Pick and Choose
As I've gotten more involved and aware politically, I've noticed that I tend to be case-by-case when it comes to issues but loyal to party when it comes to candidates. In other words, while I'm a registered Republican, I'm often found frothing at the mouth about issues normally associated with the other side of the aisle, but inside the voting booth, I rarely pull the lever (or touch the button, or punch the chad, or whatever the metaphor ought to be) for a D.
Ironically, I'm like this with my religion, as well. Not to say that I pick and choose which beliefs and commandments I want to take seriously, but that when it comes to social issues that religious folks usually have an opinion on, I tend to be hard to pin down to a side. Like in politics, I weigh the particular issue and take a position based on my understanding of truth and morality.
But also like in politics, while I may be inconsistent when it comes to issues, I'm true to my Man. Which, by the way, is why the flap a few years ago in my denomination about ordaining homosexuals was so sad. Here were good-hearted congregants being rigid about an issue (homosexuals should be allowed to be ordained) and willing to compromise about the Person (Jesus may or may not be the Head of the Church).
Doctrine should be taken seriously, but sometimes we need to agree to disagree. And we ought to be open-minded enough to consider the viewpoints and even be argued out of ours, by people who see an issue differently from us. But there can't be any picking and choosing when it comes to Jesus. Whether in your mind He is Lord, or He isn't, it's not something you can really flip-flop on.
As I've gotten more involved and aware politically, I've noticed that I tend to be case-by-case when it comes to issues but loyal to party when it comes to candidates. In other words, while I'm a registered Republican, I'm often found frothing at the mouth about issues normally associated with the other side of the aisle, but inside the voting booth, I rarely pull the lever (or touch the button, or punch the chad, or whatever the metaphor ought to be) for a D.
Ironically, I'm like this with my religion, as well. Not to say that I pick and choose which beliefs and commandments I want to take seriously, but that when it comes to social issues that religious folks usually have an opinion on, I tend to be hard to pin down to a side. Like in politics, I weigh the particular issue and take a position based on my understanding of truth and morality.
But also like in politics, while I may be inconsistent when it comes to issues, I'm true to my Man. Which, by the way, is why the flap a few years ago in my denomination about ordaining homosexuals was so sad. Here were good-hearted congregants being rigid about an issue (homosexuals should be allowed to be ordained) and willing to compromise about the Person (Jesus may or may not be the Head of the Church).
Doctrine should be taken seriously, but sometimes we need to agree to disagree. And we ought to be open-minded enough to consider the viewpoints and even be argued out of ours, by people who see an issue differently from us. But there can't be any picking and choosing when it comes to Jesus. Whether in your mind He is Lord, or He isn't, it's not something you can really flip-flop on.
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