“Deadly Faith”    

Date:  August 2, 2009

Script:  Ephesians 1:8b-10; Mark 9:38-41

Revd William F. Meier    ~   First United Methodist Church, Saint Cloud, Minnesota

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Some of you may have seen this collection of actual church signs that carried on a dialogue, if you can call it that, across the street from each other— a Catholic church and a Presbyterian.  The Catholic Church put up on its sign, “All dogs go to heaven.”  Kind of a nice, open, affirming message indicating that they believe that God’s creation is important and loved.

The Presbyterian Church saw that, and responded on their sign that “Only humans go to heaven.  Read the Bible.”  I believe they need to take their own advice and find their way to Ephesians where it says:

With all wisdom and insight ⁹he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.  —Ephesians 1:8b-10

Across the street, the Catholics put on their sign:  “God loves all his creatures, dogs included.” 

This is an open, spacious kind of spirituality in the vein of St. Francis:

A tool in your hand I am, dear God,

the sweetest instrument you have shaped my being into.

What makes me now complete—?

feeling the soul of every creature against my heart.

Does every creature have a soul?

Surely they do; for anything God has touched

will have life forever,

and all creatures He has held.

—Francis of Assisi

The Presbyterian response:  “Dogs don’t have souls.  This is not open for debate.”   There seems to be a strain of Christian theology (certainly not limited to this Presbyterian Church) that needs to elevate humans above the natural world and posit that the whole creation is simply and solely here for our use and abuse.  It seems threatened by any valuation of nature.  In fact, they are so threatened by it that it “is not open for debate.”  Not even open to hearing those scriptures that don’t say anything about a soul being a requirement.

Undeterred by the doctrinal police across the street, the next Catholic sign read:  “Catholic dogs go to heaven.  Presbyterian dogs can talk to their Minister.”  Canine denominationalism— that’s a new one for me.  I never thought of our Cocker Spaniel as a United Methodist.

Buying in to that denominational approach, the Presbyterian came back with:  “Converting to Catholicism does not magically grant your dog a soul.”  These guys are taking this seriously!

In a creative come back the Catholic sign read:  “Free dog souls with conversion.”  Sounds like a good marketing approach.  Maybe something our Outreach Committee could look into.  The many benefits of membership…a spiritual destiny for the animals in the household.

Attempting to end this issue, the Presbyterians came out with this sign:  “Dogs are animals.  There aren’t any rocks in heaven either.”  It was bad enough that they were bad-mouthing dogs… now they are attacking rocks. 

In the Book of Revelation we find: 

“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

                        ‘To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb

                        be blessing and honor and glory and might

                        forever and ever!’

                ¹⁴And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’”            — Rev. 5:13-14

Yet the sign said, No rocks in heaven.  Finally (probably with a sly smile on his face), the Catholic sign maker put up these letters to read:  “All rocks go to heaven.” 

Which church would you rather attend?   These two sign wrestling congregations happened to be Presbyterian and Catholic, but we all know that they could have easily been a United Methodist and an Assemblies of God. 

You get the sense that the Presbyterians were taking this deadly seriously and that theology needs to be fought out and nailed down, even in a medium like church signs.  Does this collection of signs remind you of some of the dialogues you’ve had with someone on the topic of religion or politics?  Those conversations often go about as deep and productive as this one it seems.  How do we approach talking about our faith—and the genuine differences we have with others— on a higher level?  

First of all, I think we can learn something from the Catholics in this series.  There is a healthy playfulness in their signs that I think is helpful…a lightness that is open and life-giving.  I recall a clergy friend of mine that was visiting with a church member who relayed to her a rumor that she had lied about something.  Instead of locking up and defending herself, she replied by saying that she was systematically working her way through breaking all ten commandments. 

Jesus didn’t seem to get too wrapped up in these types of theological debates.  He just didn’t waste his time engaging in them to begin with.  “Whoever is not against us is for us” is the way he approached it.  Most of these battles aren’t worth fighting.  Jesus didn’t feel the need to convince others of his teaching in order to be secure in his beliefs… his was a “take it or leave it” approach that we can learn from.  The conversation and genuine learning about life and God can go deeper in these conversations if we put aside our ego need to convince them we are correct.

Some people believe in believing or believe in their beliefs about God (or heaven or hell…) more than in God— a simple trust in God and God’s character.  Belief in believing, and needing to convince others you are right is what I call deadly faith; there’s little room for life or God to get in between.

In these conversations genuine listening and understanding is important— on both sides.  Even if they are a little strange and have an axe to grind, listening to them genuinely is required.  Try to understand what is behind this person’s passion, needs, and theology.  Talking about our experiences that led to our beliefs about God and the world are helpful.  Using “I” statements offers a clear message that can be responded to.  Asking questions of them and their experience of God also creates openings for genuine dialogue.

So, when we get into these conversations and “debates”, let us in a non-anxious way, be true to ourselves, be true to and trust our experience of a loving God, and if we don’t have everything in our faith figured out, say that too.  After all, who does? 

I thought we should get into this kind of witness too and so I modified our church sign:

“Everyone who attends here must agree with Rev Meier.”