The United States is as closely divided as one can imagine. When all the dust settles on the 2020 election, the Presidency will have been decided by razor thin results in a few states, the Senate will be within a seat or two, and the House will be within a handful. The issues that divide us are plentiful, the visions being offered about the future seemingly incompatible. What do we, as a Church, do now? How can we chart a way forward when the present is so volatile?
The Way Forward begins by looking backward. Before they were first called Christians, those who believed in Jesus Christ were known as "The Way" (Acts 9:2), and this designation is a useful reminder to us. Jesus Christ said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6, NIV) So, as his followers, the early Christians were known as the people who followed 'the way' that Jesus had established, and that way was centered upon himself. In other words, Jesus both established the way (as a trailblazer and guide) and was literally the way itself (as the atoning sacrifice that opened the way to the Father).
At any point in its history, when the Church has wandered from its foundations or been infected with dangerous ideas, the solution has always been the same: go back to the beginning, go back to 'the way'. So, what does the way forward look like for the Church in America in the 21st century?
The Way Forward is...
(1) Christ-centered
When other things push their way toward the center, the Church loses its purity and purpose. Christ, and Christ alone (i.e. God), belongs at the center. We operate by God's power, not man's. We seek God's glory, not America's. We proclaim God's Truth, not our 'truth'.
(2) Biblically guided
A Church that does not take the entire moral counsel of the Word of God seriously will falter. Morality matters, within the Church first and foremost. For example: The Word of God declares the value of human life, created in God's image. Because we are made in God's image, every human life has value, our attitudes, words, and actions need to reflect that reality. The way forward for the Church is holistically pro-life. That is, from the unborn to the elderly, from citizens of our nation to immigrants and refugees, from those who look like us to those who do not. We need to find a way to meaningfully support all people, as God's image bearers, as people for whom Christ died, overcoming the host of issues that try to wedge between the people of God and those to whom we are called to minister. We need to do this in a way that upholds biblical morality without invalidating the call to 'love our neighbors as ourselves'. The challenge is immense, but not optional. This list needs to be exhaustive, including LGBT individuals, minorities, and those with a criminal record (among others). The Gospel has one solution for all of humanity, the Church needs to figure out how to maintain that belief and not act as if some people need the Gospel less or others need it more (Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord."). That some individuals and some groups believe they have no place in the Church, assuming they answer the call to repent and believe like anyone else, is a tragedy we must find a way to overcome.
(3) Grace infused
There is no meaningful path forward that is built upon our pride. In addition to needing humble servants, the Church needs bridge builders not moat diggers, and the people of God need to seek and embrace common goals (within and without the Church), not partisan advantages.
This list is certainly not exhaustive, but it is foundational. The Church has two thousand years of history behind it. The portions of that history that bring honor and glory to God have been all three of the things I've listed: Christ-centered, biblically guided, and grace infused. We need a way forward, and for that we need to go back to the beginning.
