Agreeing to Disagree

I have been thinking a lot lately about whether or not Christians can disagree with each other and remain united in Christ. I found in my former life that as often as not, if someone did not agree with our stance on a certain issue, we would consider that an attack of the Enemy, rather than an intellectual disagreement or a point of departure for further consideration. Life was a lot easier when I did not have to think.

All of these feelings have come flooding back to me since the passing of Jerry Falwell earlier this week. I made a comment about how I thought Rev. Falwell was a sincere man and loved the Lord, but I don't think he loved many others. The conversation went something like, "Well, what did he say that you disagreed with?" And my response was something to the effect that I did not think that the 9/11 Attack was a result of feminists, gays and lesbians, atheists, etc. The comment that came back was, well, you know, there is a nugget of truth in this. And I said "how do you figure" and was told that since our nation was sinful, or allowed sin to thrive, this meant that God's covering could only last so long and that we could not expect to just go along living like we do or we will be punished. My response to this was that I do not believe God acts that way, and I really don't think most Christians believe that God allows things like this to happen to show us the error of our ways.

Or do we believe this? I mean, I thought we were living in an age of grace and that God gives us the freedom to accept Him or reject Him. I just do not believe I have the right to judge these things since I am a sinner too. As the conversation progressed I asked how God could allow innocent people to be killed because of what other people had done (if, in fact, God allowed this as punishment for gay people in America). The answer was that we really should not get up and say these things since there is no way to prove them one way or the other. Really.

OK, so back to my original question: Is it possible for Christians to take radically opposing views of things like God's judgment, or homosexuality, or the poor, or global warming, or the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, or insert issue . . . and remain brothers and sisters in Christ? In my previous life, the answer would have been an unqualified "No" because anyone who does not follow our interpretation of the Bible is not even a Christian. They are a part of the problem, the secularization of American society. But now, on the other side of the aisle, I have begun to wonder just how Christian it is to judge someone else's faith journey based on my narrow interpretations of what I think God meant in the Bible.

Oh how I wish I could go back to happier, more judgmental times when everything was black and white and everyone else was a sinner except for everyone who believed exactly like me. But, how pleasing is that to God? What would Jesus think?

And, by the way: Tinky Winky is a flamer!