Ideological purity will give you plenty of room for self-congratulation & superiority, but there’s no grace in it. People move, shift, grow change—& the folk that ought to cheer them on the loudest attack them the hardest instead, telling them they haven’t come far enough.
Isn’t it better to affirm any steps toward life, love & justice—“hey good job taking these small steps! We believe in you! You can do it!”—rather than ripping people for not coming all the way? People who just left Egypt don’t need to be lectured while they are in the wilderness.
(Especially by somebody who’s been on a new shore for all of, oh, 10 minutes. Somebody shout with me right here...you’re barely out of Egypt yourself, & you got lectures for people who are still in the vulnerable, in-between places?!)
the theological academy: “You shouldn’t do it this way...do it this way!”
(actual person, starts actually trying to live the ideas in real life)
“Okay, well no, not precisely like THAT...”
Surely the wise have better words than “a little more to the left...oh, more to the right!”
(actual person, starts actually trying to live the ideas in real life)
“Okay, well no, not precisely like THAT...”
Surely the wise have better words than “a little more to the left...oh, more to the right!”
If you’ve been freshly liberated from some oppressive ideology, one cool idea would be to NOT ACT LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO OPPRESSED you to tender folks who are still trying to get free!
Saul becomes Paul, goes to Ananias’ house, & instead of hearing “brother Saul!” gets, “Oh NOW you’re down with Jesus & the persecuted church?! Where were you before??”
