Thinking Theologically

What do you think?

This familiar question deals with beliefs and positions. It seems to me that we are stuck in a quagmire of differing beliefs and positions, politically and religiously. We keep thrashing around in this quagmire, arguing our position, attacking the opposing position, all the while making no progress.

Albert Einstein is credited with the observation, "The thinking that created the problem cannot produce its solution." A different way of approaching the issues is needed if we are to escape the quagmire. A different question is needed.

Instead of "what do you think?", perhaps we could ask "how do you think?" The question of "how" is a deeper question. It moves us beyond the beliefs and positions we so passionately hold to how we arrived at those beliefs and positions. I dare say that most of us have never considered how we came to believe what we believe.

The most common road to what we believe is what we were taught. We believe what we were taught to believe. Culture, family, tradition, religion, education, experience - all combine to teach us what to believe. (Have you ever noticed how frequently we speak of tradition or traditional?) What we believe naturally includes the assumption that we are right. After all, who would believe something they know is not right?!

We believe what we were taught to believe until exposure to a different culture, tradition, religion, educational perspective, and/or experience challenges what we have always believed. That challenge creates a crisis. How are we to respond to this different belief or position?

The default reaction to such challenges is to reject that which is different, clinging to what is familiar and comfortable. This reaction views the different belief or position as a threat that must be neutralized. We attempt to discredit the other belief, attacking it as liberal (or conservative), while defending our position as the only logical position. We often turn to tradition and the Bible to validate the position we hold. (It seems to me this default reaction is a major contributor to the quagmire in which we are trapped.)

This default reaction has a number of inherent weaknesses that undermine relationships.

• It is rooted in fear of that which is different. This unrecognized fear leads us to demonize and attack the other (not just their position) as we defend our own belief/position. This fear-based reaction prevents any dialogue that could lead to mutual understanding and respect.
• It uses "what I believe" as the standard by which right or wrong is judged. 
• It is closed to learning and growth. The assumption of "being right" rejects any need to learn anything more. It assumes the final, authoritative position that cannot be questioned. 
• It unconsciously embodies an arrogance that says "I'm right. You're wrong." Such arrogance carries the assumption of being "better than" the other. 
• It uses scripture for my own purposes. The starting point is the belief. Scripture is used to validate the belief. Using scripture this way ignores the many, diverse voices of scripture. 
• It protects a religious world we have created in our own likeness (rather than God's) in order to insure our own advantage and comfort. Jesus challenged this inclination, You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition, (Mark 7:8, NRSV). 

The Apostle Paul's words in Romans 12:2 speak to this issue of how we think. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God-what is good and acceptable and perfect ((NRSV). The original Greek carries the idea of "stop being conformed." It suggests we have already been shaped by the world in which we live ... or, as I said above, by culture, family, tradition, religion, education, experience. This world-shaped thinking is a major factor in what we believe and, thus, in who we are. Transformation into the likeness of Christ comes by the renewing of your minds. The writer of Ephesians expressed the same idea. In Ephesians 4, he spoke of spiritual formation as putting off the old self and putting on a new self. At the heart of this putting off-putting on process is to be renewed in the spirit of your minds (Ephesians 4:22-24, NRSV). Transformation of heart and mind comes as the truth that Jesus taught begins to shape how we think and, thereby, how we live. As the truth that Jesus taught shapes our thinking, we put on the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5-11). This Spirit-directed retraining of the way we think is what enables us to discern what is the will of God on any position.

How - not what - we think is the key question. The followers of Jesus, I trust, think theologically. That is, the followers of Jesus consciously allow the things that Jesus taught to shape how they think. (See again my 10/28/18 blog: God's Plumb Line.)

But thinking theologically is only half of the equation. Thinking only puts us in a position to act. Acting on the truth that Jesus taught is a matter of the will.  But that's another topic for another blog. Stay tuned.

Johnny One Note

I was recently referred to as "Johnny One Note." The person referring to me with this moniker intended it as a slam. From his perspective, all I talk about is the report of the Commission on a Way Forward that The UMC will address in February of 2019. Or, more accurately, the LGBTQ+ issue that is the presenting issue of the Commission's work. Indeed, in this blog, I have been speaking to this issue. My objective is to stimulate thinking (as opposed to reacting) around this issue.

