Read this Blog or I'll Shoot This Dog

The Perils of Either/Or Thinking

 

 

In January of my Freshman year of high school, there was a magazine (not a particularly good one) called the National Lampoon that featured on its cover, the picture above, with the title, If You Don’t Buy This Magazine, We’ll Kill This Dog!  Of course, it was a promotional stunt, but it was so in your face shocking that it soon became a hot discussion topic among my peers.  

 

Some thought it was hilarious while others, especially the animal lovers among us, found it to be very offensive and in poor taste.  There seemed to be very little middle ground on the topic.  Either you loved it or you hated it.  There were a few that simply shrugged and said they didn’t really care one way or the other, but then, they were that way on about every topic we discussed.  No matter how one felt, though, they were allowed to have their own perspective and we went on being friends.

 

It occurred to me the other day that in our society, and yes, even within the walls of our church, we have adopted an either/or posture on almost every topic.  Either you are for me…and if not, you are definitely against me.  Either you buy everything I tell you, or you totally reject it.  Either you totally agree with me, or I will have no use for you.   And the stakes for disagreeing are grow exponentially higher, often causing anger, suspicion, distrust and sometimes even ending friendships.

 

The more things change, the more things stay the same.  Did you know that was exactly why there were two different ruling parties that made up the Sanhedrin in Jesus day? They were called the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  They couldn’t agree on anything.  The Pharisees believed in the Resurrection.  The Sadducees didn’t. (Perhaps that’s why they were so sad…).  The Pharisees believed that if you did enough good works, you could bank some of it to help you get into heaven.  The Sadducees believed that since there was no resurrection, this life was all they had, so they had to live it up and get as much as they could while they were still alive.  And they believed that the more possessions one had, the more proof that God was with them and blessing them…which was one thing that the Pharisees began to adopt as well as they cushioned their own homes and pockets a little more.

 

But when it came to Jesus…they both suddenly agreed!  HE was dangerous.  He was usurping their authority and their important role in society.  As such, He had to go!

 

So, they began to use either/or thinking with Jesus.  Buy this magazine or we’ll shoot this dog!  Over and over, they tried to trap Jesus into committing to one or the other, in order to trap Him.  Need some examples?

 

John 8:4   “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

 

John 8:6    They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 

 

They knew that if he said “Stone her” they could simply turn Him over to the Romans for preempting their authority to decide between life and death, and the Romans would dispose of Him. Problem solved.  But if Jesus said, “Let her go” the people would be livid that He was ignoring Moses law and turn on Him. Again, problem solved.  Either/or would carry the day. But not so fast. Jesus has never been about either/or thinking.  It’s too narrow and dismisses any room for grace.  Let’s go back to John 8:7

 

⁷ They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone! ⁸ Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

 

John 8:9    When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. ¹⁰ Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

 

John 8:11   “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

 

With a simple statement, Jesus dismissed, not only a crowd full of sinners, but their “either/or” thinking as well.

 

Here’s another: Mark 12:13    Later the leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. ¹⁴ “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us—is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? ¹⁵  Should we pay them, or shouldn’t we?”  (There it is…either/or)

 

 Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you trying to trap me? Show me a Roman coin,^a and I’ll tell you.”  ¹⁶ When they handed it to him, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”   “Caesar’s,” they replied.

 

Mark 12:17   “Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”  His reply completely amazed them.

 

Why?  Why did it amaze them?  Because it didn’t fall into their either/or thinking.  There are many other examples in scripture, but they all make the same point.  You don’t have to buy the magazine OR shoot the dog.

 

You don’t have to share a certain post with 10 friends or lose the blessing of Jesus.  You don’t have to subscribe to mask or no mask.  You can support black lives while continuing to support law enforcement.  It doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition.  But the more important point to consider as you seek to lead others to Jesus is, how well are you representing the character of Jesus and His love through your words and actions?  

 

Even if you don’t believe in wearing masks and you think it is all a croc, when you go to church and they ask you to be considerate, do you yield for the sake of loving the weaker (perhaps immuno-depressed) brother or sister and put one on, joyful to serve others humbly in such a simple (though perhaps irritating) way?  Or do you proudly, defiantly look for ways to register your disdain and use your position in the church to lobby for changing “these stupid requirements”?

 

When you hear Black Lives Matter, do you humbly seek to hear the plight, concerns and fears of your black brother or sister, happy to serve through listening and learning in humility, or do you immediately jump to All Lives Matter as you seek to argue the point of which matters more?

