Human nature

There's a petition that's going around Facebook warning that Ugandan legislation could be passed that demands the execution of homosexuals. I haven't checked the facts on this.

I was privy to a FB post relating to this where a Christian commented along the lines of "While I don't believe that homosexuality is right, please sign this petition to stop them being executed in Uganda..." What an uproar! There were a number of homosexuals and a number of Christians who subsequently commented. One particular person of a homosexual persuasion was irate that this person should have written the disclaimer, and accused the person of being homophobic. It was all a bit primary school style, as said person then went on to say "you're not my friend any more..."

That debacle got me thinking about a couple of things.

I heard a story of a gentleman who made the mistake of holding the door for a feminist. "Are you holding the door for me just because I'm a woman," she spat at him.

I'd like to think I'd hold the door open for anyone: man or woman... straight or gay.

Similar to the person who started the furore, I am a Christian who, based on my reading of the Bible, can't condone homosexuality. I recall a conversation with a friend from uni several years ago. She was an inquisitive non-christian who had asked questions in her childhood and hadn't gotten any of the answers she was chasing. So I recall that we would discuss things. And in one of the discussions homosexuality came up. She made a couple of comments. First she said, "But you're not homophobic, you wouldn't not be friends with someone because they were gay." Next she said, "You wouldn't have problems with going to a gay bar, for example." I agreed with the first statement. The second statement, I couldn't quite agree with. I had to admit that I probably would feel quite awkward going to a gay bar.

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I've always been a little confused by the conundrum... why would God create people who are of a sexual orientation that is contrary to his word? There is a movement that pushes the notion that sexuality is pre-determined. Yet many of the voices in Christian leadership are quick to jump on the line used in the 70s, that homosexuality was a lifestyle choice. Because that was the catchcry when things really heated up, the church leaders argue that they can't have it both ways.

The issue of homosexual origins is not something that I can relate to, and for the moment I'll stick to being unsure about who is right on the subject.

But the question of "why would God create people who are of a sexual orientation that is contrary to his word?" is one that I think a little light can be shed on, at least in terms of establishing a more representative situation.

The term that gets me is "human nature". Human nature is generally equated to selfishness. Selfishness is then defined as putting yourself before others, including God. And what are the two greatest commands according to Jesus? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; and love your neighbour as yourself.

From the Christian perspective that homosexuality is wrong, surely there are enough parallels between homosexuality and human nature, that by understanding human nature, why I have selfish tendencies, why I worry about myself first and then God and others come second, surely if I can understand that a little better, I might be better able to understand why God made people of a sexual orientation that is contrary to his word.

The only problem is, I don't really understand human nature.

Worship

Over the years I have had instilled in me the "importance" of not referring to music as worship. The reasons for this are pretty straight forward: our lives are to be a living sacrifice, and that is our spiritual act of worship. So, the reasoning goes, to say that we go to church for worship should be just as nonsensical as saying that we go to church to breathe (courtesy of Phil).

So I've found it quite challenging to be in a church where we talk about music as worship. Every time I hear the term "worship leader" I cringe. But I'm feeling a little guilty for that, because, when it's all said and done, we're kicking up a fuss about a little bit of church jargon. And from what I can see, the people I'm interacting with who refer to music as worship are just as much trying to live out the worship mandate.

So what am I suggesting? I'd be loathe to suggest that we shouldn't point our the oddity of referring to music as worship. But at the same time, it would be the opposite of worship if bringing it up were to spread discord. A slow evolution in our word usage might be the best approach. It's interesting that this issue of worship is generally agreed upon by people on both sides of the fence, so there is a fair possibility of change. But if there is no change, it is such a minor issue. My cringe response is far too over-the-top considering the importance of the issue.

An interesting side-note... at dad's school, there is a group that organises lunch-time worship, as well as running worship in chapel. Anyway, I had the opportunity to meet attend one of their events at one point. The students had two options: to either attend this worship event or to be out playing soccer, organised by another teacher. Interestingly, there were several girls there who did not want to play soccer, but who weren't Christian, but they were quite happy to come and be part of the worship service, as it was the lesser of two evils. Yet, the worship leader was earnest in praying for the kids out playing soccer that one day they too would join them in the worship group. Being out playing soccer is just as much a part of life as singing praises to God. And if our whole lives are worship, then it can be just as much an act of worship as anything else.

Discernment Part 3

It was an interesting discussion I had with my sister, confined between the crackles of Skype. She raised some interesting points, as she tends to do!

The main point that I took out of it was that of considering God's sovereignty. God is in control of the good and the bad, in control of my actions and deeds. So in the light of God's sovereignty, it seems quite reasonable to attribute a leading or a calling to God.

But where does that leave "testing the spirits"?

And there's a frightful lot of stuff that can be said of God's sovereignty and what it is for God to be in control.

Discernment Part 2

"I feel called..."