I understand my role as a pastor to include (1) teaching us to live faithfully as the followers of Jesus. That includes teaching us the ways of God that Jesus taught (the Kingdom). My role also includes (2) teaching us to think theologically, that is, to allow Jesus' teachings to inform and shape our thinking, including the positions we hold. This blog has been an attempt to get us beyond black-n-white, emotionally driven thinking. It is an attempt to help us see beyond what we think is the issue (LGBTQ+ issues) to the deeper, underlying issues. It is an attempt to stimulate open conversation that seeks to hear and be heard so that we can love as Jesus loved even though we don't agree with one another. I do not intend to tell people what or how to think. My intention is to foster thinking and conversation by sharing my own thinking.

Failure to do this kind of work (my teaching role and the difficult conversations) allows us to live out of our default human nature. We unconsciously follow our natural inclination, using God and the Bible to defend the positions we already hold with no thought of the Kingdom. We withdraw into a religious world we have created in our own likeness for our own advantage and comfort.

While the Johnny One Note moniker was intended as a slam, I embrace it as a compliment. I do have one consistent note that I play: living faithfully as the followers of Jesus, allowing his teachings to shape our hearts and minds so that our actions and relationships are an expression of the ways of God that he taught (the Kingdom of  God). For me, to live faithfully as the follower of Jesus is to live out of grace and love to all people.

So going forward (assuming you'll continue to read this blog), you will hear that "one note" of living faithfully as the followers of Jesus over and over again. I'll move beyond the Commission of a Way Forward and LGBTQ+ issues. There'll be other issues to which I'll speak. But what I have to say will always be me singing that "one note."

Ninety and Nine

One of Jesus' most familiar parables is of the shepherd who left the ninety-nine sheep to go look for the one sheep that was lost.

Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance, (Luke 15:4-7, NRSV).

The parable draws on our common experience - "which one of you does not ...?" Who doesn't look for that which they lost? Once we realize something is lost, we go looking for it. We look for it because it is important to us. Even if we have more of the same thing - ninety-nine - we still value and look for the one that was lost.

This parable is one of three parables recorded back-to-back in Luke 15: the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son. Each of the three parables proclaims the same truth about God. God is the shepherd, the woman who lost a coin, the father who joyfully welcomes his lost son. God goes to great lengths to find the one that is lost because each one is important to God. When that which is lost is found, God rejoices and throws a party to celebrate.

Jesus told the parables in response to criticism from the scribes and Pharisees: This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them, (Luke 15:2).

The criticism and Jesus' response highlight two key differences between Jesus and the religious leaders: how they viewed those who were different and, thereby, how they treated them. How we view others always determines how we treat them.

The scribes and Pharisees viewed those who were different as sinners. The term sinners meant the others did not live by the Mosaic Law as the scribes interpreted it. Because they did not conform to the scribal expectations, they were considered ritually unclean and, thereby, not eligible to worship at the Temple. They could only worship at the Temple after they went through a process of ritual cleansing. Because the scribes and Pharisees viewed the others as unclean, they would not associate with sinners lest they become ritually unclean through contact with them. They treated them as socially unacceptable and deserving of condemnation and contempt.

Jesus viewed these so-called sinners differently and, thus, treated them differently. The three parables reflect how Jesus viewed them: as one important to and loved by God. Consequently, Jesus treated  them with dignity and respect as beloved children of God. In eating with them, Jesus embraced them  as full members of God's covenant people.

These differences in how so-called sinners were viewed and treated reflect another significant difference between Jesus and the religious leaders. Jesus' acceptance of those the religious leaders called sinners was unconditional. Jesus embraced them as they were because he saw them through the eyes of God. Jesus treated them with grace and forgiveness. For the religious leaders, acceptance was conditional. Acceptance had to be earned, deserved by conforming to expectations. If/when the so-called sinners conformed to the expected religious-moral code, then they would be accepted. Rejection, condemnation, and scorn were used to pressure conformity.

