Speaking Out

A fellow believer said to me, “When we engage in dialogue, the Devil always wins.” No Christian wants the Devil to win. Our faith is precious and so are the sacred writings that nurture it. Since any possibility of losing our faith strikes fear into our souls, we want to be cautious about questioning Bible-based and time-honored beliefs and practices.

Discussion of major faith issues in the church has often become impassioned, even heated. Let’s briefly review the story, beginning in the Acts of the Apostles.

After Peter obeyed his divine vision, the church in Jerusalem called him on the carpet for eating with Cornelius, an unclean Gentile, “dirty” because he was uncircumcised. Active dialogue followed. As Jewish Christians peeled away layers of prejudice, they finally agreed that God was accepting “even the Gentiles.” Henceforth, Jewish and Gentile believers could freely visit in each other’s homes and eat together. In making this change, did the church gain or lose moral ground? Who won, God or the Devil?

A bit later, Paul narrowly escaped being lynched for teaching that circumcision was worthless (“availeth nothing,” KJV). Through intense dialogue, the Jerusalem Council came to a new interpretation of God’s commandment to circumcise boy babies: The church would not apply this mandate to Gentile believers. Eventually both Jewish and Gentile Christians stopped excising foreskins as a required rite of the faith, thus discarding the commandment. In this change, did God win, or did the Devil?

When Christians ceased stoning to death people guilty of adultery, thus disregarding another direct command from God, did the church lengthen or shorten the reach of God’s forgiveness? Who won, God or the Devil?

Around 1525, disputations erupted in Switzerland as some Christians raised objections to infant baptism, the state church and participation in war. Neither side in that debate won a victory clear enough to convince all Christians, but the beliefs of the group first nicknamed “Anabaptists” and then “Mennonites” survived to challenge today’s worldwide church. Was this a victory for God or for the Devil?

A century later, the church in Italy fought to hold the line on its Bible-based belief that the sun traveled around the earth. Fierce discussion and charges of heresy against Galileo eventually subsided as the church changed its interpretation of the Scriptures in light of new scientific evidence that the earth traveled around the sun. Did Christians thereby improve or damage our belief in the Creator? Did God win, or did the Devil?

In the United States around 1850, heated debate flared about sticking to the Bible concerning slavery. To slave-owners, Scripture was abundantly clear. In saying, “Slaves, be obedient to your masters,” the Bible obviously approved the existence of both slaves and masters. When Christians eventually followed the lead of government, discarding that commandment in favor of the belief that holding humans in involuntary servitude was unacceptable, did we gain or lose moral ground? Who won, God or the Devil?

More recently, Mennonites debated passionately whether we should allow people “living in sin” (that is, divorced and remarried) to be members of the church. That discussion led to the belief that God’s grace covers their situation. Rather than requiring a couple to sever the bonds of their second marriage, which in some cases meant separating parents from children, we now offer blended families full Christian fellowship. In making this change, did we increase or reduce our effectiveness in channeling God’s grace to needy humans? Did God win, or did the Devil?

We are coming to see that God gives gifts for pastoral leadership to women as well as to men. We are reinterpreting Paul’s command, “Let women keep silent in the churches,” in light of his clear recognition of Lydia and Priscilla as leaders in the early church. In this process, is God winning or is the Devil?

Perhaps a look at our history can reduce our fear that in any dialogue about church practice the Devil will win.

Ray Elvin Horst is a member of Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, Va.