Let slip the dogs of war

The warm beaches and relaxation of the Summer now fades to Autumn's cool breezes and diligence, and as the Geese return to campus so I return to blogging. But alas! With what topic do I christen the new semester? I've been chewing over Cessationism recently, but while I have some clever thoughts and some pithy things to say I yet to have clever thoughts or pithy things to say that have been tempered by congeniality. Perhaps I could finally get around to jotting down my thoughts on Rob Bell. Then again, that might take too much time and distract me from diligence in my school work. I've also been milling about marriage theology, but that topic is a little too academic and not quite pastoral enough for the first post of the fall. I feel the first post should be something that calls myself and my readers (all four of you) to a more vibrant expression of Christianity.

The answer comes through my contemplation of marital theology. From there my thoughts became wrapped up in the larger LGBT debate facing the church. It's a hot button issue and rightly so. Some people want to cleverly redefine the relevant passages of Scripture so that the LBTG (who gets to decide on the order?) community can be raked into the church like Lego blocks into a bucket. Some want to make sure the BTLG community is recognized as thoroughly evil so we can all get back to a "Christian America" (meaning an America where it is easy to fake being a Christian). Some want to manifest Christ and bring a measure of restored creation into the lives of the broken, LGBT or not.

The first two can exist in perfect harmony with this fallen world. Both play with the definition of right and wrong so it becomes easy to be "good." One says "what most of our people are worrying about isn't evil" while the other says "evil is what most of our people aren't worrying about." They constitute the native population of this cursed earth, and both are just building a nest in the pollution and filth endemic to it.

But that last group, the one that insists on restoration and healing, they're dangerous. They hail from some far off place and seem intent on bringing some of it here. Even though they know they themselves will never fully renew this decrepit planet they insist on renewing what of it they can. They do this because they have felt the regenerating power which they are so desperate to share and know its worth well. The first two groups have been annihilating, burying, crucifying, decapitating, and eviscerating the third since the invasion began some 2000 years ago, but though they have on occasion been slowed they have never been stopped. Their strength is in love and life, love and life they received undeserved and cannot help but share likewise. They have let slip the dogs of war and it is with them the church must side, for it is of them the Church consists.

In case you are not persuaded to join their ranks, I leave you with this. Those called "Christian" are both theologically and etymologically obligated to act like Christ. So ask yourself an easy question. Who is most like Christ, people who don't love someone unless they define away their wickedness, people who don't love someone unless they think they aren't wicked, or people who know someone is wicked and love them anyway?