No Oddballs Allowed

Depending on who is talking it is a time for either rejoicing or sadness in the United Methodist Church. On one side are those who would love to keep our churches untainted by "unclean" sinners. On the other side are those with an intense desire for cheap grace without discipleship.

Which side is right?

In my opinion, neither. Both sides have veered from the path and unless they regain their bearings will lose their way.

The problem I have with the "clean" side is that they want to pick and choose which sin is the dealbreaker. I understand that we are called to repentance and that the "unrepentant" will face judgement. But whose place is it to judge? Is repentance required prior to justification? This group is asking for repentance of one particular sin, when our churches are filled with folks that are unrepentant of other sins. It just makes me wonder that the hot-topic sin du jour just happens to be one that is practiced by less than 10% of the population. Much more prevelant sins are overlooked or even approved of.

The other side of this issue is also missing the point, in my opinion. Yes, grace is available to all, but you must remember that grace comes with a price. You cannot live a life of discipleship when matters of the flesh are at the forefront in your mind. You are not expected to live a perfect life prior to coming to Christ, but justification is only the beginning of life in the Spirit. We must move on toward becoming the people of God that we are called to be. Taking up our cross may mean leaving certain desires behind, not fighting to make them acceptable.