Certainty and schism

I went to a birthday party on Friday night, and conversed with some fascinating people. One of the fruits of the conversation was the idea that certainty is damaging to relationship. Rightness becomes an idolatrous pursuit when it declares victory over another. The specific situation we discussed is the enormous gap between two parties in the Episcopal Church, the one who wants to ordain homosexual people, and the side who refuses. Some would say that the American arm of the Anglican Communion (isn't that a funny word, "communion"?) is already in schism. I suppose technically that may not be the case since there is still a relationship between the Episcopal Church and the Communion.

The idea that fascinated me was one person's objection to the posture of the conservative party. He noted that there is no way a marriage will survive if one person says, "Here's my list of reasons why I will divorce you: . . . " When there is such suspicion in a relationship, it is almost impossible for it to survive, let alone thrive. Members in a relationship must approach each other in humility and servanthood. Sure great disagreements will arise, but a healthy relationship will take them as they come and work them through. No matter what. When infidelity occurs, maybe a divorce would be permitted, but God has already shown us his intention for dealing with infidelity. Submission. Service. Even to death.

The problem with drawing lines all over the beach is that it makes the relationship one of control. There is no openness to the humanity of the relationship, only a twisted puppetry where one creative being tells another creative being to not bother being themselves; that's already covered. By me. I. Myself. Dance puppet. Theologically, this is problematic, because one party in Christ's body is telling another, "Don't you dare. If you do, I'll . . . " What's to say that living like Jesus, that is, in humility, patience, self-control, service and grace, wouldn't solve a whole gamut of issues? What's to say that the God who has humbly served (and punished as he saw fit) his bride (Israel the nation and the true Israel, the assembly of his Messiah) can't take care of one more problem. Some issues take fifty to a hundred years or more to resolve. That's the upper limits and beyond of the leadership life of most people. Again I ask, can we trust God to take care of his body if we just live how he called us?

God is the only being who can legitimately play the certainty card, and I'm not sure he's willing. Let's all step back and bow before his throne and see what he'll do.