Acceptance Through Relationship

There have been several questions concerning how I cope with people who do not believe the same way I do, how I handle the belief that if you are not a follower of Christ, then an eternity of fire and bruning is your destiny, and methods to get people in line with what I believe. There are several ways to approach these issues, I could talk about theology and what the scriptures actually were talking about, and the community they were attempting to build, but that would take a whole book or more to discuss. What I can do, however, is discuss my personal convictions, and how I handle balancing my convictions with those of different perspectives.

After having a lot of experiences with churches and people in my lifetime, I have become convicted of the belief of acceptance. I believe through relationship with other individuals and accepting them for who they are in the moment makes all the difference in the world. I have been door to door and “saved” numerous people, but always felt like I ended up leaving them without any further direction. What was lacking was meaningful relationship.

When I read the scriptures, particularly the New Testament, I read about a Christ who built relationships with people. There were some he was closer to than others; the disciples were part of his posse. Some he had only brief encounters with, but he was concerned with them nonetheless. More importantly, Christ did not reject those who rejected him. Peter, the Rock, denied him three times, and yet, Christ forgave him. When Christ died on the cross, I believe he died for all, not just some privileged few. I also experience Christ as a voice that spoke out against the religious leaders who felt it was their way or the highway. Perhaps, for the gospel writer John, believing in Christ was the only way. I don’t believe it is too far off to say, John had his personal convictions about who Christ was, just as I do; just as you do as well. The scriptures are best served if they are used to tell you how others experienced Christ, as opposed to what to believe about Christ. Just as the writers had the right to their viewpoints, you do as well. For some, a life without Christ is hell.

As a chaplain, I visit individuals with my personal belief of acceptance through relationship. I believe strongly in the power of healing that comes when an individual is heard, brought out of isolation, and into community. I believe deep inside of us all is a spiritual being waiting to be unleashed. While religion can help us unleash the power of the spirit, it can also be harmful. We must seek out what we truly believe, whether we are a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindi, asking ourselves, based on experience with life and your personal beliefs, who is Christ, who is Muhammad, or who is Buddha? More importantly, who or what is God? I want to leave a quote that coincides with by beliefs about relationship, it's by Elizabeth Fiorenza from her book "In Memory of Her":

Relationships are not built on the transfer of money and resources, but rather on an exchange of hopes, fears, and life stories. Christian spirituality means eating together, sharing together, drinking together, talking with each other, receiving each other, experiencing God’s presence through each other, and in doing so, proclaiming the gospel as God’s alternative vision for everyone…especially those who are poor, outcast, and battered.