 

Did you know that I can readily accept and champion Black lives mattering, seeking to uphold and support my black friends and promoting the need for police reform, without agreeing on every point that the Black Lives Matter platform puts forth.  I can likewise support those police officers who are out there on the front lines every day doing their absolute best to do a good job to protect and serve.  I don’t have to allow myself to be polarized so much that I lose the ability to reason.  I can actually, if I think about it…support both.  

 

And someone’s need to have me agree with them on their polarized end of the spectrum is just that--their need.  And when I don’t conform to their demands, many have pushed me to the opposite end of the spectrum in their mind, without actually considering my reasons, or the  fact that I don’t happen to agree with the opposite end of their spectrum either.  But we are caught in a society that pushes, very strongly,  either you are with me or you are against me!  

 

I love my wife, but I don’t have to agree with every last idea or thought she has in order to continue loving her.  We are going to have differences.  HOW we work through our differences really determines whether I truly love her or not.  And the same is true in the church.  How we love others will show whether we truly love Christ or not.

 

I may believe that wearing a mask is stupid, suffocating and non-essential, but still choose to wear it out of love.  Because I understand that wearing it tells my fellow worshippers that I am more concerned about their health, and their belief that masks help contain the spread of a virus, than I am about my personal rights.   I can choose to wear it joyfully, because I want my church to be perceived as a safe place to be for my brothers and sisters, as well as a safe place to bring their friends.  Both physically and spiritually.

 

Jesus said it this way: John 13:35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

 

Don’t buy the magazine…and please don’t shoot the dog.  It doesn’t make you a bad person.  But DO show love and respect for others as a way of proving to the world that you are a disciple of Jesus.

Step Away Before You Re-engage

Hey Christian Leader…are you tired?  Mentally exhausted?  Physically drained?  Emotionally spent?  Me too. What we have been going through the past months (and especially the last 2 weeks) is enough to drain the life out of the best of us.  Unless you are a person who thrives on quarantine and conflict…or conflict in quarantine…or some other combination of the same, if you are like me (and because you are human…I know that in at least some ways you are) you can only take so much of the fevered pitch before you have to step away.

And that’s ok.  You can’t sustain the emotional knife edge for very long anyway.  So, let me invite you, first, to step away. Perhaps for only a few hours, or just an afternoon. Maybe a day or weekend.  Step away and unplug.  Disconnect from the news.  It will be there when you get back-and it will still be mostly bad.  Take leave of your social media platforms for a while.  The discussions will be still be there, and just as heated, when you get back.  For your own mental health’s sake, back away, unplug, disconnect and take some time reconnecting to the Source of peace and mental health.

As I look around at the events in today’s world, I see the social injustice and racism, the riots and demonstrations, the verbal volleys on social media, the political posturing and the name calling.  My emotions run higher as I come to understand the intolerable things that people of color continue to have to bear and the senseless killings of innocent people.  It IS an outrage.  And it NEEDS to stop.  MUST stop.

Alongside that, protests that start peacefully enough suddenly turn violent, and more lives are lost, buildings are burned and looted and justifications are put forth as to why it should be that way.  And dialogs that could be productive, cease.  And defensiveness escalates with emotions that are already running high and understanding ceases.  Battle lines are drawn and enemies are declared.

But stop.  Step back and consider.  PEOPLE aren’t our enemies.  They are simply victims of our one great enemy, the devil.  He has sold us all different versions of the same lie… “YOU can be like God.”  In essence…YOU. CAN. BE. GOD! (really only for you, but that’s in the fine print). But we take that to mean that WE are the ultimate cause in the Universe.  

But we, who belong to the King of Kings, must look at thing a bit differently.  We must recognize first, that He is God…and not we ourselves.  And as God, He does call His followers to right the wrongs and lift the lowly and champion the cause of those who are oppressed.  But we must do it in HIS way in order for lasting change to take place.  All other methods simply breed resentment and when the time is right, resentment spews forth hatred, which ends up bringing death.

This is why it is so important to stop, step back and unplug for a bit before we re-engage.  In fact, before any of us go running off to right wrongs, we must be under HIS control and not our own.  How do we do that?  Isaiah 1 gives us a clue.  Isaiah is addressing the church and the inherent problems that come with a group of people who are only partially committed to the Lord.  Here is a sampling of the things that God was saying in a vision to Isaiah.

Is. 1:2               Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth!

                        This is what the LORD says:

            “The children I raised and cared for

                        have rebelled against me.

³           Even an ox knows its owner,

                        and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—

            but Israel doesn’t know its master.

                        My people don’t recognize my care for them.”

⁴           Oh, what a sinful nation they are—

                        loaded down with a burden of guilt.

            They are evil people,

                        corrupt children who have rejected the LORD.

            They have despised the Holy One of Israel

                        and turned their backs on him.

