Those Durn Christians - IV
29 March 2008 - 23 אדר ב' 5768 by Huw
Imagine a world where this advice was accepted by Christians as normal instead of idiotic.
LET THE “OTHER” SIDE HAVE “YOUR” STUFF! Jesus says, “If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well.” (Or, in the Geoff Mackey translation: “If anyone wants your pretty ecclesiastical trinkets, give ‘em the windows, too!”)
That’s right, you heard me: REFUSE TO GO TO COURT OVER YOUR STUFF. Ever try to love somebody while you were in court against them? I bet it’s damn nigh impossible. So don’t even try. St. Paul is pretty clear about this: ” Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather let yourselves be cheated?” And he said this “to shame” the Corinthians. So shame on us, if we go to court over our pretty neo-gothic buildings and our neatly-trimmed church-yards.
The irony is that Geoff has to make these suggestions because no one follows the Gospel. Orthodox, Anglican, Catholics… I can’t think of any “True Church” that isn’t in court right now.
Talk about legalism.
Yeah. Imagine, indeed.
The question is not whether Bishop X has the “RIGHT” to throw a dissenting congregation out of their building, but whether or not he’ll act on that “right” or act in love.
So whether Pittsburgh has the “right” to leave ECUSA with it’s property or not, is not the issue. In my opinion, everyone should be fighting to give their stuff to the other side. If one really has faith that they’re doing God’s will, will they really be concerned over not having stuff?
It all amounts to a lack of faith. On both sides of the divide.
I think it’s time to stop giving one’s tithes to the Church and start giving them to other places doing God’s work without all the infighting. Like your local Catholic Worker House. Or your denominational peace fellowship. Or an orphanage. Or a pregnant teenager.