Splitting The Room In Half

Upon reflection, it is important for me to acknowledge that my last article in Principally Thinking was poorly timed. Having received feedback both supporting and against the contents of my Yes/No article, it is important that I apologise to those members of our community for whom the article caused offence.

This was not my intention. My role within our community involves a significant amount of time setting cultural expectations. I have been charged with encouraging our students, the staff and our families to seek healthy community as we join together, as a gathering of Christian families within a school, to be more like Jesus.

One of the risks in speaking to culture is that sometimes it means discussing topics that could hit a nerve or two. As Christians, we live in a complex and often antagonistic world.  We know how much increased opposition we have encountered as a Christian school in Victoria over the last nine years – the increased restrictions on our capacity to operate, as the result of legislation, continues to be a pressure that adds to the complexity of our operations.

It is easy to split the room, when one provides commentary on a current situation. This is what I did a fortnight ago – there are better ways to face into issues than this, and for that, too, I am sorry. I broke one of my own personal rules – I was unnecessarily political in a context that should largely remain apolitical. 

All of that being said, I am sure that there will be times in the future where folk in our community will not agree with all that I write or say.  If there is one thing I do know, it is that there is no Christian community I am aware of (church, school, parachurch organisation) where 100% of its members agree with 100% of what is said within its community by its leaders. 

Disagreeing well is an important part of what defines us as different. Disagreeing with grace and humility marks healthy Christian community as different. 

We should be unified as we gather as fellow followers of Jesus as our Saviour and Lord, we should be unified in our understanding that God has revealed Himself to us and has given us the Bible as His word, providing clear guidance as to how we should conduct ourselves and develop our understanding of the faith we share. 

And, it is my conviction that we have a remarkable opportunity as a God-worshipping community to be the best kind of ecumenical (multi-church) gathering we can possibly be – a shining light on the hill for others to see God at work and be attracted to it.

But we will disagree – and I suggest that shalom-seeking may be our key to navigating these times. It provides an opportunity to be unified in our diversity – diversity of thought, opinion, interpretation, action. At the heart of seeking shalom is a desire to see circumstances play out “as God would have it be”. 

One person’s emphasis in that seeking may not be another’s – and they may find themselves at odds. Grace and humility are necessary, if we are to navigate our inherently imperfect way of seeing the world. 

If I have wronged, in humility I seek that you might be gracious in your dealings with me. If I feel that you have wronged me, I need to be humble and extend grace to you, so we might be reconciled. If we are at odds about an interpretation or a third party (individual or activity), we should seek, in humility, to understand one another’s position and accept that even in disagreement we can still have healthy fellowship.  

Jesus should be at the centre of our relationship, His ways defining who we are together.  He was the Prince of Peace, the peacemaker unlike any other.

In humility, I ask you to extend grace where I have wronged you. As others look on, may our relationship be one characterised by Christlikeness, and nothing else.

Shalom.