Time to Break Camp

One of the divisive issues facing the Christian community is the divide being created by the differences between a Biblically based spirituality and one culturally shaped.  The divide has created a tension which has been percolating beneath the surface for decades, but has in more recent years exploded to bring about an "us and them" mentality that may be impossible to overcome.  There seems to be no middle ground for compromise and both groups look at the other as less than authentic Christians.  

Those within the Biblically based community are driven by a strong sense that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God.  Its words shape our understanding of God, ourselves and our reason for being, and the way we are to live in relationship with others.  It is a prime directive of the lives of those who inhabit this spiritual community.  On the other side are those who maintain the importance of the Bible, but also maintain that it is not to be taken as an authority.  Instead, it is to be understood through the lens of culture.  Culture has the defining word or vote on how traditional Scripture is to be read and understood.  Theological beliefs and life within the community are shaped not by ancient words, but by cultural mores.

One of the most unfortunate problems created by this divisive tension is the way it has caused us to live with attitudes of self righteousness and a cancerous growth of attitudes and actions which make a mockery of the "Christ within us" theology.  Christ never treated others as we do and neither did He speak to others as we do one another today.  Too many of us within the church have our tent set up on the ground broken by Satan.  It is time for us to set up camp once again within the boundaries which are established by the loving and forgiving spirit of Christ.