It Is You My Familiar Friend

For quite some time I have felt painful grief at the schism that seems to be widening among Christians in the US. I wrote about this fairly extensively a year and a half ago. http://nstolpepilgrim.blogspot.com/2018/07/under-siege-unity-of-spirit-in-bond-of.html  Divisions in the Church are certainly not new. They were a problem from the earliest days of the Church as evident in the lectionary Epistle reading for Sunday (January 26) from 1 Corinthians 1:10. “Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” The Church divided East and West in 1054. The Western Church divided between Roman Catholics and Protestants in 1517, and Protestants have been splintering ever since. I grew up in an evangelical, Baptist context that was at that time at best suspicious of Roman Catholics and “liberal” mainline denominations. However, as an adult and in my pastoral career, I have enjoyed and spiritually benefited greatly from interaction with both Catholics and “Mainliners.” While I would hope that those with whom I grew up and who contributed immeasurably to my spiritual vigor and biblical literacy would still recognize me as kin and partner disciple of Jesus, I am sure many of them would group me with “Mainline liberals.”

I know these divisions have also been deep and distressing, but I sense something different happening in the last decade or probably more. My point is not historical analysis but exploring in God’s presence my own responses. With the impeachment trial of Donald Trump underway, this schism among those I love and count as my kindred as disciples of Jesus seems not only to be increasingly acute but also increasingly public. Though fed by the political feuds going on in the country, the dramatically discordant perspectives of Donald Trump suggest profoundly contrasting views of the role of the Church – Christ’s people – in the broader society. I have frequently observed that to me this seems parallel to the struggle between the Confessing Church and the German Christians in Germany (1933-1945).

My understanding is that these distinctions are rather different than the issues that fueled the “modernist-fundamentalist” debates of a previous generation. In the evangelical-Baptist context in which I grew up, we were regularly reminded that we were distinct from the dominant culture, encouraged with things such as the children’s song “Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone.” Respect for and recognition of theological and historical connections with Anabaptists prepared me to make a more direct connection with that tradition as an adult (though only in the last few years actually participating in a Mennonite congregation). Part of the criticism of “Mainline” liberals was that they had diluted and maybe distorted the Gospel by participating in the political processes of the time.

I want to be fair about my characterizations and know that a summary line can’t convey all of the nuances or everything that adherents of a position consider important. So with that disclaimer, I hope these two sentences capture enough of the contrast to understand my concern about current conflicts among Christians. On one side are those who defend Donald Trump as protecting and promoting traditional Christian rights and privilege in US society. On the other side are those who find Donald Trump’s policies and personal life antithetical to the teaching and example of Jesus. I have no way of knowing what transpires in Donald Trump’s heart between him and God, and I am not asserting comprehensive accuracy of either characterization, only suggesting why I think the nature of this schism is distinct in our time. I am sure that whichever statement someone most identifies with, they are aware of friends, relatives, fellow church members, partners in ministry who identify with the other one, and the relationship has been stifled if not damaged as a result.

I felt this as I prayed through my usual Psalms this morning. Psalm 55:12-14 prompted an extensive conversation with God about my sense of separation from some who have been dear to me and who made important contributions to my spiritual journey and ministry. “It is not enemies who taunt me— I could bear that; it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me— I could hide from them. But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend, with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the house of God with the throng.”

Some of the language of the Psalm is harsh, and I had to work through that to acknowledge that while I don’t have such strong feelings as that, I do find myself befuddled at best about the attitudes of some who I am sure believe I have headed in the wrong direction. When I came to verse 22, I talked with God at some length about how hard I often find relinquishing my own untoward emotions. “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you.” Of course, in that conversation I included the paraphrase of this verse in 1 Peter 5:7. “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” KJV renders this, perhaps more poetically but not as powerfully, as “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

After a rather extended time in Psalm 55, I moved on to Psalm 85 and found this line expressed well my deep longing. “Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?” (v. 6)

Then in verses 10-11 suggested the reconciliation for which I anguish and pray. “Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness [justice NEB] and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness [justice NEB] will look down from the sky.”

Awaiting the Righteous Judge

As the Apostle Paul knew he was approaching the end of his days, he wrote, “From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8) Somehow, in our human propensity for shame and threats, we inculcate fear of what the righteous judge might impose, especially on those whom we find reprehensible. Though it is a manifestly impotent motivator, we rely on guilt feelings to produce good behavior in ourselves, our children, and others around us. How much more effective is the joy of anticipating a crown of righteousness, not just for us but for all whom God loves!

These New Testament words echoed as I prayed through Psalm 130 this morning. “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?” (v. 3) Yes, we cry out of the depths of our agonies to God, but God is not recording our sins and failures, otherwise none of us could stand. Rather, “there is forgiveness with [God], so that [God] may be revered. (v. 4) … For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem (v. 7) This does not diminish the seriousness of our sins and failures, but at the core of God’s being is not condemnation and punishment but forgiveness, redemption, and steadfast love. Therefore, with hope we “wait for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning.” (v. 6)

As a bit of an aside, for those who are concerned that my reflections here miss God’s judgment of evil, in the book of Job 1-2 “satan” comes before God to make accusations against God’s servant Job. The Hebrew word rendered “satan” in our English translations might better be transliterated as ha-satan, which means “the accuser.” The role of ha-satan in the opening of Job is not of tempting Job to some sin but a role more like a prosecuting attorney in a court of law bringing charges against, in this case, an innocent defendant. This is consistent with the imagery of Revelation 12:10 that speaks of the “accuser of our comrades” (brethren KJV) being thrown down, no longer allowed to “accuse them day and night before our God.” In the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ temptation, Matthew and Luke use “Devil” while Mark uses “Satan,” in each case working within context and audience, but that is beyond what I want to explore here. Also, the word translated “temptation” (here and in the Lord’s Prayer) can also be translated “testing.” These brought up against understanding ha-satan as the accuser, suggests that the Devil/Satan was not so much trying to lure Jesus into a particular sin but was making accusations that Jesus was not qualified for his redemptive mission, perhaps even attacking God’s loving, forgiving, and redeeming character.

I know my aside is about as long as my original point. You who know me may just shrug and say, “Yea, well, that’s how Norm’s brain works.” So be it.