Finding the Sweet Spot

I found the sweet spot, and it doesn't have anything to do with the meaty part of a baseball bat, the center of a tennis racket, or lady parts.

Within the span of two days, I've been told that someone who is a bit more conservative in their theology thinks I'm the most liberal Christian they know. On the other hand, someone a bit more liberal thought that I was a bit too conservative for them.

Part of this saddens me, as I wish at times that I had a niche or a home in which I identified with a certain group or company, but at the same time I'm glad that I'm too conservative for liberals and too liberal for conservatives.  

I thought that this might be a good time to clearly state what it is I hope to accomplish with my writing. I hope that I am not trying to sway anyone from one camp to another (there are already too many camps, and I believe that this is our problem), but I am on a journey for the truth. Wherever that journey takes me I do my best not to shrink from what it is I find. My battle hymn in this endeavor is by Muse: It's called "Unnatural Selection":



In it, Matthew Bellamy in his operatic Freddie Mercury style vocals declares
"I WANT THE TRUTH!"

In this declaration, I strive as best I can never to tow the line solely for comfort and ease, nor never to remain comfortable in what I believe about God, because I believe that God cannot be contained; not by me nor by anyone else. This is why I seek out theologians who do their jobs in humility (there are a few of them out there).

In this endeavor I have a few rules not only for myself but also what I hope to inspire others to do. I could pontificate on what it means to accomplish my goal, or I could tell a story of someone who has exemplified it far better than I ever could. 

One of my all time heroes, a man who has been like a father to me, has some of the most conservative theological views as anyone out there. In the 80's, when little was known about Aids and HIV and how it was spread, this man ministered to the homosexual community when everyone else (including the Doctors) were afraid to touch a man infected with the virus. This man would walk in to quarantined areas and hold the hands of those dying with the Aids virus, and pray with them and tell them that Jesus loved them. Why did he do this? Because this man understood the value of every human life. He understood that every man, woman and child deserves dignity and to be treated with respect.
This man spoke out against derogatory names being used for homosexual's, and simply would not accept defamation of any person.

I hope never to forget that whatever conclusions I come to, how I treat people is the most telling story about how I view God. If I could do anything with my words, I hope that it would be to challenge us as Christians to remember that we are talking about people and not ideology. If our thoughts do not begin there... well, I think we all know and can see where it leads us.