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bishop's perspective:
Definitive or dogmatic?
The recent political contest for the California governorship prompted many observations about morality, ethics and values. Questions are raised about the Christian perspective on all of this.
I'm reminded of a parable about a hunter and a bear reportedly told by Clark Clifford, secretary of defense in President Lyndon Johnson's cabinet.
A hunter was in the forest one day and came to a clearing where he saw a large bear. As he raised his rifle and took aim, the bear cried out, “Wait a minute, friend. Don't shoot!” The hunter lowered his rifle and the bear said, “What do you want?” The hunter replied, “I want a warm coat.”
The bear agreed. “Well, that's reasonable. What I want is a full stomach.
Let's sit down and negotiate.” So they sat down and negotiated. After a while the bear left – alone. The bear had a full stomach and the hunter had his fur coat.
We might as well acknowledge the grim reality that our sense of morality and downright decent behavior is up for grabs. Society is constantly undermining cherished and long-held standards of ethics. Yet this is not new to the human family. All through history, society has struggled with, affirmed, compromised or rejected God's vision for our life together.
As Christians, we look to Jesus as a model for relating to individuals who seemingly disregard long-held norms of morality. Jesus demonstrated how to respond to the threat of erosion of these values. He never sacrificed truth for popularity. He never compromised principles. He never negotiated honesty, purity, unselfishness and love. He was never guilty of expediency.
But Jesus did not dogmatically, arrogantly, or imperiously denounce violators or cast judgment on them (except with the piously religious crowd who really got under his skin). He did not deal with moral laxity with harsh invectiveness. Rather, Jesus was calmly definitive about his convictions. He was convinced of the validity of goodness and discipline. He was assured of the moral imperative to love God with all one's heart and to love others as we love ourselves. He lifted up a better way – the abundant life for others to reach for, rather than reject and criticize them.
Our response to the desecration of moral values ought never to be one of dogmatic denunciation. Rather, in the spirit of Jesus Christ, we ought to quietly but definitively and tenaciously live out morality in every sense of the word. That means they are nonnegotiable in our thinking and living. Being attentive to this charge will keep us fully occupied.
What impresses me about Jesus is how he lived his life. I still believe this is our greatest witness today. Judging and condemning is the easy part. Wringing our hands in despair requires no courage. Criticizing society for losing its moral compass has little value. Living a holy life is the challenge. Knowing and proclaiming what we are is far more instructive than speaking about what we are against.
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Bishop Ray W. Chamberlain
Resident Bishop
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