It seems to me that Jesus' parable of the lost sheep raises probing questions as we United Methodist deal with the division and angst in The UMC over the Way Forward.

• How do we view those who are different from us - through the eyes of God or through the eyes of our religious-moral standards?
• Does our treatment of "the other" reflect God's unconditional love and grace or our expectations of conformity to our religious-moral standards?
• Have we polarized ourselves into the same kind of us-them categories that we see in the religious culture of Jesus' day?
• Does our position reflect God's unwillingness for even one to be lost?
• Who is excluded by the position we have taken?

When All Is Said and Done and the Dust Has Settled

The report of the Commission on a Way Forward being considered in the February, 2019, special session of the General Conference has created angst within the hearts of many in The UMC. The driving question - and fear - is "what will happen to The UMC?" Will The UMC split the way other denominations have split over the LGBTQ+ issue? Will it splinter into multiple pieces? Will The UMC as we have known it be gone? What will happen to my local congregation of The UMC?

Many factors contribute to this angst and fear, but three in particular. The first is that most people (as a friend recently pointed out) have already made up their minds about the LGBTQ+ issue. Their position is clear in their minds. No conversation (or blog!) is going to change that position. The second factor is a sense of powerlessness, i.e., we have no "voice" in the decision. The elected delegates to the special session will make the decision. That reality leads to the third factor: what they decide will impact us and The UMC. We have no way, at this time, to know the nature of the impact or the impact on our local congregation. That unknown fuels the angst and fear even more.

Underlying the angst and fear is the question (or fear!): what if they decide something that does not align with my position?

When all is said and done and the dust is settled, three realities will be unchanged.

First, who God is will be unchanged. God will still be God. God's faithful love is not affected by any vote.

Second, who we are will be unchanged. We will still be the beloved children of God, claimed by grace in Christ Jesus. We will still be the followers of Jesus.

Third, FUMCA will still be FUMCA. FUMCA has been a witness to Christ in Arlington for 140 years. We will continue to be FUMCA. We will continue to do ministry in our community. We are not going anywhere.

When all is said and done and the dust is settled, the determining factor in what lies ahead will not be the decision that will be made by the delegates to the special session in February. The determining factor will be our response to their decision. Our power - our only power - is in how we choose to respond. This power over our own selves is all the power we have or need.

The ability to choose - what we call free will - is God's gift to us. Through this gift, God empowers us to be the partial architects of our own lives. But this gift is also an awesome responsibility. We determine what kind of people we will be by the choices we make.

So how do we choose? What shapes our choices?

For those of us who are the people of God and the followers of Jesus, the ways of God that Jesus taught (the Kingdom) shape our thinking and, thereby, our choices. The Spirit guides us (Galatians 5:16, 25).

Unfortunately, the ways of the Kingdom are not the only shaping influence to our thinking. Our thinking is shaped by our default human nature, by the environment of our early, formative years, by the culture in which we live, by our ethnicity, by our socio-economic status, by those around us, etc. These multiple influences on our thinking are why the biblical writer described the discipleship process as putting off the old self and putting on the new self by the renewing of the mind (Ephesians 4:22-24). The Apostle Paul said it this way: do not continue to conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2, NRSV adapted). Apart from the teachings of Jesus and the guidance of the Spirit, we cannot discern God's will. We will unconsciously confuse what we already believe with God's will.

So how do we deal with our angst and fear around this issue? We reclaim our power to choose.

When all is said and done and the dust is settled, some of us will choose to live in relationship with one another (unity) even though we hold different positions on this issue (not uniformity). This choice is our way of being faithful to God's call on our lives. We choose to live out of our identity as the people of God and the followers of Jesus, living the ways of God (the Kingdom) that Jesus taught. The choice to live in unity is our refusal to allow a single issue to define who we are.

When all is said and done and the dust is settled, others of us will disagree with the decision that will be made. We will choose to withdraw from fellowship with those who hold a different position on this issue. We view this loyalty to our position as our way of being faithful to God's call on our lives. We too seek to live out of our identity as the people of God and the followers of Jesus. We view the decision that will be made as a threat to and a diminishing of that identity - something we cannot tolerate.

