Stoned at church

Alittle more than a month ago an honest mistake in this newspaper led to some outcomes which, if not experienced personally, I would not have believed possible.

Opinion columns authored by three regular columnists were incorrectly assigned, with each of us being credited with having authored the other’s column. So far pretty funny! Since I author a column on Faith, things became interesting because the column that appeared under my name expressed values, which although very common in Canada today were somewhat different from those I hold or those held by many who express their Christian beliefs in a manner similar to mine.

I received numerous emails and calls wondering if I had “left the faith or at a minimum changed my beliefs?” The Courier quickly corrected the misunderstanding, apologized and all was fixed, or at least so I thought.

Honesty requires me to affirm the vast majority of those who wrote to wonder about “my” column. Their comments were respectful and reflected an honest curiosity to know the truth. Honesty also requires that I address some of the other responses received and acknowledge the inadequacy of my response to them. Two emails in particular stand out. The first told me there was a special place in Hell reserved for me because of what I had written. The other suggested I be drowned in the deepest part of Lake Okanagan. Why drowning in the shallow end was insufficient I have no idea but the author was adamant it be the deep end.

I do not share these details to whine or attempt to compel anyone to feel sorry for me. I’m a big boy who’s been around the block a few times. Rather, I share them for a larger purpose.

Those of us who hold deep convictions and values in the name of Jesus must learn how to share those convictions in ways that accomplish good not harm. The first thought that crossed my mind upon receiving the vitriolic emails was, “No wonder so many people hate us.” Numbers of studies by authors like David Kinnaman and the Barna Group have suggested that Christians are among the most feared and hated of all groups.

I typically dismissed their writing as extreme until receiving emails that added legitimacy to their findings. This in no way suggests that we yield to political correctness and hide our true values but we must find loving and respectful ways to live those values out. Perhaps it’s as simple as those of us inside the church following the ways of Jesus a bit more closely before we try to impose them on someone else.

Upon further reflection on this experience, I’ve become deeply convicted that my response to the hateful emails was woefully inadequate. It was simple for me to send out the retraction from the newspaper and say in essence, “Back off, it wasn’t me.”

That deflected their vitriol away from me but was it any more acceptable for them to think or speak that way to other columnists? I think not and I can only offer my deepest apologies to anyone who has ever been treated like that in the name of Jesus.

One day a group of religious leaders dragged a woman before Jesus. They had clearly set a trap and she’d walked into it, caught in the act of adultery. So they brought her to Jesus and said, “The Law says we should stone her. What do you say?” After stooping down and writing in the dirt in silence for an uncomfortably long time Jesus said (my paraphrase), “Go ahead. Stone her. Only condition is that whoever in your mob who has never sinned has to throw the first stone.”

Remarkable isn’t it that one by one they all slinked away, leaving only Jesus and the lady to engage in a gracious, forgiving, redemptive, transforming conversation.

There are a lot of people getting stoned these days. Unfortunately too many of those stonings occur in church.

Tim Schroeder is pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Kelowna. This column appears in Okanagan Weekend.