Just Like Every Other

Why, do you suppose, people are so anxious to tell me what I do and don't believe?

"You worship an evil deity." Very popular from more than one direction. The atheist likes to throw that one out because God hasn't cancelled out all bad things. But the anti-Reformed folk will also throw it at me because I believe in a Sovereign God. The problem with the accusation is two-fold. First, it's not true. Second, there is no possible response. Why? Because the only response is "God" and that won't due. I say God by definition is good, and they've already labeled Him "evil", so it's pointless. I say that whatever God does is good, and they've already labeled Him "evil", so it's pointless. I say that humans are by nature sinful and wouldn't know a good God if He sent His Son to die for them, and they've already labeled Him "evil", so it's pointless. But the truth is it's not true--neither from the anti-theist position or the anti-Sovereign position.

"You don't believe the Bible teaches you what you should do. I mean, you don't abide by haircut and slavery rules, do you?" Again, actual accusations. Again, completely amiss. I've explained what I think about the biblical teaching on haircuts (and how it doesn't mean "God commands you to cut your hair a certain way") and I've explained how I understand biblical teaching on slavery (as in "not the same thing"). This is not to say "The Bible is wrong on these points" because I don't believe it is and this is not to say "But we've figured out a better way" because I don't believe we have. I'm saying that it doesn't say what they say it says when you read the text in context. My rule, then, is to follow what it says. So I do believe the Bible teaches me what to do and that doesn't include the necessity of keeping slaves or not cutting the corners of my hair.

"You are anti-women!" Really? This is most often, amazingly enough, from those who are intent on making women more like men in their drive to make us all "equal". It is the error of equivocation, confusing "equality" with "equal in value", "equal in substance", and "the same". So I'm "anti-women" because I believe the Scriptures teach me that women should be honored, respected as joint heirs (1 Peter 3:7), loved sacrificially (Eph 5:28). Seems problematic to me.

"You Christians believe that gays should get the death penalty!" Yes, I've actually heard that. No, I don't actually believe it. I would suppose that there are people out there--even people who call themselves "Christians"--who would argue that they should. I don't. I don't see a biblical demand for it. (The commands for that were to the nation of Israel when it was a theocracy, not to believers in general whenever and wherever they happen to be.) So, they tell me I believe that and I certainly do not.

"You are anti-gay." Well, now, that one takes some examination, doesn't it? Am I opposed to people with desires for sexual relations with the same gender? And that would require further examination. What do you mean by "opposed"? I don't find in my Bible anywhere that tells me that I need to regulate the sins of humanity. I'm not supposed to participate, and I'm certainly supposed to make them aware that they have a sin problem and the answer is in Christ, but nothing at all about stopping anyone from their sinful practices ... whatever they may be. So in what sense am I "opposed"? I think it's a sin. That's it. Those who act on those desires are committing a sin in the same way that I commit a sin when I act on my sinful desires ... to which I'm opposed as well and in the same way. "Well," they will counter, "you're opposed to gay marriage! That's anti-gay." Again, I think you're mistaken. I'm in favor of gay marriage. I'm opposed to gay mirage. That is, "marriage" has a meaning and "two people of the same gender who love each other" doesn't fall inside that definition. If you are a person who experiences same-sex attraction and wish to marry someone of the opposite sex (because "opposite sex" is part of the definition of "marry"), I'm all for it. "Well, you discriminate based on being gay." In what sense? I "discriminate" between red and blue. "Discriminate" means to differentiate. I differentiate between sexual sin (sex outside of marriage) and moral sexual relations (sex inside of marriage). I don't "discriminate" in the sense of making unjust treatment of people based on their sin.

And so it goes. There are so many bad examples of "Christian" out there. There is the entirely non-Christian Westboro Baptist folks who make unbiblical claims with unbiblical approaches calling themselves "Christians" and I get saddled with their error which I abhor. There are books from "good Christians" that assure us that if we are good enough, we can get to heaven which I find in absolute contradiction to the Scriptures and yet I get to wear that error because I'm a Christian. There are folks labeling themselves "Christian" who call for executing homosexuals and folks labeling themselves "Christian" who call for the end to "all this foolishness about biblical infallibility", and that, too, gets laid to my account. None of this falls in my understanding of what "Christian" means or entails.

So, do yourself a favor. Don't assume that because I'm "American" I'm like every other American you've ever met. Don't assume that because I'm a man, I'm just like every other man you've ever known. Don't assume that because I'm a Christian or a Calvinist or religious at all, I'm just like every one of those you've ever known. I think you'll find distinctives that don't match your stereotypes. If you want to know what I believe, find out, don't assume. I suspect you might be surprised more often than you might have thought. At least, that what people who have been courteous enough to do so have told me.