"That's the position we're in today. I call it the naked position of the gospel: where you don't please the liberals or conservatives, you simply are faithful to the gospel. It is asking more of our minds and our hearts than any of us are prepared for."(R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 258)
In my continued quest to figure out who I really am, I've noticed that I have had the pattern of being able to relate to all sorts and conditions of people. That's not to say that I don't have an opinion or lean politically or theologically one way. I'm not rigidly in the middle, but I hope I'm closer to than some who I may agree with more often than not.
The challenge that I see being offered in the above quote, is can you actually stand for something, without worrying about who will praise or damn you? My hunch is that in our overly dualistic world, we're more interested in coming down in a place that pleases at least some people.
The evidence I see of this is that both conservative and liberal causes when spoken on by people of faith, always believe they are being true to the gospel. Which seems hard to believe when they say things that are totally opposite of each other.
The real problem is that true to the gospel is really only valid in the ears and opinions of those who hear it. If it already is part of my worldview, then it seems natural that it must be faithful to the gospel. Anything that challenges my world view must be contrary to the gospel, and then let me see how many folks I can get to say "that's right."
Probably the best test for gospel faithfulness, is when you're being criticized and chided by liberal and conservative ideologues at the same time. Then you know you've truly arrived.
Blessings,
Ed
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