"Get Right or Get Out!": Is There a Middle Ground?

I was recently exposed to a video of Bishop Charles Blake addressing the issue of pedophiles in the Church of God in Christ in the Convocation of 2012.  His message ... "Get Right or Get Out!"  God knows that pedophilia is an extremely egregious offense in my book.  In fact, I often use the idea of the pedophile as the "Gentile", the worst of the worse, in order for me to remember that my idea of love is not God's.  I guess this is why when I heard Bishop Blake say this I rejoiced and was grieved at the same time.

I can certainly understand where Bishop Blake is coming from, after coming under fire for being a "safe haven for pedophiles". I understand what it is like to weigh an individual's development, healing, and restoration against the good of the group with which you have been given responsibility. It is not easy at all, if you are a person who values every person as having the image of God within them, as deeply suppressed as it may be. But, the message, "Get Right or Get Out," still bothered me on some level.

What does this message say? Does it send a message of unintended consequence that the church has a limit on the depravity a person can have before they are able to receive the love of God? Does it say that the social tolerance of the church has preeminence over God's call for the "weary and heavy laddened"? I don't know, but there is a potential for this message to further stigmatize individuals who are definitely in need of both spiritual and psychiatric help.

I have to wonder also if this message is a cop-out. Much like the church handles sex, it seems that this message can say, "I don't want to deal with the frustration of working with you through this issue, so just don't do it or stay away from me." Is the message that we are sending to those who need Christ the most saying that God has rejected them because they are just too bad?

I choose to believe that this was NOT the intent of Bishop Blake when he said this. I believe that he spoke out of genuine concern for the children, for the environment COGIC wants to set for the safety of all people, and for the image of the COGIC in marketplace. But, I believe that in his well-intentioned response is an environment that creates unintended consequences to the Gospel message.

What then would have been a better response? I don't know. Maybe something like, "Get right or we will make sure that you have no access to our children." Or maybe, "Get right, and we will help you find the tools you need to do so." Yeah, even those statements are too long for a sound bite. Hmmm. "Step Down and Get Healed". How about that one? See... It's not easy, but it's still important that we remain the ambassadors of God's unconditional love and God's ever-important accountability at the same time.

What is the cost of Ministry?

In the synoptic Gospels, Jesus is record as making a statement about the cost of discipleship.  Each of the Gospels have a slightly different take on it, but the jist of it is this: the cost of doing ministry is great.  Sometimes you will have to sacrifice even the things that are most important to you "for my [Christ's] sake and the sake of the gospel's" (Mark 10:29-30).

During my journey towards becoming who God has called me to be, I am continually faced with the challenge of how much it is going to cost.  If the cost were just money, I have proven that I am willing to pay that cost.  But, this journey has cost and probably will cost me more than that.  It's cost me relationships, ideas about the way things should be, the stability of a defined worldview.  Yet, the rewards of seeing people develop a real and intimate relationship with God, seeing them overcome challenges and conquer obstacles, watching them experience the power of God and the power of themselves, these rewards mean more than anything I can sacrifice.

By the same token, every sacrifice that I have made and will make in the future hurts.  It leaves emotional scars, imprints of wounds and residue of pain.  Though I understand that a sacrifice, by definition, hurts, it does not make it easier.

This subject came up in a conversation last night.  Today, watched the movie "Freedom Writers" and it reinvigorate the reflection.  I am left with the question, "How much sacrifice is necessary to be who God has called me to be?"

What Is Evil?

I am forever intrigued by the concept of evil.  Not that evil is in any way appealing to me, but the ways in which the word is used or overused seem to water down or, better, mask the potency of its influence.  What is evil?  Is it when someone misses your birthday?  Is it when a supervisor gives you a bad review?  When we use this word, do we even think about what it actually means?

Today in class my professor spoke of an incident where there he was positioned to speak for a group working for social justice.  He is a white man.  His angst was that he noticed that when the other speakers (all from minority groups) were speaking, the members of the governmental council were talking, getting coffee and "not listening" to them.  When he was asked to speak by the social justice group, he noticed that when he stepped up to the podium, the council members (all white men, I believe) came to attention to listen to what he had to say.  He bemoaned the fact that it took him being the "white face" of a group which most of the minority participants do so much of the work.  After he told of this incident, I commented to the class that this was an effective use of privilege.

So I was thinking...  Very few people in the blogosphere know who I am.  And, since this is a new blog, I probably should describe what this one is about.  Well, I really don't know what this blog will be about.  I'm thinking it's going to be something like the Seinfeld show--a blog about nothing.  I do a lot of thinking and really need to get those thoughts out of my head and on to some form of "paper".  So, I decided that I would share them with you.  I invite comments, questions, etc.  Help me think through the things that are on my mind.