Theological Follow-up

This blog is not for a class assignment.  I just felt compelled to present what I left out of my last post: the spiritual perspective that I did not mention in "A voice for change or a voice for the status quo?"  In Christian circles, we speak of the Kingdom of God as the coming of all good things: a world without suffering, violence, sickness, hatred, oppression, pain, etc.  The Kingdom of God, the Bible says, is both already among us, and yet still coming.  We see it continuously as we see relationships healed, forgiveness rendered, transformation for the good occurring.  On the other hand, we will never see it completely in this life.  This world is tragically marred, and will only be fully fixed when God makes the world new.  This perspective fuels my impetus for change: I have a profound belief that positive change can occur in the world around me; simultaneously, I have no expectation that it will happen easily, immediately, or in all cases.  Thus, my belief in God produces patience and perseverance.  Despite the difficulties of bringing about positive change, I still believe it is worth pursuing.

Today in class we had a special presentation from PFLAG: Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.  It was an excellent presentation, from which I learned a lot.  However, at times the word "sinful" got thrown around as an entirely negative, oppressive, judgmental word.  I can certainly understand why, as calling any group of human beings "sinful" over and against any other group of human beings is both hurtful and bad theology (the Bible teaches that we are ALL sinful, none more or less than any other).  But to put "sinfulness" in a different light, I openly say that the concept has been very helpful to me in reaching out to other human beings.  In truth, the recognition of my own sinfulness has been essential to forming a functional, resilient interaction with the world around me.

By admitting to myself that I am no better than human beings who have committed the acts with which I find it hardest to come to terms, such as the genocide in Rwanda, or the holocaust - by recognizing that my essence is no different than theirs, I find that, though horrified by their acts, I am no longer surprised by them.  In fact, I can reach out in compassion and understanding to these fellow human beings - if I had been in their circumstances, I may have responded the same way.  By not expecting human beings to be better than we are - by recognizing my own sinfulness and our common sinfulness - I find that I can admit the reality of darkness, but not lose hope, for the change - or, to be more precise, the change agent - I have seen in my own life is continually at work all around me.

My theology frees me not to get lost in a world of despair, but instead to pursue the positive difference I can make, trusting that a bigger power has the bigger picture in God's hands.  I forget this sometimes, when life just feels too out of control, too big, too problematic.  But as I turn to God, He restores sense, restores balance, restores perspective, restores sobriety.