Is the Christian faith relevant in the 21st century?

The debate concerning human sexuality caused many of us to look toward the Scriptures for spiritual and moral guidance.  Our search for Godly wisdom was mixed up with another important question regarding the nature of Biblical authority.  In the midst of the conversations, I oftentimes hear people talking about a clear reading of Scripture.  The debate concerning Biblical authority opened up an even more pressing question for us.  Is the Christian faith relevant in the 21^st century?  Does being a part of the Body of Christ make a difference?  I imagine that when the apostle Paul talked about becoming a new creation in Christ, he meant that there was some distinguishable difference between those of us who are in Christ and those who are not. 

The desire to achieve such a distinction was an important part of the argument raised by those who believed that the Church erred when it confirmed the election of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire.  They believed that the Church was beginning to look too much like the culture that surrounded it.  A clear reading of the Scripture, they claimed, would lead the Church to reclaim its distinctive character.

The Scriptures and I have a marital relationship.  I love them intensely.  I am constantly sustained by them.  I am frequently chastened by them.  I occasionally misunderstand them, and I sporadically fight with them.  I remember the day when I instructed Matthew that he was never to talk to strangers.  It broke my heart because I knew that what I was teaching my child was contrary to a clear reading of the Scriptures.  We are instructed in both the Old and New Testaments to welcome the stranger.  Hospitality in Christ’s name lies near the heart of the Gospel of reconciliation, but I was teaching Matthew another way.  Although I knew that the lesson might save his life, I also knew that it was not God’s way.  We do this because children are vulnerable, but the truth is that we are always vulnerable.  If we learn from our very earliest days to save our lives, how will we ever learn a clear reading of the Scripture,  “For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.” (Luke 9:24)?    I wondered, “How long will it take him to unlearn this lesson of his childhood?  Will he be forever inclined to pass by on the other side of the road?  When he hears Luke’s story of the Good Samaritan, will he fight the Scriptures?   Will his heart ever become so inclined toward mercy that he will be able to see his neighbor in the face of the stranger?” 

The importance of the question of relevance and distinctiveness is intensified by the fact that my nation is at war.  How am I to hear the words of Jesus?  “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”  (Luke 6:27-28)   Jesus himself lived these words to the end of his life and into the life of resurrection.  Because of this, we claim that he is God.  After reading Luke, how can we walk away without a bruise?  Luke’s portrayal of Jesus’ teaching is staggering because of its apparent irrelevance.  In chapter six, Jesus tells us that we are to “love our enemies.”  At least he recognizes that we have enemies.  By chapter ten, however, this distinction evaporates as he tells the story of the Good Samaritan.  When he is finished, the only category of non-familial relationship that exists is neighbor and mercy, begotten by love, is the ethical imperative.