We can disagree, but why must we be so disagreeable about it?

I have some friends who are staunch biblical conservatives, apply a very literal interpretation of the Bible, and take a conservative stand on all the hot button issues of today regarding morality and behavior. I understand where they are coming from, I respect their right to their position, and I sometimes cringe at the words that come out of their mouths.

I have some other friends who are proudly liberal. They are progressive in their theology, inclusive in their practices, and proclaim grace above all else. Except, of course, to those who are staunch conservatives and disagree with them. As with my other friends, I understand their position, and I sometimes cringe at their words, too.

We Christians seem to make a sport out of bashing one another. Within the wide spectrum of those who claim to be followers of Jesus of Nazareth, there is diversity, dissension, and a lot of finger pointing. We seem to have arranged ourselves into the camps of liberal, moderate, conservative, with the intention of proclaiming the superiority of our own position, that that my ideas are more "Godly" than the others, and apparently, Jesus likes me best.

Oddly enough, in the Bible, I have found an entirely different story. When Jesus encountered the broken people of his day, the social outcasts, the poor and needy, the sick and grieving, He simply loved them for who they were, expressed compassion and healing to them, and proclaimed the Kingdom of God. Jesus never condoned or excused sin, but he always loved people in spite of their sin. As far as I can tell, the only people that Jesus ever got really mad at were the religious experts who thought they knew better than everyone else.

At the heart of all sin is a core of self importance, self righteousness, and self promotion (You can look up the verses in Isaiah 14:12-15). In the bickering and finger pointing over the social concerns of today, with each camp shouting the benefit and blessedness of his own opinion, there is a foundation of self justification and self righteousness that seems mighty far away from anything that Jesus was ever talking about.

In today's changing world, the political, social, and moral issues about which we tend to argue over are essentially spiritual in nature. And as spiritual people, they are important to us and are expressed as an extension of our faith. And yes, we disagree. But my disagreements do not mean I hate those I disagree with, nor does it justify my behavior to be mean spirited or condescending to those who have another opinion.

A rather wise colleague of mine once said, "In the world of 24 hour news, the one who shouts the loudest decides what the truth is." And in the journalistic entertainment world, we see the wisdom of those words. But when churches and so-called spiritually wise people attempt the same technique, the result is a shouting match with no winners, only losers. Meanwhile, the non-religious folks watch and wonder what is wrong with us.

For all my liberal and conservative friends, if I have any left, let's try some civil discourse, respect for one another, and rather than point a finger, maybe we could talk over a cup of coffee. And at least act a little bit like Jesus in our disagreements.