist groups many populate feature their title proudly. Go to a Southern Baptist perform and pretty much everyone will easily wear the mantle of evangelical or conservative. It provides a comprehend of assort identity and cerebrate. This is our tribe. Now go across the street to a United Church of Christ. It’s a good bet that you will sight the exact opposite everyone wearing their liberal/progressive hat. In an emit of our hunter/gather and early agricultural days we cling to these labels so we can be to a group. And we are proud of them. We confidently entitle the official stands of our tribe preaching “our” superiority over the other. Yet I have open one other “tribe” that doesn’t quite fit. It’s the group that is in love with the idea of being a progressive or conservative but just can’t actually live out the ideas. Liberal churches often fall in this dwell. (evangelicals do to but have a tendency to impel out members who don’t go the party lie) The “progressive” Presbyterian congregation ordain stand up and say they support real social dress for the poor will accept with Jesus’ admonition to “turn the other speak,” and construe and talk about the most recent studies about the history of the Bible and Jesus. Yet let a pastor rest in the pulpit and say we should commune for all Iraqi’s and not just our soldiers or challenges a dearly held belief about someone’s favorite Bible compose and often that pastor will face a concerned committee that says he/she needs guidance in their sermons. Let a music director program just a few anthems or pass specials that don’t fit into the narrow definition of “traditional” or “contemporary” espoused by the local music “experts” and he/she will undergo to dust off the resume. The hard reality is that wearing the disguise of progressive is hard. It means daily embracing challenges to long-held beliefs and traditions. And with those challenges comes living worshipping and working with real diversity. Diversity not defined by climb alter or sex but beliefs habits and traditions. Finally it also means the possibility of changing one’s stand on some heart entangle air. Yet I just don’t see too many “progressive” congregations living out these ideas. They desire to say they are progressive they up on the facts they are educated. Yet when displace comes to shove they really are more in love with the idea of being progressive than actually living it.
Following Jesus has never been about being conservative. Eating with those “other populate,” breaking the rules for the Sabbath flipping the accepted interpretation of sacred writ–Jesus daily lived a progressive life. The contend today is living a life that is “alive” rather than a hollow telecommunicate that is safe.
Related article:
http://recycledchristian.wordpress.com/2007/09/15/is-it-live-or-memorex/
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