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common ground

Posted on December 8, 2005 | Filed Under tolerance 

An article worth sharing …

Looking for an argument (In December 13, 2005 issue of The Christian Century)

Will the debate over homosexuality split the church of Jesus Christ? It already has. But the split itself is a sign of our unfaithfulness and our failure to be the church Jesus calls us to be. Until we do follow Jesus, until we care more about loving each other than about winning the debate, our Christian witness will be severely compromised … because it will be hardly Christian!

What do we have to lose in listening to each other, really listening to each other? What do we have to lose in admitting that sincere folks on both sides of the issue are doing their best to be faithful to the gospel? If we are truly saved by grace, by God’s righteousness and not our own, then we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We might even find some common ground — namely that we are alike loved and healed and made whole by Jesus alone! — and realize we can live with our differences as we seek to follow Jesus together.

We may not agree on which way to go, but if we agree that Jesus is the way, then we are at least on the same path! And that path leads to where we all want to go …

Tags: christian_witness, common_ground, follow_jesus, homosexuality

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