All too often, Christians both liberal and conservative see the whole world through the lens of a single issue. Those who agree with them on that issue are kosher. Those who disagree are non-kosher. Furthermore, at every church meeting, 'that' issue becomes to them the most important item on the agenda.
For an example of this, note this post about the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada on the (rather pretentiously-titled) progressive Anglican blog 'Thinking Anglicans'. Of all the issues being discussed at the upcoming General Synod, the only one judged worthy of comment is the consideration of the 'Anglican Covenant' (which is connected to the ongoing fight about homosexuality in the Anglican Communion). Hats off to Fiona Brownlee in the comments, who calls them on this blinkered vision. All too often, it seems as if the Thinking Anglicans only want to think about one thing. Or maybe two.
Fortunately, more and more Christians aren't buying this sort of thing. They're seeing that the mission of Jesus is wider than their own pet agendas.
What more and more of us need to come to grips with, of course, is the fact that while we're debating the issue of who gets to be in charge on the Titanic, the iceberg of a shrinking church with an aging membership is getting closer and closer. And unless we can find a way of addressing this issue, thirty years from now there won't be many of us left to discuss the things we disagree about.
3 comments:
I have spent years wishing people wouldn't reduce me to a single issue, but it seems this is a battle I have no choice in. And I consistently hear Gene Robinson say he'd rather be judged as a complete human being insread of being reduced to one characteristic.
What advice would you give?
As for the Canadian Synod, I so want to agree with you. There are so many more important things to talk about!
And yet, isn't it partly because so many people have said for so many years "you get on with your squabbles, we concentrate on what's really important" that the CoE, for example, is drifting more and more into fundamentalist-land and by the time everyone realises it may be too late to do anything about it?
Again, what advice would you give?
Erika, I do not dispute the importance of the issue or the necessity of it being addressed. I simply dispute the fact that, of all the important issues facing our General Synod (which, unlike the CofE's GS, only meets once every three years), 'Thinking Anglicans' chose to highlight only the covenant.
And I'm also very mindful of the elephant in the room that no one is talking about - the fact that, unless Anglicans very quickly get over their phobia about personal evangelism, within a generation or two there won't be any of us left to go to General Synods and discuss the other issues.
Tim
I agree that Thinking Anglicans could have said more about your General Synod.
The elephant in the room is partly linked to the single issue Christianity you criticise.
The sooner we find a workable compromise the sooner Christianity will no longer be in the news for one issue only - well, two, if you include the furore over women bishops in the CoE, and the quicker people can concentrate on what actually matters.
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