The Biggest Challenge Currently Facing the Church
I recently did a Twitter poll concerning the openness of Christians toward people in committed same-sex relationships having full access to all levels of leadership in the church. Here are the results:
I realize that the number of respondents severely limits the accuracy of the data. However, based on many of the conversations that I have had with Christians, lay and leader alike, this is fairly accurate.
The largest number still holds to a traditional sexual ethic and expect leaders to follow that. However, there is a growing number of people who affirm those in committed same-sex relationships and a number still trying to figure it out.
So what is the challenge for the Church?
If you are affirming, you may think the challenge is to get more Christians to be affirming. If you are non-affirming, you might think that the challenge is to get Christians back to only accepting sex within a male-female marriage.
I see the challenge differently.
The greatest challenge for the Church today is about how we deal with these differences within our communities of faith. The complexity is that we are not talking about one denomination against another denomination or one congregation against another congregation.
Very often we are talking about congregations within the same denomination and Christians within the same congregation. I know that there are differences of opinions within both my denomination and my congregation.
This is only going to grow. It is not as simple as one group telling the other group to get their act together by quoting Scripture at each other. At some level we are going to have to learn to live together.
The United Methodist Church is looking at splitting over this issue. Other denominations have chosen to allow each congregation to choose their own position. Others are taking a stronger stand and seeking to remove congregations who don’t share the expected view.
I need to make it clear that both sides of the issue are equally convinced of their position. Both see it as a gospel issue with no room for compromise. Many will never change their minds.
And yet here we are as the Body of Christ. We are expected to have unity without uniformity. Can we do this? Will we make room for each other?
I hope so.
