What If You’re Wrong?

Last updated on: July 2, 2015 at 6:35 am by James F. McGrath

What If You’re Wrong? 2015-07-02T06:35:56-04:00 James F. McGrath

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Faith without doubt isn’t faith

Multiple posts came to my attention recently, all of which seek to respond to the conservative assumption that it is liberals who need to worry about being wrong in accepting gays and lesbians, as well as more generally.

Cindy Brandt writes,

To be honest, I am not certain this is the correct stance to take. Long ago, I repented of an idolatry to certainty. I gave up the need to be sure of anything, because I saw how I had wielded my certainty as a tool to harm others, and I still carry shame from the unrelenting posture I held towards people who deserved better from me. But I think I have grown closer to understanding what it means to live by faith, a life led not by certainty but by the Spirit who gently compels me, not by compulsory doctrinal laws but through persuasive convictions.

Matthew Paul Turner writes, “Faith without doubt isn’t faith; it’s cultural certainty, little more than a lifeless creed you can shout at the top of your lungs behind pulpits, write in all caps in online comment sections, and whisper under your breath like a curse whenever challenged.”

Micky Dewitt writes,

The bottom line is that I could be dead wrong on whether or not homosexual sex acts (the Bible really doesn’t address same-sex marriage specifically, only sexual acts between partners of the same gender) are acceptable within the covenant relationship among two people. Same-sex marriage could be missing the mark. But I can assure you that my heart is to follow the example of Jesus. He demonstrated inclusivity. He loved and felt compassion for those deemed “unclean” and created avenues for them to come into a right relationship with God.

If I am wrong, than what am I guilty of? I have made my best attempts to remove barriers to the cross and I trust that God will sort out any confusion as He relates to each one of us. When I worship on Sunday with my gay brothers and sisters, I trust that they are there because they love Jesus and want to follow Him. Who can argue with that? We all have sin in our lives and we all have unknown sin in our lives-perhaps sin that is even encouraged for us to remain in due to misinterpretation of scriptures (the prosperity gospel is one example). Are we all in trouble because we unknowingly and even at times defensively remain in our sin? And is it our place to determine what “trouble” a person might be in (i.e. hell-bound)? Be careful to not kick Jesus out of the judgement seat.

What if you are wrong? You chose to make the gospel exclusive. You chose to put barriers in place, keeping people from seeing the attractive aroma of Christ’s love for them. You chose politics to become the means by which you further the Kingdom-which is antithetical to the calling of Jesus. And you chose to remove avenues for which you might build relationships with those who don’t know Jesus. I can’t find one example of Jesus doing this in the New Testament. In fact, if you read all about the Eunuchs, you will find an impressive example of how Jesus opened the gates of the Kingdom to a group of people who were historically not welcome (See Deuteronomy 23:1, Isaiah 56:4, Matthew 19:12, and Acts 8:26-40).

And Ben Irwin asks,

Many of our convictions are inherited rather than intentionally cultivated. We arrive at them by default, more or less.

How much time have you spent considering the arguments for and against same-sex marriage? I don’t mean, How much time have you spent defending your particular point of view? or How much time have you spent reading those you already agree with to validate what you already believe?

That’s confirmation bias, not discernment.

What I mean is, How much time have you spent studying, reflecting, discerning, questioning—perhaps even praying about your convictions? How much time have you spent testing your assumptions? How open are you to the possibility you might be wrong?

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