It has been like this forever – as there is nothing new
under the sun – but we currently live in polarizing times. We are pitted
against each other. We are expected to take sides. One group must be right and the other must be wrong. Red vs. blue. Gay vs.
straight. Black vs. cop. It is an either/or way of thinking about the world.
But what if it could be BOTH/AND
instead? What if you could BOTH hold
your Christian identity with strength and assurance AND honor, respect, and learn from people of other faith
traditions? What if you could BOTH support
a political candidate AND acknowledge
that the opposing candidate maybe-just-maybe isn’t the anti-Christ? What if you
could BOTH question the morality of
homosexuality AND love our LGBT
brothers and sisters through welcoming them into our churches and supporting
their equal rights under the law?
What if saying ‘Black Lives Matter’ came with the undergirded
assumption that, of course, All Lives Matter? What if BOTH Black Lives Matter AND
Blue Lives Matter?
It is possible to BOTH
love and support our police officers who daily risk their lives for our safety AND to recognize that there are some
systemic racial problems in our country that have led to much discrimination
and way too much lethal force of late. The danger of labels like “black” and
“blue” is that we can so easily forget that REAL people are ACTUALLY being made
black and blue. People are getting hurt and killed as we resort to violence
instead of peaceful, creative solutions that might bring about real, actual,
substantive change.
The gospel of Jesus is all about breaking down barriers of
separation. Jesus, in everything he does and says, is eradicating an either/or,
us vs. them, hate-the-enemy sort of worldview. And we are called to do the
same. Let’s commit to not demonizing our opponent. Let’s commit to putting
aside the false-binaries that our world teaches us exist. Let’s commit to
listening to all people, even and especially when we know we will disagree.
Let’s commit to the Jesus-centered spirit of hospitality, generosity, and love
that we see laced throughout the pages of Scripture. Let’s commit to being BOTH/AND people, rather than EITHER/OR.
