(There were fireworks going off on my street as I was writing this blog!)
Today, we celebrate once again our nation’s independence, and continue to hold allegiance in our hearts for those brave men and women who have, and continue to fight, for the principles of freedom. America’s strong history was conceived on the basis of Christian principles.
Religious freedom is the cornerstone of a free people; it lies at the very core of every man, woman and child: we are free to worship. It is our inalienable right, not something granted to us by the state, but given freely from the hand of our loving Creator upon birth. We understand that our greatest freedom will always rest in Christ alone.
On this day, I am particularly struck by the opinions and actions of those who would say that true religious freedom, in its every expression, is not for all peoples but is reserved and resides for only a select group of people. That is the very root of bigotry and inequality and injustice, and it is quite concerning to me.
I am referring of course, to the great ripples of tumult flowing from the recent agenda, actions and rulings passed down from the Southern Baptist Convention. If we have eyes to see, we will look at this from a distance and see the familiar prowling of Satan; our eyes will behold the wreckage of his cunning ways—disruption, division and destruction. But the faithful shall not be moved. Like the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us, we will continue to build upon the foundation that never crumbles; we will continue to build up the body of Christ—to all of His glory!
We can site numerous passages where women are affirmed, elevated, and used mightily by God throughout the Old and New Testaments. These women held positions of great authority. Deborah leaps to mind from the Book of Judges, and Esther of course, that prevented a genocide from taking place.
We can also see the beautiful tenderness which Jesus displayed to many different women, particularly the downcast. When it comes to the Trinitarian God that we worship, I have yet to find a passage that denigrates or shames women, or tries to “put them in their place”. While the words of the Apostle Paul are often used (out of context) to make a particular point concerning women in the church, he certainly incorporated women throughout his missionary journeys.
The Apostle Paul also spoke so eloquently in defining our shared oneness in Christ: There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
We are one under the Lordship of Christ! The only distinct separation that exists now is Christianity versus every other false religion. This is not about gender, this is about God-anointed gifts. He will give to whomever He chooses. How can we put the magnificent and unsearchable ways of God in a box? His ways are far above our ways—who can fully know the mind of God?! He doesn’t need “our” permission to do anything, and we, ourselves, must be exacting in how we are interpreting His Word and listening for His voice. For our God justly judges our motives and actions.
The point is, in the sight of God, both men and women are equally created and valued. Therefore, each one of us has been uniquely gifted with our various talents, and for some, in their calling to faithful and obedient ordained ministry. Which for me, is the greater point—the faithfulness of the called to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ and not to stray from the Word with a different gospel.
We also share “oneness” in our sinful natures. There is no question that we are all sinners in need of God’s saving grace and forgiveness. Jesus surely drove home that point when he was confronted with the adulterous woman. The “religious”, stones in hand, were so anxious to kill her. Only one utterance was given to these men, He who is without sin may cast the first stone.
Ecclesiastes says there is a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them. Is this a time to scatter or to gather—or both? To gather flocks or to scatter flocks? Hearts of stone or hearts on fire? Today, we stand at just such a precipice. Once the first stone is cast, it will tumble down as a boulder, gathering momentum and crushing so many in its wake. Shouldn’t the wise consider and deeply weigh the effects of such a choice? What would be the fallout if that stone was never hurled and simply dropped back to earth with a resounding thud? Peace and reconciliation for starters.
We must consider the cost of our discipleship. We are called, as a people of faith, to deep introspection and prayer when the way of the church seems to be shrouded in darkness rather than light; when there is an abundance of rigid religiosity rather than meekness and mercy; and when sheep-clad wolves can be heard tapping at the door.
If we take a glance all the way back to the beginning, here is what we find:
God made such beautiful creatures, both men and women, with the ability to think and reason and to live peaceably with one another. Most importantly, He made us from love and for love—to love God and to love others as we love ourselves. All of this God called good. This posting is not meant to be the “wagging of a finger in your face”, rather, it is an urgent plea to deeply consider the “good” that God made. To understand and to be in agreement with God who determined that men, alone and on their own was not good. So He formed woman, as his helper, to compliment man’s need. This was a necessary act of God’s love, a gift for man and it was declared very good.
I sincerely believe that our Lord and Savior would not want women to be shamed at anytime, but particularly when it is based solely on a broad-stroke bias of their sex—which He created in the womb! That somehow they are not worthy of His calling, and to be used for His purposes?! We must trust in the One who loves us so much, He would rather die than be separated from us for all eternity.
Finally, male pastors do not automatically mean good preachers, bless their hearts. I have heard men preach that are so dry, boring and off the mark, you couldn’t wait to leave. Then there are those men who draw you so close to God you can’t wait to leave so you can go out into the mission field! The very same is true for women pastors. Some can be a bit dry, while others are so engaging you feel as though you are standing right there in the pages of scripture!
Would you like to know how I have surmised the mark of a truly gifted son or daughter in pulpit ministry? When they preach, the congregation is so silent you could hear a pin drop! There are no rustling of bulletins, no clearing of throats, we are hanging on every word for fear of missing anything! And that, dear friends, can only come from God. A good tree bears good fruit. Male or female, we will know them by their fruits.
The greatest freedom in the world for any person to attain, is to be the person God created you to be, and to live the life He purposed and equipped you to live. I am praying that our holy God will break through pharisaic minds with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. I pray that Pontius Pilate-like hands, that want to wash away their involvement, will one day reach out in solidarity. I pray that closed hearts will open to a greater understanding and a deeper conviction that agape love truly conquers all.
“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
God bless America.