Disagreement and the Bible

I have struggled for years to find my way through some of the difficulties that lie in the borderland where my faith and the Bible meet the realities of this beautiful…….yet broken ……world. My hope has been to find explanations that would resonate with my secular friends and acquaintances………to find the words that would spread the peace, hope, and joy that I have found. I believe that these explanations exist…….and I have found some answers……..but there remain unresolved conflicts. There is a lot that is just beyond my comprehension.

Here is a partial list of the problems that I………that we…… haven’t yet resolved.

Justice vs. Mercy
Free will vs. God’s sovereignty
Creation vs. Evolution
Heterosexuality vs. Homosexuality
6000 year old earth vs. 600 million year old earth
Judeo-christian government vs. Secular government
Right to life vs. Right to choose
Self defense vs. Turn the other cheek
Open borders vs. Restricted immigration
One world government vs. Nationalism
Environmentalism vs. Economy
Taking care of my family vs. Taking care of the world

And finally……….at the heart of it all:
Who is in charge here…………me or God?

I have listened to both sides. I have studied books from both sides. I have read and reread the Bible. And still, I cannot resolve these conflicts. It should not be too surprising that……… if you look at them……..the items on the list account for most of the rancor in our current politics……..and most of the conflict among Christians and between Christians and the secular world. At best, watching them play out on the news each day feels like a bad dream.

In trying to find my way through this forest of conflict, I have come back to an idea that I often hear from my friends.

“Think globally……act locally”

In a way, Christianity, when done well, has a similar focus…….. though we, especially Christians, tend to get lost in the details. We tend to miss the forest for the trees.

“Think globally” is the easy part. It is what I tend to do by nature. I wrestle with these “global” ideas. I struggle through the old testament. I try to intellectualize my way through it all.

But how to “act locally”?

Today it hit me……..the answer is at the very heart of Christianity………the answer is at the heart of the new testament.

Love God……love your neighbor. If you were to distill Christianity down to 5 words……….these are the five.

I can keep thinking about all of our “global” conundrums……..even though I will probably never resolve them. But, most of my problems…….most of our problems…….will fade into the background……..will fall into their proper place…….. if I prioritize “Love God…..love your neighbor”.

If we can defer fighting over our list of conflicts until we have perfected “Love God……love your neighbor”…….it is unlikely that we will spend much time fighting. It is unlikely that we will have any energy left for the conflict list. I know that I will have my hands full, because I’m a long way from living up to these 2 primary commands. If I can grow into them, I might find more of the peace and joy that God built me for.

So…….”act locally”.

Love God and love the person who is standing right in front of you right now. Only after you and I reach those two goals…….and we probably will never fully realize them……… then we can slug it out over the conflicts on the list.