Christian vs. Christian: Time for Forgiveness

Recently, I was speaking to my dear friend Virginia Walsh about how disturbing it is that Christians go after each other in the name of Jesus. The irony is that His greatest commandment is to love each other, yet we act as if Jesus' words have no meaning.

I asked Virginia to write for my blog about an idea that she has to address the anger and disdain that opposing Christian camps have for one another.

She sent an email introducing the post and I thought the email was as powerful as the post itself so I'm sharing it here:

I'm deeply troubled, as I'm sure we all are, by the hurtful, sniping, name-calling, and generally disrespectful "dialogue" in civil society. In many ways, I believe that those behaviors have infected the Church.

Does the following paragraph sound familiar?

They're out to undermine our nation. They call themselves Christians, but they have no real understanding of God or morality. They pray, but they don't actually have a living relationship with Jesus. I know that for a fact, because if they did, then the Holy Spirit would guide them out of the terrible moral and intellectual darkness that envelops them. They are misinformed, misdirected, and misled. And to top it all off, they're smugly self-righteous. When I hear one of them talking, I think, "Listen to that arrogant know-it-all! How un-self-aware can a person be?"

Of course, I'm half-joking above. But to be honest, I've secretly held such thoughts in my own heart, even as I berate others for speaking that way.

Feelings are running high, and rightly so! We're talking about issues that affect the nature of who we are as a nation and as a church. As we seek answers, have we reasoned together in a way that inspires others to say "Look at how those Christians love one another"? Or have we judged one another, even accusing one another of not truly being Christian at all?

I have so much to repent of and so much to forgive that I find myself feeling afraid of some of my own brothers and sisters. And my heart aches whenever Christian politicians or pundits take a stand that is morally repugnant to me.

I'm wondering if God is calling us Christians to a season of repentance and healing and intercession as America enters another election year.

I believe Virginia is right. We need to find a way to make even small steps toward loving each other as sisters and brothers in Christ regardless of our views on morality, church, politics, and Christianity itself. This is what she came up with:

Here it comes: another election year, another opportunity for controversy-loving media to spotlight Christian leaders with inflammatory views, another chance for each of us to polish hardened opinions as if they were precious gems.

The election year also brings an opportunity for a demonstration of Christ's power: Christians can love one another while disagreeing with one another, even over the hottest of hot-button issues.

I suggest that Christians of differing political persuasions make it a point to gather together during election season to intercede for America and to ask God's forgiveness for the ways in which we have not loved one another. And while we're at it, we could ask one another for forgiveness too.

The Lenten season is a good time to start, since many Christians are fasting and examining their consciences in a special way at that time. The meetings could be organized by committees of Christians who represent differing views. In that way, the planning process becomes an opportunity for the leaders to grow in mutual respect and affection.

The meetings could be tightly organized in order avoid participants inadvertantly offending one another and to prevent outbursts from brothers and sisters who are struggling with frustration and anger. Especially during the first few gatherings, participants would be encouraged to not discuss hot-button issues, but to concentrate instead on building relationships and healing old hurts.

The immediate goal is not to win people over to a specific point of view, but to restore community and to build the trust needed for fruitful dialogue in the future. We would pray to make space for the Holy Spirit to build consensus among us as we hear our Shepherd's voice, each one of us by name and also together as a flock.

So I suggest an hour or so of songs and prayers of repentance, forgiveness, and intercession for the Church and for our beloved nation. Perhaps annointing with oil and/or healing prayer could be offered, especially to facilitate the healing of hurts that we Christians have inflicted upon one another.

The prayer time could be followed by a "coffee hour", where participants are encouraged to simply enjoy one another's company.

The Greek word ekklesia in the New Testament is often translated as "church", but it literally means "the assembly". Luke uses the same word in Acts to describe an angry mob! Let's be willing to assemble together, Christians of all stripes. If we can't gather and dialogue with love and mutual respect, then are we really Church at all?

Thank you Virginia.

Peace.