Whom Would Jesus Love?
I am a Hoosier. I am a proud Hoosier by birth. For all of my life I have lived in Indiana...except for two months when I lived in Chicago and four years when I lived in Kentucky. I have lived all over northern Indiana—from Sedalia to Muncie to Rensselaer to Portage. Soon I will be living for the first time in southern Indiana (Terre Haute). I have met people from all walks of life and all persuasions of living. I have talked to people with whom I agreed and those I didn't. And somehow, we found a way to get along and work together.
The most vivid experience I had of this was in my second appointment. We had a weekly pastor's gathering there that included people from all theological persuasions and denominational background. United Methodist, Nazarene, Independent Christian, Southern Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian, Mennonite, Evangelical Free and occasionally Lutheran and Catholic. We had some spirited discussions from time to time about various issues, we often disagreed, and yet we loved each other. Why? Because we all loved Jesus, and though we disagreed about peripheral issues, our central focus was clear. Jesus was what "it" was all about. And so, every Holy Week, we would come together and worship on Good Friday. Together, we celebrated one of the central mysteries of the Christian faith: that salvation comes somehow by Jesus' work on the cross. And that inclusion and welcome happened in Indiana.
I've been thinking about that the last few days as Indiana has taken a beating in the press and, especially, on social media. People who have nothing to do with Indiana most of the year and certainly don't live here have taken to making assumptions about the kind of people who live here. Apparently, we're all discriminatory and cruel. At least that's what you might believe if you read Twitter or Facebook. And you know what? There are people like that here. Just like there are people like that in California, New York, Florida, Kentucky and the other forty-five states in the union. Wherever you go, you will meet people who are kind and people who are cruel. Just don't condemn a whole state or a whole group because of a few...or even because of many. Each person ought to be measured by their own actions.
The issue, of course, is RFRA. On Sunday evening, we got into quite a discussion about what it means during our Disciple class. In that setting, I shared what I had also shared a couple of days before with my daughter, Rachel, who was asking about it. For what it's worth, here's my take on the whole matter. Much of what has been said about the law is not true or at least overblown; the press and certain individuals are using Indiana as a chance to advance their viewpoint, to make a statement. Is there a possibility this law can be used to discriminate? Certainly there is—but here's the thing: that possibility already existed. Discrimination is going to happen whether RFRA exists or not. How many businesses already had signs up that say, "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone"? Or, put simpler: "No shirt, no shoes, no service." That's a form of discrimination. That possibility already exists. RFRA did little to change that.
And your boycotts? They are not going to hurt the statehouse or those who make the legislation you disapprove of. They will hurt the people who are trying to do business and live and work in this state. As the Southern Baptists if their years-long boycott of Disney closed down the company. (Hint: it did not.) Boycotts end up hurting everyone except the ones to whom they are intended to send a message.
Religious freedom is under attack. I do believe that. Is this law the answer? Probably not. The Bill of Rights already guarantees that the "first freedom" we have as Americans is the freedom of religion—the freedom to practice and live out our faith without being controlled by the government (not just the more restrictive "freedom of worship" as some have tried to redefine that freedom). For Christians, the way we live that freedom ought to be first and foremost the life of love. Jesus said that was and is the greatest command: love one another. He also said we show no greater love than when we lay down our lives for our friends. The solution to any form of discrimination is to learn to love the ones whom Jesus would love, the ones to whom Jesus spread out his arms on the cross to welcome. This week of all weeks, we must remember that.
As Christians, we are not primarily citizens of this world anyway. We are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. We live in this world as "exiles and strangers," Peter says. That doesn't mean we give up on this world, or on the place we call home. Instead, we work for change through the power of love—Jesus' love. Law never changed anyone's heart, but love can and does.
So, Indiana: I love you. I always have and I always will. This is home, for now. When you do well, I love you. When you mess up, I love you. Jesus loves you, too. Just sayin'.
The most vivid experience I had of this was in my second appointment. We had a weekly pastor's gathering there that included people from all theological persuasions and denominational background. United Methodist, Nazarene, Independent Christian, Southern Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Presbyterian, Mennonite, Evangelical Free and occasionally Lutheran and Catholic. We had some spirited discussions from time to time about various issues, we often disagreed, and yet we loved each other. Why? Because we all loved Jesus, and though we disagreed about peripheral issues, our central focus was clear. Jesus was what "it" was all about. And so, every Holy Week, we would come together and worship on Good Friday. Together, we celebrated one of the central mysteries of the Christian faith: that salvation comes somehow by Jesus' work on the cross. And that inclusion and welcome happened in Indiana.
I've been thinking about that the last few days as Indiana has taken a beating in the press and, especially, on social media. People who have nothing to do with Indiana most of the year and certainly don't live here have taken to making assumptions about the kind of people who live here. Apparently, we're all discriminatory and cruel. At least that's what you might believe if you read Twitter or Facebook. And you know what? There are people like that here. Just like there are people like that in California, New York, Florida, Kentucky and the other forty-five states in the union. Wherever you go, you will meet people who are kind and people who are cruel. Just don't condemn a whole state or a whole group because of a few...or even because of many. Each person ought to be measured by their own actions.
The issue, of course, is RFRA. On Sunday evening, we got into quite a discussion about what it means during our Disciple class. In that setting, I shared what I had also shared a couple of days before with my daughter, Rachel, who was asking about it. For what it's worth, here's my take on the whole matter. Much of what has been said about the law is not true or at least overblown; the press and certain individuals are using Indiana as a chance to advance their viewpoint, to make a statement. Is there a possibility this law can be used to discriminate? Certainly there is—but here's the thing: that possibility already existed. Discrimination is going to happen whether RFRA exists or not. How many businesses already had signs up that say, "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone"? Or, put simpler: "No shirt, no shoes, no service." That's a form of discrimination. That possibility already exists. RFRA did little to change that.
And your boycotts? They are not going to hurt the statehouse or those who make the legislation you disapprove of. They will hurt the people who are trying to do business and live and work in this state. As the Southern Baptists if their years-long boycott of Disney closed down the company. (Hint: it did not.) Boycotts end up hurting everyone except the ones to whom they are intended to send a message.
Religious freedom is under attack. I do believe that. Is this law the answer? Probably not. The Bill of Rights already guarantees that the "first freedom" we have as Americans is the freedom of religion—the freedom to practice and live out our faith without being controlled by the government (not just the more restrictive "freedom of worship" as some have tried to redefine that freedom). For Christians, the way we live that freedom ought to be first and foremost the life of love. Jesus said that was and is the greatest command: love one another. He also said we show no greater love than when we lay down our lives for our friends. The solution to any form of discrimination is to learn to love the ones whom Jesus would love, the ones to whom Jesus spread out his arms on the cross to welcome. This week of all weeks, we must remember that.
As Christians, we are not primarily citizens of this world anyway. We are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. We live in this world as "exiles and strangers," Peter says. That doesn't mean we give up on this world, or on the place we call home. Instead, we work for change through the power of love—Jesus' love. Law never changed anyone's heart, but love can and does.
So, Indiana: I love you. I always have and I always will. This is home, for now. When you do well, I love you. When you mess up, I love you. Jesus loves you, too. Just sayin'.
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