I’m probably going to regret posting this. I have wrestled with it, but in the end, it was in my heart struggling to get out, and that is what this blog is for. In case you’re wondering, I think I could argue with myself about a few of the things I am about to write, so I welcome your disagreement without taking any offense. You should also know that I am the chief sinner in this post. Many of the things I am calling out I have been most guilty of.
We live in a country sharply divided along cultural, political, racial, socioeconomic, and religious lines. I’ve only been around 35 years, but it seems like we are more polarized than ever. That’s not the worst thing that can happen – a homogeneous, single-minded people can sometimes be more dangerous than warring factions (see the Tower of Babel, Nazi Germany…the list is endless). But this kind of climate can be exhausting sometimes. You never know what small thing – a movie you watched, a word you say, an opinion you have – might permanently alienate you from someone else.
Blanketing our nation – from our political discourse to our church services – is the need to categorize and demonize – to create and affix labels that neatly calculate the sum total of each person. We apply these judgments to keep our world and the people in it properly segmented. We agree with these people. We disagree with those people. These people are right. These people are wrong. These theologians interpret the Bible correctly. Those are heretics.
There is an odd little two-verse story in Mark 9 I have been thinking of a lot lately. Here is the setup:
“Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
“He was not one of us.” So it begins. John lays this morsel at his teacher’s feet like a cat with a mouse – “look what I did – I stopped the intruder! I protected the sanctity of our group!” To be fair, I can see what John was trying to do. Keep out the riff-raff. Not just anyone should be trusted with the Master’s message. The Twelve, after all, were direct disciples of Jesus, and even they had trouble figuring out the whole exorcism thing (this same chapter includes one of their failed attempts). Surely someone who was not part of the group had no business trying their hand at it.
This is perhaps the most common source of divisions in the modern day Christian church, especially in America. Every group claims to have a much better, far clearer revelation. Or a better practice of Christianity. To be closer to the source. Some congregations see superiority in their cultural relevance, others in their asceticism and separation from “the world.” Pastors preemptively separate the sheep from the goats, calling out the flaws of other denominations and ministers. “We are more correct because we read the (insert English translation) version of the Bible”. “We are closer to Jesus because we don’t drink beer and listen to rock and roll.” “We are closer to Jesus because we do.”
It is also the source of many of our divisions as a culture. We are unable to see anything but black and white. Either someone is completely 100% “right” or they are completely 100% wrong. It’s all or nothing. We are looking for the perfect politician, the sinless pastor, the faultless spouse, the flawless athlete. All the good deeds in the world can’t erase the stain of the things we don’t agree with. We want doctrinal, political, and intellectual purity and strict orthodoxy.
Jesus has a surprising response to John’s boast:
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.
I have to be honest and say I’m not sure I have a theological box for that answer. After reading that, I don’t know how to draw the line on who is and who isn’t qualified to perform exorcisms. And I wonder if John got what Jesus was peeved at.
John expected Jesus to be outraged that anyone who was “not one of us” would dare cast out demons in His name. Jesus seems to be happy that at least SOMEONE was casting out demons. Because setting people free is what Jesus cared about. John fixated on the messenger. Jesus was concerned about the MESSAGE.
This is a relatively recent revelation for me. I have always thought the intent of the messenger was all that mattered. I still think it is very important. The spirit and motives out of which we speak and teach can be the difference between truth and falsehood. Certainly this person was not part of group. How could he be expected to follow their orthodoxy? He is not qualified to represent Jesus. Jesus says “leave it alone.” And that makes me think I have a lot to repent of.
I wonder if it is possible to look past our labels and celebrate truth when we hear it; rejoice in freedom when we see it; be moved by the Spirit when we feel Him? Can I point out and elevate the spiritual enlightenment a pagan has stumbled on, like Paul did on Mars Hill when he quoted “some of your own poets?” Can I look over at that mega-church across town or that tiny church of a different denomination across the street – the ones that do everything the opposite of how I think it should be – and agree with Paul’s conclusion:
But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Jesus makes it clear in His parables that wheat and tares, sheep and goats, seeds and weeds, will have to coexist until He comes to sort them out. Can I be content to do the very best I know how and let Him be the judge and harvester?
