M and I were chatting and somehow we got started talking about Christianity and the church.

As a part of the conversation, we were talking about Georgia and the changes they are considering making (or have already made?) to their curriculum: that is, to remove the word “evolution”. Not the teaching, mind you, but the term. And the reason? Because of how divisive that word can be.

Now, most of the articles I found trashed that reason, giving it no credence whatsoever. But I can understand it. It is a divisive word. You say the word evolution, and even if it isn’t in the context of world origins, some Christians shut down entirely.

I am not interested in entering into a world origins debate. My personal stance is that I don’t know how the world came about, but however it did, I believe God was behind it and made a beautiful, awe-inspiring place filled with beautiful, awe-inspiring people and things.

What I am interested in talking about is the divisiveness. My conversation with M got me thinking about the other things Christians have gotten themselves up in arms about over the years. Without discussing the morality of the following, here are a few things that Christians have been (and still are) passionately debating:

  • World Origins
  • Harry Potter
  • Abortion
  • Homosexuality
  • Alcohol
  • Dancing

Some of these things we Christians have come to more moderate positions on. Some of these things we are just as passionate about as ever.

Passion is important. When you feel passionately about something, you really care about it and seek to do all in your power to change the world for the sake of it.

However, there is a kind of passion that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

What I struggle with is that the church I read about in the news or hear about from non-believers seems to now define itself by its position on issues. I have to believe that this was not always the case, or at least that this is not intended to be the case. Certainly, there are things that we strongly believe in and behaviours that we will and will not do, but I am not sure that this is how we should be known to the world.

And here’s why. There are always two (often more) sides to any issue. And if you define yourself based on issues, regardless of what side you’re on, the issues are divided into Your Side and Everyone Else’s. And Everyone Else is The Enemy. Usually a faceless, anonymous enemy, but an enemy nonetheless.

And so the problem with the church defining itself by issues is that it is doing an awfully good job of making enemies of the people it is supposed to be loving.

The people we are supposed to be loving.

There is so much more that I could (and probably will, someday) say, but that is the crux of it. The church is supposed to be loving the world. And we, as Christians, are the church.

I think that we can still be passionate (and still should be passionate), but we have to stop making enemies.

There was an old song (“old”) from when my parents were growing up in the church: They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love. I’ve never heard it except from them. It could be that it’s fallen out of favour because the tune is a little tired.

Maybe it is also because that song has stopped being true of us.

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