Freedom of Speech Upheld. This week, the Supreme Court upheld the right of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas to exercise their freedom of speech. Unfortunately, this small Baptist church – founded within a tradition which has championed freedom of biblical interpretation – is infamous for their hate speech, which appears to be in sharp contrast with the Jesus we seek to follow. How do you feel about this ruling? What’s your take on Westboro Baptist Church? How is the larger church like or unlike the one in Topeka? How does CrossWalk compare?
Jesus and the Adulterous Woman. The controversial passage found in John 8 challenges us on many levels. The story is incredibly emotional. A woman is caught in the act of adultery – a marriage or two are severely hurting. A sermon is rudely interrupted – most pastors agree this is the worst part of the story… Judgmental people use the woman they caught as a pawn – no redemption in their sights here – they care much more about trapping Jesus than they do the brokenness of the woman they are now using for their pleasure. And a humiliated woman dressed in a bed sheet endures the scorn of a crowd. Which character grabs your emotions most so far? Why?
First Stones. Jesus was undoubtedly ticked off at the entire scene, which may be why he took a breather and drew in the dirt. If Jesus was human, there had to be a part of him that wanted to lay into the judgmental, cold-hearted religious leaders for their behavior. I know I would need to take a minute to breath and focus before responding in such a pressure cooker situation. After much pestering, Jesus turned the table in brilliant, graceful fashion, using the very law against its abusers. As a measure to limit false accusations, the law required (among other things) that the accuser throw the first stone, and the community would follow. The religious zealots may have been perfectly willing to have Jesus throw a stone, but they realized the limitations of their inhumanity. They walked away, leaving the woman standing before Jesus all alone. If you were one of the religious zealots there that day, how would you react? If you were a bystander, what would it have been like for you?
Confession Booth. In Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller recounts an experience he and his Christian friends had while attending Reed College in Oregon. During the college’s Ren Fayr, when many students indulged in all sorts of debauchery (in the name of role playing, of course), Miller and company built a confession booth. When the idea first flew, nobody wanted a piece of it. Tony the Beat Poet explained, however, that the Ren Fayr-ing students weren’t going to be doing the confessing. The Christians were. And so, when students entered the booth, rather than confessing their sins, they heard Christians confessing the sins of the historical and present Church, concluding with pleading for forgiveness. Students were stunned and delighted and refreshed to consider faith anew. If you were a “well-oiled” student that day, how do you suppose you would react upon hearing such confessions from the Christians?
Forgiveness. The woman was no doubt equally shocked at the outcome of her encounter that day. She had expected words of condemnation, but was surprised by grace. The conventional wisdom would have suggested that a severe tongue-lashing would really set her straight. Instead, Jesus offered words of love and direction: I don’t condemn you. Go forward in a new direction with your life – you were made for more. How would you feel if you were the woman that day?
Humility. Miller and his friends learned the power inherent in humility that day at Reed College. Humbling themselves before those who probably looked down on them as antiquated fools, they earned respect. What do you suppose would have been their experience if they had gone all “Westboro” on the students that weekend instead of confessing the sins of the Church and its members?
Coming Out Of the Closet. I like to think of myself as a graceful person. I teach grace, and I try to live it. But I am very human. I find myself at times strikingly similar to those Pharisees of long ago. I may learn to be progressively graceful , but I find the game keeps changing along with life. New challenges to my capacity for gracefulness find me wanting, pushing me to think again of this story in John, seeing myself in the crowd again, discovering that I am at once the Pharisee and the caught woman. And I think this is a very good thing, because this in itself keeps my knees bent, my eyes soft, my heart malleable, and my sense of self in check. What does all of this do to and for you?
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