I am not arguing for a lack of standards or accountability. I am not saying that we should not speak against heresy and contend for proper Biblical interpretation. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I prize knowledge, study, and discipleship. I’m also not saying that just anyone should try out exorcism ministry. The seven sons of Sceva learned that not all demons recognize your authority just because you use Jesus’ name as a magic word. I believe in studying, learning, and doing our very best to get it as right as we can.
But if someone who is “not one of us” speaks the truth or acts in a way that brings glory to God, I think it’s okay to recognize it. And recognizing it does not mean we have to give credence to everything that person says or does. To make the point, I give you an example that I know I will regret bringing up. Since political debate seems to split us the most these days, this should stir up the pot. A name whose very mention will polarize and divide: Glenn Beck.
Unless you don’t have the internet or TV, you know Glenn Beck held a rally in Washington DC that drew hundreds of thousands of people to the national mall. What was odd was that It was billed as a spiritual / religious event. For the sake of labels, Beck is a Mormon. He is also a hard core right wing Conservative or Libertarian or something of the sort. Many feel these two facts alone disqualify him from speaking on the subject of faith. His credibility is further stained by his occupation as a talk radio / tv political pundit who has made a number of very inflammatory statements (“Barack Obama is a racist”, etc.), and the cherry on top is the widely held belief by many inside and outside the church that religious values have no place in the public discourse.
I have no intent to defend Glenn Beck. I also have no intent to start a political debate. But if we are to take the lesson Jesus was teaching John and Paul was teaching the Philippians to heart, we should evaluate the message as well as the messenger. And Beck’s message was “Turn back to God. Pray on your knees. Leave your door open so your children can see you praying on your knees. Tithe.” He asked everyone to take a forty day challenge to “practice faith, hope and charity” in specific ways, including prayer and a commitment to non-violence. I have no hero worship of Beck, but I can’t find any fault with his challenge, and I am very happy  that such a message was heard by so many people in such a public forum. What matters is that people were pointed to God, even if he is “not one of us.”
Don’t misunderstand – I wish it could have been Billy Graham leading that rally. No one hates Billy Graham! I wish I could have been the keynote speaker that day, calling hundreds of thousands in the seat of global power to repentance and prayer. But I think the crowd would have been a bit smaller if I had called the meeting. And no matter the messenger, the message — at least the 40 day challenge portion of it, the only part I have heard or read — was truth. Sometimes God uses the strangest people to deliver truth – Balaam got his word from on high through his as…er…donkey.
Of course, some Christians will have no issue at all with Glenn Beck since they equate nationalistic fervor with Christianity. For you, may I put the shoe on the other foot? Have you ever heard Barack Obama speak truth? Think carefully…
Though I’m pretty sure most folk will stop reading after the words “Beck” or “Obama”, I offer this in conclusion. I am not advocating a loose orthodoxy. The same Paul who quoted pagan poets also taught Timothy to study hard so that he could properly interpret and apply God’s word. This is not about listening to every voice. It IS about knowing the truth well enough to recognize it in the wild and call it out as such. Think about the immense opportunities for transformational conversations about spiritual matters we can take advantage of if we can point out truth revealed in relevant ways. What if a single point of agreement could be the foundation of a dialog that leads a co-worker or neighbor to faith in Jesus? Why is it, do you suppose, that Jesus told stories about water and farmers and seed and thorns and working class, earthy things?
And what if it started with something as simple as pointing out and agreeing with the truth you heard spoken by that pastor you don’t agree with, talk show host you can’t stand, scuzzy politician, or beast of burden? Can you only see truth spoken by “one of us?” Or can you “play it as it lies?”
Just one last example. Imagine this: You are at your local Christian bookseller / table of the moneychangers. You notice a collection of prayers and worship songs has been released by a major publishing house. As you thumb through its pages, you realize you recognize the author’s name. Yes, you remember hearing about him on the news. He was once considered the greatest worship leader / musician of his generation. He became so popular he was recognized as an international church leader. But then the scandal – he had an affair with another man’s wife. She got pregnant. To cover it up, he conspired to have her husband killed. Everyone heard about it. It was all over the media.
Surely no one could ever listen to his music or read his writings again. Why would anyone publish anything written by such a scuzzball?
That, of course, is the basic outline of the story of King David, who wrote most of the Psalms. Which are in the Bible. Some of them he wrote before the Bathsheba incident. Some after. All are full of beauty and truth. Something to think about.
