Those are all good questions and certainly I've dealt with most of the things that you are mentioning.
But most of your questions isn't about theology.
Perhaps there is something to that, but I wonder if there is a way to separate the two? In today's climate for example, we can joke about Republican Jesus vs. Biblical Jesus, and see two very different, at times diametrically opposed creatures. Now that is clearly an example of where one's political views, which represent one's overall worldviews, meets our theological views. What one reads in scripture, reflects that overall general way in which we see the world and hold truths. Look at the theology of the Phelps family, for instance. What image of God is that?
As someone comes in the front door, for that matter as they live, none of them are perfect. I know this because I looked at someone in the mirror and realized I'm not either.
But do you see those differences as imperfections, or see them as equally valid ways to look at the world, even as they don't reflect how you do? Do you see them as the "lost" that needs saving, because of those differences? And the saving is from those "wrong" worldviews? Do you believe that if they realize faith in their lives, find God, that they will no longer think as liberals?
Probably the biggest issue is love.
Most assuredly. In all cases.
In our congregation there are democrats, republicans, independents etc... but we don't preach politics, we preach Jesus. So political affiliation isn't an issue.
Our motto is "love, accepted and connected". If you come in, you are loved - the love of God attracts people.
Accepted, because many people believe that their parents love them (or other people) but don't accept them the way they are. Well, in our church we accept people just the way they are. Everybody changes and no one came perfect. The word of God changes people.
Some of the sour taste in my mouth comes from seeing that acceptance of the outsider as a way to show them how God's ways are, coincidently the values and beliefs of that church. How many are actually able to separate their views on God, from their personal value systems? Most tend to see God as being on "their side".
I applaud that you say you don't preach politics from the pulpit. You shouldn't. No preacher should. Yet, the co opting and politicization of Christianity by the conservatives has so damaged Christianity, it is beyond words the harm done.
Just listen to "Focus on the Family", if you want a clear example of right wing conservatism telling the world what it means to be a Christian. It tells the world, to me at least, what it mean to not be a Christian. I got steeped in the stuff back in the early 80's, and it poisoned that Baby of Christianity, in the bathwater of right wing, conservatism. God became an extension of politics, when I was only interested in God. I was surprised to learn how of damning of everyone God was, when I could read about Jesus and see he wasn't.
BUT
In leadership it is a different subject.
And here you raise a valid point. Clearly, if a church caters to a certain market, it has to present the product it wishes to sell. I recall my dad telling me that religion is a business, and I found that objectionable at the time. But in reality, yes, it is. A church has to have a set of truths it stands for, and who decides that?
Obviously, it's the board who hires the pastors. And that board represents the members of the congregation. And the money of course is a factor, with influential members of the board, and such. I'm not trying to be cynical, but practical. The values of the members, the general tone of the congregation, gets reflected in who is hired, what is preached, what is taught, etc. Then add to that the setup of the overall denomination committees and their rules.
One wonders where there is any room for God in all of that!
So we had a leader who believed that Jesus already returned but his wife didn't. His statement was "I won't, as a leader, create a problem. I'll preach what ever we agree on since it is about the children in God and not whether I'm right and you wrong."
That worked for about 2 years until he said, "I can't do that anymore" and as a mature leader, just went to a church that believed as he did. Why? Love was the issue not whether doctrine was the same as mine.
This I didn't follow. Could you explain it to me, how that his deciding he needed to teach what he believed, instead of telling himself it didn't matter, was because it wasn't about love? You mean, if he really loved others, he would have kept teaching what he didn't believe? I need a better explanation.
And we did discuss the issue together. It wasn't "shut up, sit down and be quiet".
So we don't kick people out just because the believe differently - we work through it. As a leader, however, a more stringent requirement must be met.
I can see where you wouldn't want a conflicted message being taught. That only makes sense, as people come looking for some cohesive message they can easily tuck into their shelves they reach into during their lives. You can't have them hearing you teach one thing over here, and something completely different over there in the same church body. Most aren't ready to hear contradictions, but just want easy to access, simple things to follow, and not challenges to faith that may disrupt them prematurely, before they are ready for that next step in their faith.
I appreciate your candor. I find it helpful. I don't intend to sound dismissive. I'm just trying to tie these two worlds together somehow. Christianity is supposed to be able to transcend these differences. Yet, what I see since the 1980's, come to a full out boil on the face in response to all that in 2020, is the result of this inability to transcend differences within Christianity, which got co opted and exploited for cultural divisiveness instead. I walked into a poisonous field back then, and I see it's result today.
I keep coming back to Romans 14, and wonder if anyone of them has any idea what that is about.
