Why the one word titles: HERE. 

We are living in incredibly divisive times. I am sure we can find same periods, and worse, in history. But these current times in our culture, and then in the church culture as an extension, really have us in ideological trenches and it gets discouraging.

We simply do not know how to disagree anymore. In the political realm, the media pokes fun at how the Republicans look all divided… and it’s true. But try to speak a counter view to a Democrat and see how long you last.

And in the church… oh, the church.

We just can’t seem to agree. And we’re just not nice about it, either.

Tony Campolo is threatening about a “new divide” between “Red Letter” Christians and “Pauline” Christians. The Gospel Coalition is on the other side of that “debate.”

It’s like we ask as Paul did, “Is Christ divided?” and we want to scream defiantly, “You bet!”

It leaves me wondering if we can agree on anything in the Body of Christ?

How about the Nicene Creed? The Apostles Creed?

Doubtful. You will get the Catholics and the Orthodox wrangling over one phrase in the Nicene Creed, then you’ll get the Baptists and Pentecostals shivering and saying creed at all…

Agree on Christ?

Even Christ, we get discussion.

Not even discussion. We get theological grenades.

Could we settle on anything? Is it possible at all in the Body of Christ to somehow be different than the rest of the world?

“Red Letter” Christians want to “pursue” some agendas. “Pauline Christians” want to pursue other agendas.

Is it possible for both “camps” to actually like each other and celebrate the Body at the table of the Lord and say, “You know what? You have a trustworthy pursuit. Go for it.”

No.

What “Red Letter Christians” are saying (and “Pauline Christians”) are saying right back is this: “This is what I am pursuing, and you should, too.”

It’s a new orthodoxy on both sides.  There is no one more holy on this stuff.

It’s an agenda that says, “You have to do it totally my way, or lean drastically in my direction, or you just have it wrong.”

I’m not talking orthodox belief. I’m talking practice.

And with Paul, I want to scream out, “Friends, these things ought not to be!”

But that would then make me a “Pauline Christian.” (Ugh.)

So, let me be “Red Letter” in this as well: “Painted tombs!”

We need to learn to disagree all over again! We need to learn that there are pursuits of all stripes in the Christian life that can be worthwhile and getting overbearing on any of them is just not healthy.

If I don’t agree with you on some pursuit you are doing, it doesn’t change my Kingdom love for you. So, please, quit thinking I’m out of the Kingdom if I happen to disagree with you! Or quit thinking I hate you, or even dislike you!

The Kingdom is larger than my pursuits. And get real. The Kingdom is larger than your pursuits as well.

Could we please get over ourselves and get back to the fantastic journey of pursuing Christ! We may find that each part of our own agendas just aren’t as worthy as we thought when we put them in the light of Christ.

Until we are willing to put our pursuits before a holy God and let his fire have his way with them, we are only Pharisees comparing our works with others.

Every one of us.