This is another thing that I struggle with. What is your experience of feeling called?

I don't know what this means. I know what needs to result from it. I know that it's based on scripture.

Do I feel called to work in the wind energy industry, to go and do my PhD, to be umpiring football, to be getting married?

These are all opportunities that have arisen, that I've taken (or am about to take). And because they seem to be working out pretty well, I feel comfortable, a rightness about what I've done, what I'm doing, and what I'm going to do. And things have worked out remarkably well to date. I have had food, clothes and shelter my whole life. And the way that life has worked out in these last three to four years, I feel pretty comfortable attributing things to God. I am grateful to God for opening doors, and for somehow steering me... But damn! I haven't a clue how he's done that!

Well, let's have a look.

Back in college, I had good marks, and so engineering seemed to be the logical choice. That choice was made on not much more than a whim. The engineering degree was hard work. I didn't like it much. It was pretty boring. Engineers have a knack of making the most interesting topics so bloody boring.

Yet somehow, at the end of it was a sense of achievement, and feeling inspired, because I was thinking like an engineer. But I didn't have a job. I had applied for a heap of graduate jobs, and gotten no lovin. I never questioned, "was engineering right for me?" I didn't even assume it was right for me. It just was. It was the most unspiritual thing.

And then I got a job, working in the wind energy field - I had wanted to do that. None of the other jobs that I'd applied for would have given me that opportunity. In fact, I'd been looking at doing a PhD in that field... but as that started taking shape, this opportunity came up first. And away I went.

And then the GFC, and I was doing bugger-all wind energy work... but they were talking about a PhD project... so I jumped on board. And after living in Hobart for over 10 years, I packed up and headed to Melbourne.

I remember being single, just before I left. I remember thinking, "don't be stupid and fall for any Hobart girls when you're just about to move interstate." What a silly thing to think - I hadn't had a girlfriend in my 25 years of living, why would I suddenly get a girlfriend? Sure enough, I had lunch a few times with a lovely lass before I left... and enjoyed the company, but left it at that...

Sure enough, we started going out a month or so after I moved to Melbourne. Yet that felt right. It's been a relationship that God has blessed. We were engaged less than a year later. We haven't lived in the same state since several months before we started going out.

So all this happened. And it's all good. Opportunities have arisen. I've learnt new things.

But I know that God didn't make the GFC happen just for the sole purpose of me moving to Melbourne, so that I could marry a girl from Hobart. Don't I?

I think that if I only acted on what I "felt" called to do, I wouldn't get out of bed in the morning. But I've got work to do. I've got people to see. I have a life to live. And somewhere I might glorify God.

Discernment Part 1

I wonder if I need discernment.

As in, discernment to know what is of God, and what is not.

The idea of God speaking to me... God told me...

I've set up a boundary, a limit to what I'll say. "This is what I'm thinking. It may be from God. It may not be."

I know that my imagination is reasonably fertile. I also know that my involvement in Christian circles has given me the ability to say appropriate things at appropriate times.

In all honesty, I don't know if words are mine or are given to me, and if given to me, who by?

Conservative Isolation

I get worried that we as conservative Christians tend to burn bridges a little too easily. I have heard numerous times from various people that I respect "Their focus is all wrong", "They didn't refer to the cross in that sermon" or ultimately "We just can't partner in the gospel with these people".

Coming from a quite conservative background myself, I have a lot of time for these statements. And I believe that these statements have ensured a wonderful Christ- and Cross-centred theology. And I wish and still hope that more and more churches would hold firmly to the gospel that was first taught.

I, however, am greatly discouraged when I encounter these statements being put into action. Whether it be the children who aren't allowed to go to the church down the road for a special kids event because they may encounter some erroneous teaching; or the refusal to join with other churches to turn out and support the Franklin Graham crusade several years ago, or the look of shock and horror when someone admits to having been to Hillsong (many of my friends would now look at me with quite a puzzled look "what's wrong with Hillsong?").

In the words of the bumbling cop from Doc Martin: "It's a slippery slope from Panadol to heroin".

In a recent Facebook debate I had with my dear friend Phil, I argued that people might be sensitive about being told that the WWJD movement was sinister. An article at Meat for the Soul argued that the WWJD movement, because it was a slogan, would be reinterpreted as a summary of the gospel, and it rightly stated that it is a heretical summary of the gospel. Here was an article that Phil and I both agreed with. But I took issue with it, because I felt that rather than speaking the truth in love, it belittled and accused anyone who had made any attempt to live by the question "What would Jesus do?"

From the hindsight view of an eighteen-year-old, I've seen a church that tried so hard to distinguish itself in its whole-hearted devotion to sound teaching. Its reviews of other churches and their practices were once brutal. From my eyes as an eighteen-year-old sympathetic observer, I recall their struggle of trying to mend those bridges. I'm not sure if all of the bridges have been rebuilt yet.