Some like slow & easy starts, some like to hit the ground running, but whether I wanted to or not hitting the ground running was my only option. I must admit though, even though I feel like every fiber of my being is being stretched beyond its capacity I know that it is only gonna make me stronger, produce greater faithfulness, bring about divine increase & demand divine acceleration.
Sometimes our greatness struggles or periods of
stretching are our greatest opportunities
for growth & promotion.
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| Living Hope's SWM Day 1... |
I was super excited that in the first class of Living Hope's School of World Missions 2012 we had over 50 people! It's going to be awesome! I'm really excited too because one of my classes "Insights for Cultural Understanding" ties directly into a lot of what we're teaching for SWM. I love learning about new cultures, traveling the world & experiencing life outside of my 'familiar' cultural setting. That's one of the reasons I love living in the Bay Area where over 100 different dialects are spoken & where there is so much cultural diversity!
With that said, I wanted to share a recent exercise from my class & get your thoughts. We had to "Take A Stand" (the name & purpose of a questionnaire from Fuller Theological Seminary) & answer only 'Yes' or 'No', without any opportunity for explanation. Then we had to share what are initial reaction was, if it was easy or hard to answer the questions and what tensions we felt in answering the questions. Below is the questionnaire & my thoughts. I would love to hear your thoughts too. Remember you could only answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to each statement:
1. Illegal immigrants are in the United States illegally and should be deported immediately upon detection.
2. Doctors and teachers who suspect a patient or student is an illegal should be required to report these suspected aliens to the proper authorities.
3. Children of illegal aliens born in the United States should be considered 100% United States citizens, with all rights and privileges.
4. Any and all refugees fleeing from oppressive regimes should be given asylum in the United States.
5. Welfare benefits or other public assistance should be denied to illegal aliens.
6. Emergency medical care such as labor and delivery should be denied to all illegals.
7. It is a Christian citizens duty to uphold the law, regardless of whether they agree with it (Romans 13:1), including turning in an illegal neighbor or classmate.
8. All farm-workers should be 100% naturalized American citizens, even if this standard causes the cost of fruit and vegetables to double.
9. The scriptures say care for the alien in our land (Deut. 10:19, 23:7, Numb. 9:14); for the Christian this means hiding illegal aliens in your home or church from the INS.
I tried to put myself in each situation and not just separate myself from the tensions just because this was a questionnaire.
I really wanted to feel what it would be like to be in the seat of decision making in these situations, as well as be the refugee, alien,
person in need of assistance or the farm worker.
Realizing my holistic tendencies & knowing that I needed to make a decision without any explanations, discussion or background information into each case made it pretty difficult.
I felt a constant tension between a number of different factors: What is my country's law? What is my family background & personal background concerning these things? What have other Christian's done in similar situations in the past or present? What does Scripture say about these things? What are the spiritual & moral implications of the decision I am making? And, while the scenarios may be similar each case is extremely distinct.
Perhaps the hardest thing for me is many laws that are set
by our governing authorities are not necessarily
directed by the law or word of God.
Even though our money says, “In God we trust…” is that really what our laws & culture exemplify? Therefore, when it comes to questions of morality, the value of human life, the value of creation and things of that nature I believe that the Law of God (the Law of the Spirit) is meant to supersede every governing law set by humanity.
In the case with Daniel, we see that when the king of Babylon set a law that no one could pray to any god other than himself Daniel clearly defied the king's law in order to uphold the law of God. I think about Rahab who hid the spies & was blessed by God, even though it was against the laws of her land to provide refuge to these spies. I think about such men as Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was murdered for helping the refugees during World War II because he held what he believed to be God's value of human life above the law of the Nazi government. I think about the greatest commandment to love God & love our neighbor and how that would look in each situation. To me it just doesn't always seem so clear cut.
God used refugees, prostitutes, outcasts, murderers, adulters, false prophets, liars, stealers
& incompetents to reveal His glory,
as well as contribute to
redemptive history.
And, many times the people went against the laws of their lands to obey God (ie. Jesus & the apostles being persecuted by certain Jews & Romans for their life of faith). While I strongly believe in upholding the laws of the land & strongly believe in honoring our leaders, government & authorities as Paul & Peter refer too, I also realize that even they were not silent from demonstrating & proclaiming what they believed to be the Gospel even though it was against the law of their time & cost them their lives.
In this questionnaire they dealt with the cultural & legal tension of immigration, ‘illegal’ aliens & refugees. Did you see everything as black or white, yes or no, this or that? When you look at the cultural tensions you experience in your job, church, neighborhood or family, do you see everything as black or white, yes or no, this or that? What is the standard by which you filter your judgment of these things: your cultural background, your experiences, what society says, what God’s word says?
Maybe the next time you enter into a cultural tension it may be good to ask yourself the question, “Is everything black or white, yes or no, this or that?”
Answering this question could possibly save or preserve your relationships, friendships, marriage or group you’re working with… And it may give you a deeper understanding in the heart of God in each situation you face.
I tend to see people as saved or unsaved, and pour extra grace on the unsaved (and sometimes the saved!)
ReplyDeleteBtw, that's a great SWM picture! =)
Very good article! It's tough to make decisions just based on values or the way we think when it ins't first lined up with God's word. The closer I become to the Holy Spirit, the more I realize how much I value His word and how important it is for me to base very important decisions such as these on His word. Sounds like an interesting book and one Naomi and I will read very soon. Thanks for sharing!
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