Sigmund Freud was onto something when he coined the phrase “the narcissism of small differences.”
The people we are closest to are the ones with whom we often have our fiercest battles.
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Here are the pieces I wrote in 2006 on “The B-I-B-L-E” (for those who are new readers):
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From David Gushee:
“When I started getting interested in politics and national affairs, I once again was brought up short by the claims of Jesus. To affirm that Jesus Christ is Lord is to acknowledge that no political leader, party, flag, nation, or ideology can share lordship over my life. The one who confesses Christ alone as Lord cannot simultaneously affirm utmost loyalty to another idea or person.”
Thanks for your insights Mike! I think constant bickering over things that don’t pertain to a deeper relationship with Christ quenches the Spirit.
Mike,
As a relatively new reader of your blog, I had never read your Bible insights before. It was a great stuff…thanks for the thoughts and motivation to dig deeper in letting God’s word mold and change me.
I feel disloyal to Christ saying the pledge of allegiance.
I just don’t say the pledge of allegiance.
The people we are closest to are the ones with whom we often have our fiercest battles.
Add to that:
The things we hate most in other people are usually the things we hate most about ourselves.
It’s interesting to me to see how denominations (including the Church of Christ) deal with each other. I live near a Church of Christ University (Freed-Hardeman) and a Baptist University (Union). We support both schools and attend funtions at both. It’s interesting to me to see how both groups seem to maintain a wall of separation. While each group may be cordial to the other, real fellowship or even communication is often missing. Both sides have a stake in maintaining the wall and heaven help anyone who tries to cross over. They will get shot in the back.
Both sides sharpen their arguements the closer they get to one another, sometimes beyond recognition. The COCs end uparguing that baptism is so essential that it basically becomes a work. The Baptists conter that salvation is by faith alone to the point where baptism is totally unnecessary. Neither side actually believes these sharpened positions, Baptist generally do believe that baptism is necessary to obedience and COCs do believe that salvation is by faith. We all like to make straw men out of our enemies.
The consequence of all this is that Christian institutions, of all denominations, can have speakers on campus with a wide range of perspectives but we can’t have someone from our own fellowship with a slightly different opinion on some issue. And we certainly have problems having any sort of meaningful dialog with Christians of other denominations.
I wrote something about this a while back.
http://manersthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/11/walls-between-us.html
“The things we hate most in other people are usually the things we hate most about ourselves. ”
I heard someone say (not sure who) - “There’s something about that guy I just can’t stand about myself!”
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