Either way we choose, we are not powerless. We determine - by how we choose to respond - who we will be. Our choice reflects what faithfulness looks like in our mind.

I pray the choice we make reflects the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:1-11) and the guidance of the Spirit.

God's Plumb Line

We United Methodist are caught in a quandary. And that quandary, I might add, is one of our own making. You might say it is self-inflicted. We have allowed an issue to take center stage in our life as a denomination. That issue dominates our conversations at every level of our connection. And we have allowed that issue to divide us into opposing camps, setting up the possibility of some kind of split. That issue, of course, is human sexuality and sexual orientation, or, to be more specific, our "official" stance on the issue of homosexuality. The Commission on a Way Forward is seeking to help us deal with our quandary.

As I have said before, issues and beliefs by nature are divisive. They require that a position be taken for or against, in agreement with or opposed to. And therein is our quandary: how do we determine which position is the correct position? How do we determine who is right?

We would like to be able to use the Bible to answer these questions. However, those on both sides of the issue appeal to the Bible to support their position. The difference in the positions lies in how the Bible is viewed and how the Bible is used. (I've addressed this difference in earlier blogs.) Consequently, something more than the Bible is needed to help us in this quandary.

I would suggest we use God's plumb line.

A plumb line is a simple tool ancient builders used in building walls around a city or to a house. It consisted of a stone or weight hanging on a cord from a tripod. Gravity pulling on the stone insured that the string was perpendicular to the earth's center. As long as the wall was built "in plumb," that is, parallel to the string, it would be stable and strong. When a wall was out of plumb, that is leaning, it was weakened and could collapse, destroying the house. This simple tool was especially important in the hilly country of Israel. When the ground was not level, how could the builder know his wall was perpendicular to the earth's center and, thus, stable? The plumb line was his guide for building a wall that was straight and strong.

The prophet Amos used the image of a plumb line in one of his visions: "This is what the LORD showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his had. And the Lord said to me, 'Amos, what do you see?' And I said, 'A plumb line.' Then the Lord said, 'See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel'" (Amos 7:7-8, NRSV). The plumb line - God's plumb line - identified whether the people of Israel were in or out of line with God. Were they straight and strong, in line with the ways of God, or leaning and thereby out of line with God's ways?

Playing with the image of a plumb line, I would like to suggest what alignment with God's plumb line would look like.

The stone weight at the bottom of the line is the character of God. God's character is the foundation (to change images). In Exodus 34:6-7, God revealed the Divine Character (God's glory) to Moses. God was described as "the compassionate and gracious God" who was slow to anger, abounded in faithful love, and forgave every expression of sin. The writer of 1 John used the word love to define the character of God: God is love (1 John 4:8). God's plumb line leads us to ask of any position we take on any issue, not just the LGBTQ+ issue: does the position align with God's character? Is it an expression of compassion and mercy, of God's willingness to put up with us without getting angry or disgusted, of God's refusal to give up on us or abandon us, of God's forgiveness? Is the position an expression of love?

The second piece of God's plumb line is the life and teachings of Jesus. Jesus was the embodiment of God's character. As the writer of Colossians expressed it, he is the visible image (literally: icon) of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). In him, all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell (Colossians 1:19). If we want to see what God looks like, look at the life of Jesus. In Jesus, we behold God's glory (John 1:14). He was God in the flesh. He embraced all with grace and forgiveness. He responded with compassion and mercy to the needs of those who were hurting. He used his power to serve. (BTW, another word that describes the character of God is the word servant. Jesus was a servant. See Mark 10:43-45 and Philippians 2:5-11). God's plumb line leads us to ask: does the position align with the life and teachings of Jesus?

The third piece of God's plumb line is the ways of God that Jesus taught, what he called the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom, all are embraced as beloved children of God. God does not divide into us-them groups. Relationships are governed by grace and forgiveness, not merit. God does not deal in guilt and shame and judgment. Power is used to serve, particularly the powerless and the most vulnerable in society. God never uses power over, down against the other. Money, as a form of social power, is used on behalf of poor. God's plumb line leads us to ask: does the position align with the ways of the Kingdom that Jesus taught?

