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Reading the News Through the Lens of Faith 1
By Dan | May 8, 2008
Aaargh- so much going on in the world and so little space to post. So little time to talk and respond in the midst of also juggling the other parts or our lives.
Well, let’s take a few moments to talk. There is so much going on in the world, so many stories being hit up in the media and I think it’s important that we dialog about them from a Christian perspective
So where to start. . .
Well, since it’s one of the biggest stories out there, how about polygamy, Eldorado, and all that jazz.
Well, I see a couple of things that we need to keep in mind. First, have you noticed how subtly sin creeps into society and takes root? Now people are upset about the child brides in Eldorado, but quietly, while there’s some outrage about this, others are trying to rewrite things and make polygamy seem a little more acceptable. Just read this story.
That’s what happens so often. A sin outrages people at first, but slowly it gains acceptance. Not because it doesn’t cause problems (polygamy certainly does- just think about it and read any of the Bible stories about it too).
So here’s the question- how do you speak about this story and this issue as a Christian? What have you been saying about it to others? How can you get to the deeper issues going on here?
Topics: News Through Faith |
May 8th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Dan…thought provoking. I haven’t had a lot of questions about it out here to be honest. Most people seem to think the same thing, how aweful, how could anyone do such a thing.
In some ways we as a society accept polygamy in a very subtle way that no one recongizes. How about divorce as a form of polygamy. Just because society says divorce is acceptable and appropriate, I believe God says that once you are married it is until death. Jesus talking to the woman at the well doesn’t say “you have had five husbands” but “you HAVE 5 husbands and the man you are with now isn’t even one of them.” Sometimes I think we really need to look at the subtle sins, not only of the individual, but also of society. Sure, most people condemn open poygamy but we are perfectly fine with the closet polygamy of divorce.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Jacob, I think your post makes the point precisely. Right now people are turned off by polygamy. It’s one of those sins in the world that is uncommon. It’s out there. It’s what other people do. We all see it as a point of brokenness in the world.
But what moves us closer to accepting something like polygamy when it seems so out there right now?
Well, we have to start accepting other sins or points of brokenness that are somewhere in between. That’s precisely what is happening today. As we get used to things like divorce, living together, homosexuality, and other ways in which God’s plan for marriage and sexuality is broken, then we walk a little bit further away from God’s design. We start to look at these things and say, “It’s just the way the world works.” We quit calling brokenness that, but instead label it as an acceptable alternative or sometimes even societal advancement. Eventually, as we accept these points of brokenness, the logic will start to move towards something different like polygamy. I believe that’s precisely what’s going on today. It’s very early, but there are some starting to put the argument out there. “Who’s polygamy really hurting?” That’s what was going on in the Oprah piece I referenced. And that of course, has become society’s new standard. If you can’t show me exactly how I’m hurting someone else, I should be free to do it. In actuality, it wouldn’t be hard to show that polygamy or any of the other sins of marriage and sexuality are hurting many people, not always in the immediate sense, but certainly in the way it affects family, children, etc down the road.
As a side point, obviously some sins, some brokenness is just going to be part of our world. There are some cases in which something like divorce has to happen, the marriage is already completely broken and its continuation will deeply scar those within it. What we need to make sure that we do, however, is understand that when a marriage breaks down, we still see that as brokenness, as painful, and as a drastic measure- something I once heard compared to cutting off a limb.
Thanks for the comment.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
My wife and I have been discussing the polygmists as well, but our conversations always seem to take a different direction. What should the church’s reaction be to the hurt being caused the children who have ALL been taken away from their mothers and moved into foster care throughout the state? Was this absolutely necessary? Many (most?) of them are far too young to understand what is happening to them and most certainly are bewildered and frightened in their new circumstances. It’s one thing to agree that polygamy is wrong, but should our solution to this cause harm to innocent children? Is it enough to say we want the children to grow up without threat of being carried into similar relationships as they grow older?
Furthermore, since as a society we have known about this group for several years, why, if the actions of this group are wrong, did we wait this long to act? Was it because no one within the community complained to the state before now?
Also lost in most discussions I’ve heard is the fact that “the caller” has yet to be identified, and some who are willing to talk about it are speculating that no such call was ever made by a member of the community. And if there is no real complaint, are the state’s actions justified?
I don’t mean to suggest that your discussion is not on the mark (it is), but perhaps it needs to be widened to consider a host of issues that may result from this affair. As you can tell, my wife and I have more unanswered questions than convictions, though our convictions on matters of faith and scripture are every bit as strong.
I like your blog, by the way, young Pastor.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Thanks for the comment. I won’t speak to all the elements contained therein, but there are a couple of pieces that I think are vitally important to people of faith that you’ve raised. First and foremeost, “what should the church’s reaction be. . .?” I’m going to take this out of context a little. What should the church’s reaction be- it should be to get a fire lit under our bellies to go out and care for children who are hurting all over our country. The church in its early years was known especially for its care for widows and orphans. It’s sad to say that’s not really the case anymore. Our system is broken. Everyone agrees with that, but can you imagine how much better it would be if the millions of committed Christians in this country let this cause move them to action. I’m not saying everyone has to become a foster parent, though this is a wonderful ministry. You can, however, help in many different ways. I suggest reading this story which I found while surfing just this week. 10 Ways we Can Minister to Orphans. http://www.familylife.com/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dnJHKLNnFoG&b=3842489&ct=5322615
Let’s regain that passion for the least of these.
Secondly, should the state have intervened? That might get a little more complicated, but my answer is yes. Why? These children were being raised in a system that fostered abuse, and not just some vague possibility, but almost the certainty that they would be abused. The sooner you take children out of that context, the better. Yes it’s painful, emotional, and hurts children to lost their parents. The reality is that every days this happens to dozens of children across our country. We just don’t see those stories publicized on the news. Of course, it always drives back to the first point. If we as a church were mobilized to show greater care, people would be less hesitant to remove children from abusive systems, because they’d know that there were people committed to starting the healing process.
Thanks again for reading and commenting. By raising these discussions, we also raise awareness.