The Response Should Be Community

Another section of an email to Ty from me:

I liked what you said about how what we do DOES matter, but not for our salvation. I had already come to the conclusion that what we did didn't matter for salvation because we can't DO anything.

But when you're left with that, it often seems as though you are stuck without a purpose or drive in life. Making our lives a RESPONSE to God's salvation is so much more of a welcome thought. It's not something I can check off and be ready to go to Heaven with; it's a lifestyle of living constantly in the glorification of God. THAT seems more like a purpose in life. Not just an, "ok I accepted Jesus, now I'm in" kind of thing, but a "I've accepted Jesus, now what can I do every day to glorify and serve others to say, 'You know what God, thanks a bunch.'"
The Meant To Live song is a really good example. (It made me like Switchfoot.) We WERE meant to live for so much more. And so our purpose in life is to get as close to how God intended our lives to be as we can (which I believe leads to getting the most out of life.)

I remember reading about the "love"/"tolerance" thing in a C.S. Lewis book, I think Mere Christianity. I liked what he said though because it was saying that you have to actively LOVE someone. Not just not dislike them.

We DO need to build a community. Mom and I were looking at Dr. Gagnon's (you know, her Greek professor) website (http://www.robgagnon.net/AnswersToEMails.htm) and reading some of the emails he received and responded to. The second one listed was the one that really jumped out at me. It was essentially: should we withhold membership privileges from cohabiting heterosexual partners, just as we do from cohabiting homosexual partners? Apparently Gagnon had labeled homosexual relations as an "extreme sin" (weighing sins now, are we?), and this pastor was wondering if he should place the same label on a parallel situation. Gagnon said NO that it wasn't "as serious". (So lying isn't as serious, I'll just do that and maybe I'll get off? Huh?)
He said it wasn't like homosexuality because it wasn't unnatural, and then he threw out some Scripture (like always) about the prostitute creating a "one flesh" union, even though it was unholy. Then, even if homosexuality is unholy, why is IT not still "one flesh"?
Some of what he says makes sense, he's just so polarizing and completely close-minded that it makes me angry.

My main point here is why are we turning off membership in the first place?
Mom said that it was because when you join the church you are saying that you are going to withhold a certain moral code, which makes sense in theory, but where do we draw the line?
Are we saying you're not allowed to be a part of the church if you're an active sinner? Yeah, I think we kind of are.

And here's the amazing ending to his email:

"From a pastoral standpoint, I recommend having a personal meeting with the offenders, going through Jesus’ teaching on marriage in Matt 19, highlighting the importance of obeying Jesus as his disciples, and explaining that membership can only be granted (or actively retained) if they marry or dissolve the sexual bond. I also recommend, if you haven’t already done so, that you regularly preach on the importance of sexual purity and marriage. I doubt that they would want to become members of a church that clearly declared their behavior to be sin, if they insisted on staying in a sexual relationship outside of marriage."

"I doubt they would want to be members." I think I just threw up a little in my mouth. This is disgusting. He's now telling people to preach to WARD PEOPLE OFF!!! This is absolutely ridiculous. Some community. No wonder people don't want to be a part of us. WE don't want THEM.
Sometimes I really can't stand Christians.

Heath and Heaven

This is taken from an email I recently wrote to Ty. It's not meant to be a political statement, it's just a stream of thoughts I've been thinking lately that I shared with my brother:


On the subject of doing things in the name of Christ that are wrong (which coincidentally, I remember writing a big question mark beside Mark 9:38-41 when Jesus talks about whoever is not against us is for us because I was picturing the Bullhorn man in NOOMA [NOOMA.com] and people like you mentioned who carry around "God hates fags" signs.) I have now finished Brokeback Mountain since I emailed you last AND watched it again.
It was beautiful.
Sometimes I go through these spells of depression for the world. I get really sad and hopeless and I think of how people are hurting and God is mourning over our actions. I am currently doing that now because of Heath Ledger. I know I didn't know him. I know that sounds ridiculous to be "mourning" someone I've never even met, but his death has brought up so many issues and emotions for me that this last week has been really sad. I have honestly spent the past couple of days randomly bursting into tears at the idea of a young man, the same age as my brother, just...ended. I think of whether or not he is in Heaven and the tears flow even harder.
I don't get Heaven.
I don't get who goes there and who doesn't. Sometimes people talk to me about, "When I get to Heaven...," and I think, how are they so sure they are getting there? How do they know they are checked off the list? Haven't they still got awhile to screw things up? And have they DONE something to get on that list? I was under the impression that we can't DO anything.
So I think of people like the fundamentalist carrying the sign and I think, he is going around, polarizing a large group of people from Jesus. He knows there's a Heaven and he knows he's going there someday.
Then I think of certain people I know who question Christianity. They live their life helping people. They have a kindness you can see in their eyes. But I'm not sure they thinks there IS a Heaven.

Now who gets in? The man who believes but doesn't live like Jesus, or the man who doubts but resembles Jesus everyday in his actions?

I would hope that everyone gets in. Because who can do anything to get there? No one.
And if people go to Hell it seems like God losses. And God doesn't lose. He doesn't even play.

I know I sound like a universalist, but who's to say that's not right? I'd be happy with that idea. I know I haven't earned my seat in Heaven, what makes me better than the next guy?

After Brokeback I have deciding to go as far away from the sign carrier as possible. I even decided to write my government opinion paper on pro civil unions, and when I raised my hand to pick the subject everyone was quiet and then they made fun of me. Whatev. I'm sticking up for Ennis. God loves fags.