“Shut up. Just shut up. You had me at hello.”
In other words, Tom Cruise, you can stop talking now because I already agree with what you haven’t yet said.
And that’s the way we are in the United Methodist Church these days, especially in the debate surrounding homosexual intercourse, clergy ordination, and same-sex marriage.
Most of us in the fray have heard the debates and read the arguments from both sides. And our minds are pretty well made up. After forty years, I’d be pretty surprised if new light were to shine on ancient texts that have been thoroughly exegeted, eisegeted, parsed, and prayed over.
There are some writers in our UMC family who, by virtue of their theological background and intellectual perspective, I know I will agree with what they haven’t yet said. They have me at hello.
Then there are others who, by virtue of their theological background and intellectual perspective, I know will never complete me.
Maybe we do live in a cynical world.
Or maybe it’s time to divert some of my own emotional energy away from dialog & debate and into evangelism & church growth.
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Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:23-26, NIV)
Well that’ll preach in the day of social media, John!
Talbot, all of this is why we need (and are offering) a via media – not just to get away from the extremes, where we know what someone is going to say before they say it – but to raise the level of discourse so as to follow Paul’s advice to Timothy.
I would encourage you and your readers to check us out at viamediamethodists.wordpress.com. We just posted a fascinating interview with Bishop Ken Carter, by the way.
Peace to you –
Drew