A fourth piece of God's plumb line is an internal focus on the heart as opposed to an external, behavioral conformity to some standard or law. Jesus taught that what is on the inside, i.e., the heart, was the problem, not the failure to live by a prescribed set of rules (Mark 7:1-23). The Spirit is at work in us to transform our hearts and minds, conforming us to the likeness of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18). The biblical word salvation refers to God's transforming work in our lives, empowering us to love as God loves. God's plumb line leads us to ask: does the position align with a focus on internal transformation or external conformity of behavior?

God's plumb line guides us in determining what position is aligned with the character of God, the life and ministry of Jesus, the ways of God that Jesus taught (the Kingdom), the way of transformation of heart and mind into the likeness of Jesus. If the position does not align with God's plumb line, can it be "right"?

From my perspective, God's plumb line just might help us get out of this quandary we have created for ourselves.

Unity, Not Uniformity

One of the terms I learned in my theological education is "unity in diversity, expressed in community." The term expresses the idea of oneness that embraces differences. In this way of living, differences are viewed as strengths that contribute to enriched life in community with one another. The term is used describe the pattern of relationship in the Godhead as the Three-in-One, in marriage in which the two become one, and in the church as the body of Christ. 

This concept underlies the Apostle Paul's description of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12. Those individual, diverse gifts are like the different parts of the body. They are what allow the body to function. The concept is also reflected in Ephesians 4:1-16. Verses 1-6 emphasize unity with the central exhortation being to make every effort to maintain or protect the unity the Spirit gives. Verses 7-16 then focus on five leadership gifts that are used to equip the followers of Jesus to do the work of ministry. This pattern of church life results in a healthy vibrancy that leads to unity and spiritual maturity among the members.

Unity in diversity is a spiritual pattern that reflects the nature of the Godhead.

Sadly, unity that embraces diversity as a gift is not a pattern that is inherent to our human nature. Our default pattern is to segregate ourselves into groups, associating with those like us and avoiding those who are different ... that "birds of a feather" thing. This pattern, rooted in fear, views differences as a threat. It is dependent on uniformity - being alike, thinking alike.

Uniformity is not unity. Uniformity does not produce authentic community.

This human pattern that depends on uniformity often invades the life of the church. We group with those like us. And we allow differences to divide us. We look for uniformity of beliefs, practices, behavior, organization. Examples abound. One group views the Bible as infallible and reads it literally; another uses the best scholarship to interpret it as an ancient, Near Eastern book written from a pre-scientific perspective. One group baptizes by immersion; another baptizes by sprinkling. One group builds worship around an organ and a choir; another around a band with guitars and drums; another uses no instruments at all. One group is led by a group of elders; another is democratic in its functioning. You get the point.

When churches build their lives upon uniformity instead of the unity of the Spirit, they ...

• duplicate the ways of the world;
• deny their calling to live and reflect the ways of God;
• rob themselves of the gifts diversity brings;
• limit their spiritual development; 
• weaken their community life; 
• hinder their witness; 
• rob the body of spiritual vitality and health;
• guarantee the stagnation of their group by excluding anyone who is "different."

In addition, living out of uniformity - being in agreement - sets the stage for the next conflict, the next issue over which to disagree and divide.

As we United Methodists consider the report of The Commission on a Way Forward, we are wrestling with the issues of unity and uniformity. Some value uniformity over unity. They insist on uniformity of belief as the basis for living in community. Some of these have drawn a line in the sand, indicating they will leave and create a new Wesleyan denomination if the current position on homosexuality is changed. Others believe we can live and work together for the sake of the Kingdom, even if we do not all agree on this one issue. They (including me) value unity over uniformity.

Perhaps it would be helpful to remember the words of John Wesley from whose ministry the original Wesleyan movement began. In his sermon entitled "A Catholic Spirit," Wesley asked, "Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion?" In that same sermon, he went on to say, "If your heart is as my heart - if you love God and all mankind, I ask no more - give me your hand." Wesley is also credited with a saying that originally came from Thomas a Kempis and was a part of the Moravian movement that helped shape Wesley:
"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity (love)." For Wesley, a common commitment to love God and others (the heart) was the grounds of relationship, not agreement. Love, not agreement, was the determining factor in relating to one another.

