How do we build up our brethren? By sticking to the milk and
meat of the Word – what is clearly taught and profitable:
·
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome
him, but not to quarrel over opinions… For the kingdom of God is not a matter
of eating and drinking [and of quarreling over opinions] but of righteousness
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit…. So then let us pursue what makes for
peace and for mutual upbuilding. (Romans 14:1, 17, 19; ESV)
While everything that Scripture contains is profitable, some
of its meaning is now uncertain. Therefore, elsewhere Paul warned against
teaching myths and genealogies:
·
Which promote speculations rather than the
stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that
issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain
persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion,
desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are
saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. (1 Timothy
1:4-7)
If our teachings and discussions do not promote “love…and a
sincere faith” but dissension, we have to question whether we are going in the
right direction. However, sometimes dissension is unavoidable. The Church
cannot tolerate sin without the leaven of sin corrupting the entire loaf (Gal.
5:9).
However, other issues are not so critical or clear. I’m
thinking about discussions over racial reconciliation. My experience is that
these discussions upset the unity of the Church rather than bringing harmony.
In this area, our politics, experiences, and the news we follow are so
different that my experience with attempts to bridge the gulf has been
disappointing.
Nevertheless, I must admit that the performance of the White
Church during the years of segregation has been a great embarrassment to me and
to other sincere Christians. I continue to hurt when I read the words of Martin
Luther King’s “Letter from the Birmingham
Jail”:
·
“In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted
upon the Negro, I have watched white churches stand on the sideline and merely
mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a
mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have
heard so many ministers say, ‘Those are social issues with which the gospel has
no real concern.’”
Are we still confronted with the “blatant injustices
inflicted upon the Negro?” This is the critical issue. We cannot close our eyes
to victimization without incurring the displeasure of our Lord. However, I
think that the situation has been reversed. All of the laws that had supported
segregation have now been struck down. From my perspective, laws that favor one
race above another now serve to favor people-of-color through affirmative
action initiatives.
However, this is where we will experience severe contention.
Whites are told that this is still a racist society characterized by “White
privilege” and “systemic racism.” However, many of us do not see this at all.
Instead, we see the progress. Yes, we see divisions, suffering, and even
racism, but these occur among all peoples.
Meanwhile, many Black people regard the White refusal to
acknowledge “White privilege” as denial and a sinister attempt to hold on to
this “privilege.”
To pursue this debate further seems to inevitably result in
bad feelings and divisions. As Christians, I now think that we can make an
end-run around these divisive issues. How? We have the resources to overcome
these divisions without laboring in hope of reaching agreement. What resources?
·
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may
give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom
you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and
anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be
kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ
forgave you. (Ephesians 4:29-32)
It is my prayer that we will fulfill Jesus’ prayer:
·
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those
who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as
you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the
world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I
have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you
in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you
sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:20-23)
If we are Christian, we know that there is something greater
in our lives than our ethnicity. As a Jew, I had wanted to even-the-score with
Germans. However, my Lord has opened my heart to sincerely love my German
brethren. All the praise belongs to Him.
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