This is a rant, hence it's in the not so graceful category. I'm frustrated with the church these days with the lack of value placed on marriage in the positive and adultery in the negative. Sure, we have great marriage seminars and christian counselors and church weddings, but what good has it done? The divorce rate in the evangelical Church in North America is on par with the secular world (see Time Magazine, can't recall which issue at the moment). Perhaps we should spend more time on Jesus. We expend a great deal of energy opposing the homosexual community (whom I love, BTW),though they do not generally identify themselves as followers of Jesus, but we fear and tolerate the adultery that exists among our own people (who do generally identify themselves with Jesus). What is it with christians and adultery these days? I have good christian friends who have been idiots in adulterous relationships. I have a pile of "good christian" relatives who've been trapped by it. My own family just about lost it on account of my mother's affair. I have one good friend now, a "godly man" in all other terms, that is in the middle of an adulterous relationship while separated from his wife. Can he see it? no. Does it matter? yes. Is his pastor even remotely concerned? not unless it becomes a church drama.
Sure Jesus was really gracious with the adulterous woman he met at the well, but she had just met him that day, how was she to know what being with Jesus meant in light of her lifestyle? Oh, wait, that's right... Jesus told her... "sin no more." Even on the first day they met, Jesus himself was able to communicate love, grace, acceptance, and "sin no more". (The friends I'm talking about have had relationships with Jesus for 10 or more year) As followers of Jesus it seems to me we're EITHER really good at the love, grace, acceptance thing OR the "sin no more" thing. Can't we do both? Aren't we supposed to do both if he's our example?
Is it just me, or are we blind to the pervasiveness of our culture on this point? Should we not be behaving more like a kingdom of God than a culture puppy to humanism?
I was in California recently for school. One of my professors came into the classroom and introduced his "covenant partner and friend" to whom he has been married for 30+ years. How great I thought, that that title carries so much more with it than "wife" or God forbid, "spouse." I liked that language and think I'll adopt it. Even in our churches today, wives are disposable, at great cost to our witness to the real kingdom of God I might add. Let the christians have their spouses, followers of Jesus have covenant partners and friends, and those last forever, no matter which god you serve.
I hear ya loud and clear on this one bro. You are living the covenant friendship with your partner - it's real!
Posted by: Nancy | March 12, 2006 at 04:41 PM