Musings...

Brian McLaren came and spoke on campus this evening. Now, most of you (there are what 3 of you now?)know my views on the Emergent church, and you also know that Brian McLaren is about as liberal and as "emergent" as one can get. I decided (against my own strong will) not to go. I knew I'd hear about it for a week and a half anyway, and it's better I didn't go and get incensed against it....because I would've made a fool out of myself, I know I would've, and I would've tried to make him look like an idiot in front of everyone, and regardless of whether I'd have succeeded, I would've been a bad spot on the good and more maturely-stated comments that I've been told were directed at him. In any case, that's not what I want to talk about. What I do want to talk about is a dilemma that a friend of mine who went to the talk came away with that I think is very important to at least consider.

How do you love someone in a Christ-like manner when you disagree so entirely with everything they have to say? How do you know where to draw the line between firmly and fervently holding a Phalanx of your worldview and theology, and how much do you simply agree to disagree? When do you let the topic slide, and when do you press until they either give or look stupid?

And I know that in concept we're supposed to view every person as an eternal being created in the image of God (albeit fallen), and in that sense we're apprised of the extreme gravity and weight of our treatment and should therefore do everything we can to lovingly help them see the light.

But that's the concept. How do you do it in practice? It's so difficult, especially when you disagree with them so thoroughly, and when you try to discuss it seriously, they act condescending and super-nice so as to make you seem hard-nosed, fundamentalist, and "intolerant", when all you're really doing is trying to help them understand why you disagree and help them to see that their viewpoint isn't automatically right out of hand. And outside even of this particular breed of dissenter, how do you continue to love those and truly care for those who you want nothing more for than to just get their "just desserts..."?

This to me is one of those hard questions because even though we have an answer, we don't really have an answer...we know what to do, just putting it into practice is the hard part. I don't know, maybe it's one of those things that just comes with stronger faith. We'll see. I'll continue to mull and post more if I come up with something.