Or better, perhaps it would be helpful to remember the words of scripture: with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all (Ephesians 4:2-6, NRSV).

Unity in diversity. It's a spiritual pattern - God's way of living in relationship. It produces genuine community that is healthy and vibrant. It leads to spiritual maturity as the body builds itself up in love.

Playing Hot Potato

How do you win the game of "hot potato?"

As a kid, I played a game called hot potato. A hot potato (we generally pretended a ball was the potato) was tossed from person to person as quickly as possible. Because the potato was hot, catching and holding it would result in getting burned. Thus, the objective was to get rid of the potato as quickly as possible by tossing it to someone else. Getting rid of the hot potato kept you from getting burned. Tossing it to someone else required them to deal with it. Of course, they dealt with it the same way you did, by tossing it to someone else. As did the next person and so on.

It seems to me that society and culture (think "church") has created a number of hot potatoes. They are "hot" issues - issues that are so emotionally charged they are too hot to handle. Our preferred way of dealing with them is to avoid talking about them. We are in the game but hoping the hot potato doesn't come our way. When someone raises the issue, we seek to pass it off as quickly as possible by instinctively reverting to our already-held position. We assert our position, defend it, and attack any position that challenges it. In doing so, we toss the issue back to the other side who does what we just did: assert their position, defend it, and attack any position that challenges theirs.

LGBTQ+ issues are one of those hot potatoes in The UMC today. Well, to be more accurate, LBGTQ+ issues are a hot potato for people over the age of 40, which is the majority of the members within The UMC. LGBTQ+ issues are not an issue for most of the younger generations.  That fact might be one explanation for the absence of many of those younger generations in our congregations.  But I digress.

It seems The UMC has being playing the game of hot potato with this LGBTQ+ issue for years. We keep tossing it back and forth to each other by stating our position, defending it while attacking any differing position. This game of tossing the issue back and forth avoids the hard work of dealing with the issue OR our position on the issue OR our emotions that reinforce our position OR any different position that another might have OR the people who hold another position OR their reasons for doing so. That's a lot of avoiding!

It seems that the Commission on a Way Forward has actually engaged in the hard work of listening that leads to hearing that leads to mutual respect and understanding (not agreement!). Now it is time for the rest of us in the local congregations to stop playing the game of hot potato with this issue and engage in the hard work of listening and hearing one another. The objective of this hard work is not to reach agreement, but to reach mutual respect and love as brothers and sisters in Christ.

One challenge to this kind of hard work is the emotion surrounding this issue. Is homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching? Is it "unnatural?" Is marriage between a man and a woman only? Is an individual engaged in a homosexual lifestyle actively engaged in willful sin? Can a person who identifies as homosexual be called of God into ordained ministry? Each of this sub-issues stirs strong emotions. Those emotions are what make the issue "hot." They are what keep the hot potato game going with the LGBTQ+ issue.

When strong emotions get involved, we lose our ability to think clearly. We lose our ability to listen and hear opposing positions. Instead of thinking, we react. We passionately defend our position. We attack opposing positions and, sometimes, go so far as to attack the people who hold them. We use Scripture to justify our position as "the biblical (i.e., right) position." We end up polarized, divided into us versus them camps. We set up a win/loss scenario in which no one wins and our Christian witness is severely damaged.

This emotionally fueled way of dealing with the issue grows out of our human nature (what the Apostle Paul called "the flesh" in Galatians 5). We cannot come to any mutual respect or understanding, much less mutual love, by living out of our default human nature. Something more is required if we want a different outcome. That something more is spiritual maturity. Paul identified love as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Only the Spirit can guide us to love the other. In other words, dealing with this hot potato issue calls for Christ-shaped, Spirit-empowered spirituality. It calls us to manage and move beyond the strong feelings tied to the issue, i.e, self-control, another one of the nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). Self-control puts us in a position to think more clearly. It allows us to listen in such a way as to genuinely hear the other person. It positions us to choose to love.

I don't remember playing the game of hot potato very often. It really wasn't a fun game to play for very long. There was seemingly no way to win the game.