Conservative vs. Reactionary
I've recently contemplated the notion of conservative, liberal, progressive, and reactionary. It's something we've probably all thought about before. Because the nature of our A/P faith places a premium on Biblical concepts that the mainstream church world by and large doesn't value, the degree to which we cling to our original tenets and the way we address change is a topic close to all our hearts.
Close to Home
Ninetyandnine has certainly seen its share of concerns voiced because the zine publishes a wide array of articles, interviews, etc. Fortunately the open forum gives us all a voice, no matter which side of the spectrum.
Me and Mine
I, like many of you, live in an area with churches on both ends of the progressive/conservative spectrum. The middle ground I think to occupy is a precarious place because to conservatives it seems too progressive; to progressives, too conservative; and never the twain shall meet.
A New One Thrown in the Mix
I get progressive vs. conservative, but lately I've been trying to wrap my brain around a new stance: reactionary. I may be too presumptuous in my description, but I see a reactionary as someone who blows up at every potential new issue and inherently thinks of all change as bad without giving ear to discussion.
The Bottom Line?
Let's take controversial standards as a case in point. I'm all for an open-ended strive for the ultimate in holiness. I think, however, that if not careful, we can turn it into an unending "who can be the holiest" contest. In our day and age, we'll never run short on controversial standards. If it's not TV, there'll be something else we all disagree about. At some point we have to pray and trust everyone to make their own decisions in response to their convictions. Of course, by saying that, you're branded a hopeless liberal and you revert back to the unending holiest competition. At some point it's not even about holiness, it's just competition and having something to be pessimistic about. And that happens on both sides of the fence. Just as I've seen extremists in our ranks try to prove how unholy our movement is, I've seen the other extremists in our ranks get their kicks out of trying to prove how hopelessly backwards/judgemental/unprogressive our movement is.
It seems the trick is to pray for wisdom and unity and not get distracted by the fray. I realize there will be extremes on any stance. You'd like to see people use their concerns in a positive way and not misjudge or make blanket assumptions. I respect anyone and any attempt ultimately aimed at getting closer to God. Hopefully that's our motive in any case. And hopefully we can do it in a considerate and Christian way.
Close to Home
Ninetyandnine has certainly seen its share of concerns voiced because the zine publishes a wide array of articles, interviews, etc. Fortunately the open forum gives us all a voice, no matter which side of the spectrum.
Me and Mine
I, like many of you, live in an area with churches on both ends of the progressive/conservative spectrum. The middle ground I think to occupy is a precarious place because to conservatives it seems too progressive; to progressives, too conservative; and never the twain shall meet.
A New One Thrown in the Mix
I get progressive vs. conservative, but lately I've been trying to wrap my brain around a new stance: reactionary. I may be too presumptuous in my description, but I see a reactionary as someone who blows up at every potential new issue and inherently thinks of all change as bad without giving ear to discussion.
The Bottom Line?
Let's take controversial standards as a case in point. I'm all for an open-ended strive for the ultimate in holiness. I think, however, that if not careful, we can turn it into an unending "who can be the holiest" contest. In our day and age, we'll never run short on controversial standards. If it's not TV, there'll be something else we all disagree about. At some point we have to pray and trust everyone to make their own decisions in response to their convictions. Of course, by saying that, you're branded a hopeless liberal and you revert back to the unending holiest competition. At some point it's not even about holiness, it's just competition and having something to be pessimistic about. And that happens on both sides of the fence. Just as I've seen extremists in our ranks try to prove how unholy our movement is, I've seen the other extremists in our ranks get their kicks out of trying to prove how hopelessly backwards/judgemental/unprogressive our movement is.
It seems the trick is to pray for wisdom and unity and not get distracted by the fray. I realize there will be extremes on any stance. You'd like to see people use their concerns in a positive way and not misjudge or make blanket assumptions. I respect anyone and any attempt ultimately aimed at getting closer to God. Hopefully that's our motive in any case. And hopefully we can do it in a considerate and Christian way.
posted by Lee Ann @ 8:03 PM
2 Comments:
At 1:36 PM,
Theresa said…
Our church is a relatively conservative church, but as my daughters were growing up, the Lord would deal with my husband or me about different aspects of holiness that we needed to teach our children. Not always something that was taught, or even accepted by others in our congregation.
As our daughters would question us about our "strong convictions", we would talk with them, pray with them, and then tell them that our goal was to teach them to serve Jesus with a heart full of love. We would also tell them that even if they didn't agree or have the same convictions that we did about holiness, that as long as they were living in our home and we were their main support that their obedience was not optional.
My goal as a Christian is to serve Him with my whole heart. I love Him and I want to please Him. No pastor or organization can legislate my holiness -- I want to be holy because He is Holy!
At 8:17 AM,
Josh L said…
Great comments, and I definitely agree with you. I will say that most everyone (including me) thinks they are "moderate" and those who are on either side of them are extremists.
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