People fascinate me.
Stories fascinate me.
Listening to people tell me their story fascinates me.
I am intrigued by what makes each one of us different.
I wonder what shaped you. Who shaped you. What drove you to be who you are today.
What are the tensions that create your beliefs? I am not the guy to argue theology. I am not the guy to argue politics. Actually, I’d rather stay far away from both of those two. However I do like the discussion.
Not the debate.
Not the argument.
The discussion.
I’m “friends” on facebook with a few people that live an alternative lifestyle. In other words they are homosexual or lesbian. A few I know well. A few are merely acquaintances. I knew a few before they “came out” and others after. One of those friends recently caused quite a debate in Columbus. The details are not really important (here at least), what happened in the aftermath is.
A Christian School and the LBGT society raised their fists
Both threw punches
And the watching world….watched..
and judged.
In the words of the author Phillip Yancey:
“No one ever converted to Christianity because they lost the argument.”
No one “wins” in these debates. People get hurt. Words cut like the knife from both sides. No one drops their sword and advances the Kingdom. I might go so far as to say we retreat the Kingdom. We need to be able to explore the tension and not do so with our fists raised. We need to ask the questions, receive the answers all the while drinking a large mug of grace.
The watching world….watches.
and judges.
AARON CONRAD 