He goes on to list some of the problems the country was currently having.  The country was in ruins.  Towns are burned.  Foreigners are plundering and destroying.  Sound familiar?  And how did God’s people respond.  By doing more of the same thing they were doing that caused their destruction in the first place.  Gave more offerings.  Said more prayers.  Offered more sacrifices and hoped for the best…with no internal change.

And God said. ¹¹         “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?”

                        says the LORD.

            “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams

                        and the fat of fattened cattle.

¹³         Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;

                        the incense of your offerings disgusts me!

            As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath

                        and your special days for fasting—

            they are all sinful and false.

                        I want no more of your pious meetings

¹⁵         When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.

                        Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,

                        for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.

Then God comes to what He is really interested in.

¹⁶         Wash yourselves and be clean!

                        Get your sins out of my sight.

                        Give up your evil ways.

¹⁷         Learn to do good.

                        Seek justice.

            Help the oppressed.

                        Defend the cause of orphans.

                        Fight for the rights of widows.

Is. 1:18           “Come now, let’s settle this,”

                        says the LORD.

            “Though your sins are like scarlet,

                        I will make them as white as snow.

            Though they are red like crimson,

                        I will make them as white as wool.

Did you catch that?  And some are saying…. “Yes!  Let’s go fight and help the oppressed!  Let’s defend the cause and rights of orphans and widows”.  But not yet.  Stay unplugged for just a little longer.  Because in verse 18 God says: Let’s settle this. NLT. Other versions say “Come let us reason together.”  In other words, before you run off, there is something that needs to happen in your life.  You need to let me get rid of your sins and your evil desires.  You need to be washed!  Your words, your actions, your attitudes all need to be laid down so that you can accomplish things in the way I want them accomplished.  Through Love.

That means that, no matter your color or ethnicity, as a child of God, after letting Christ deal with your sins, you see His call to take up the cause of the oppressed in the way that Jesus would have you do it, rather than through use of the world’s might-makes-right-tactics.  

What would that look like?  It would look like you using whatever gifts and abilities the Lord has placed within you, and utilizing those as you follow the Holy Spirit’s stirrings in your heart to work to alleviate injustice no matter where it is found, in a manner in keeping with how you were created.

It means you put your shoulder to the wheel and utilize your influence for lasting change in a way that the outside, unbelieving, world can respect. It means you refuse to use their catchphrases that would inflame, choosing thoughtfulness and carefully chosen words instead, that can bring calm.  It means that you recognize the diversity that God has put into all people and you celebrate, rather than denigrate that.  Beyond ethnic differences, expand your view to include gender, generational curses, culture (community, church or school) and even personality types.

Wait, what?  I was tracking with you until you made that last turn.  Ok.  Let me break it down.  We are all different.  VERY different, which, if you haven’t noticed in all the realm of creation and nature, is exactly the way our Father likes things.  Which means that I don’t have to respond exactly like you in order to support you, whatever your race, circumstances, etc. might be.   I can be free to support the cause of justice in ways that you might not have even considered.  

For example, I’ve seen many in recent days write an iteration of this idea.  “If you are silent, you are complicit to the problem.”  Meaning, basically, if you are not saying something against this, you are guilty of spreading it.  I get the ideology behind that statement, especially coming from a non-believer, but what that statement actually does is simply shut off every other avenue of support I may have been able to offer if I happen to be, say, an introvert.  If I were an introvert, I wouldn’t want to march and shout things out.  I would probably shy away from conflict or controversy, and I wouldn’t want to post on my social media because I don’t want to be noticed. But, if encouraged in a more constructive way, I might donate to a cause or work behind the scenes in silence, or reach out in love to a friend of another race.  But if my silence is my complicity, then with one broad brush stroke, I have been de-valued and my potential contribution reduced to nothing.  That too, is an intolerant act, against someone whose only crime was to be born with the "wrong" type of personality.

So perhaps, instead of those type of statements, often written when emotions are running high and passion is running deep, what if we ran our emotions and passions through the filter of the Holy Spirit and in an attitude like that of the early church facing the injustices to the Greek widows,  engaged in dialog to see how we might, together, move as God’s people to address the issue of injustice in practical ways using all of our combined gifts?  Dialog in the Spirit and then implement in His power.

James gives us good counsel when it comes to how we might proceed.

James 1:19    My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Work on yourself first.  Then look out for others.

James 1:26    If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

May we allow God to change our hearts and then may that change help us to reach out to right the wrongs, bring justice where it is needed, stand with the oppressed and lift the fallen.  And may He accomplish it, not through our anger, but through His love and the power of His Spirit living in each one of us.  

Ok…now you can go re-engage...with a regenerated heart and with the love of Jesus.