An Evangelical Christian, a Unitarian Minister, and a Gay Atheist walk into a bar. If you think this is the start of a sick joke, you are mistaken. If you are waiting for a punch line, you will be disappointed. But if you'll listen to my modern-day parable, you might end up with a different perspective on things.
John boarded the plane along with everyone else. He saw people of all walks of life, and wondered where they had all come from, and where they were all going. At this present time, they had all converged on American Airlines flight 316 from Dallas to Washington, DC. In a little over 3 hours, with any luck, these people would all be scattered to the winds in the nation's capitol. But for now, God had brought them all here together.
He settled into a middle seat, between a very masculine looking woman and a slightly feminine looking man. "God, forgive me for judging," he thought. There was no telling what they thought of him as a first impression. As the plane began to taxi toward the runway, the flight attendant began the pre-flight instructions. Most politely ignored her, but John listened to her Texas drawl and watched her genuine smile. When her speech was done, she disappeared behind the curtain separating first class from the rest of the passengers.
John took out his Bible and opened it to a favorite passage. He hoped to get some reading in before going over his notes for a business meeting that afternoon. A voice close to him broke his concentration. The woman to his left was speaking to him. He looked at her quizzically. "I'm sorry," he said to her. "What did you say?"
"I said God is good."
"All the time," John answered.
The woman pressed on. "I couldn't help but notice you were reading your Bible. I love the New Testament. All about God's love for all living things. I'm Diana, by the way." She held out her hand, and John shook it.
"Nice to meet you, Diana. I'm John. Where are you from?"
"Oh, I'm the pastor of First Unitarian Church in Saginaw, northwest of Ft. Worth. I'm going up to a Universalist Conference in DC."
"Well, that's just great," came an exasperated remark from the man on John's right. "Sharing a three hour flight with a couple of Jesus freaks." The man stared out the window, muttering under his breath. "Got a Bible thumper and a lady preacher. It don't get no better'n this," he said, sarcastically.
Diana addressed the man directly, bending forward to talk around John. "Well, Jesus certainly is one of the ways to God," she said. "But I think you'll find that in our church, we accept a right of Conscience, and a free and responsible search for truth."
"Well, I think there is no god, and you church people can all go to hell." The man glared at Diana, then at John, before turning to stare out the window some more.
Diana smirked, and winked at John. "I guess we know where he stands. What about you, John? Do you think you might visit one of our congregations one day?"
John closed his Bible and breathed a quick prayer for grace and truth. "I don't think I'd fit into your congregation very well."
"Why not?"
"Well, I believe the Bible is true, the infallible, inerrant Word of God. I don't believe that all roads lead to heaven. Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by me'. That doesn't leave much room for argument, does it?"
Diana pressed on, undeterred. "Jesus was certainly a great man. So was Mohammad. There is truth to be found in all religious faiths. And in the end, whatever we find the Higher Power to be, I think you'll be surprised at the beauty and faith we all share."
"That sounds lovely," John said. "But it is not at all logical. First, if Jesus is not the only way to God, then He was a liar. Who in their right mind would say that a liar was a great religious leader? Second, for there to be Truth, there must be untruth. Two and two do not equal five. The one who knows that the sky is blue cannot live in total agreement with one who thinks it is green or purple or polka-dotted. Just look at the way religions have always been at odds, all throughout history. Every major religion has some form of exclusivity at its core. Muslims are taught to kill Jews and Christians, whom they identify as 'infidels'. Jewish parents will disown their children if the children convert to Christianity. You can't take doctrines from each religion and make some kind of mash-up, like a 'best of'' album."
Diana looked at her shoes. "I find that people who are so dogmatic about their beliefs rarely find the grace that God offers."
"Christianity is all about grace. All of the other religions are performance based. In Buddhist teaching, one only reaches Nirvanha after going through various levels of purity, and if you mess up you could come back as a toad or a cow in the next life. Muslims hope to win the favor of Allah by attending to prayers three or four times a day, and by making a pilgrimage to Mecca at some point in their lives. With the Jew, it's all about keeping the Law. Christianity is the only religion that offers access to God freely, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. Jesus paid the price, so I don't have to. All I have to do is accept on faith that Jesus died for my sin, and confess Him as Lord openly."
"Our church is a bit less traditional. We find that our message resonates with a broader spectrum of people."
John opened his Bible to Matthew 7:13. "Jesus said, 'Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it'."
"Well, I don't think a loving God would send any of his creation to hell. I believe we will all make it to heaven, one way or another." Diana said this without malice, like she was repeating what she had heard all of her life.
Just then the plane hit some turbulence, and the lights flickered off and on. "We may all come face to face with God sooner than we think," John joked. "But seriously, if someone spends their whole life in this world rejecting God, then I don't think God would force them to spend eternity with Him. He doesn't send anyone to hell. People choose to go of their own free will. I pray that some day, Diana, you will find the truth that you are so desperately seeking."
More turbulence, and the plane felt like it lost altitude quickly before it recovered. The lights shorted out again, but this time they did not come back on. Not many on the plane noticed because it was daytime; but they certainly noticed that the fans circulating air throughout the cabin were not working.
"Oh, my God, it's hot!" said the man next to the window.
There was a lot of activity among the flight attendants, as they went row by row asking the passengers to fasten their seat belts. When the attendant reached their row, she smiled reassuringly and in her Texas drawl said, "As you can tell, there is a slight electrical problem in the passenger area. The captain has asked that y'all remain in your seats with your seat belts buckled. We are being diverted to Nashville, both as a precaution and for the comfort of our passengers. Thank you."
"Wait," said the young man to John's right, nervously. "We have no lights out here, and the intercom system must be down, or the pilot would be telling us all this himself. Is there electricity in the cockpit? I mean, we're not going to crash land, are we?"
"I can assure you that the aircraft is in no danger at all," the attendant said. "The captain has the plane in control, and has established contact with the air traffic controllers."
"With his cell phone, no doubt." The man turned his head toward the window and sighed. It was quiet for a moment. Tense. They could feel the plane begin its unscheduled descent. "Jesus. How do we know they're telling us the truth?" he asked, to no one in particular.
"What's your name?" John asked quietly.
"Paris," he replied, absently.
"Well, Paris, we won't know for certain until we get there, but for now, we will just have to have faith."
After landing in Nashville, the passengers were asked to de-plane. They were given passes to the AA Lounge, and vouchers for complimentary beverages. John got a Coke Zero and found a table near the window. He was surprised when both Diana and Paris sat down next to him.
There was a lot of activity among the flight attendants, as they went row by row asking the passengers to fasten their seat belts. When the attendant reached their row, she smiled reassuringly and in her Texas drawl said, "As you can tell, there is a slight electrical problem in the passenger area. The captain has asked that y'all remain in your seats with your seat belts buckled. We are being diverted to Nashville, both as a precaution and for the comfort of our passengers. Thank you."
"Wait," said the young man to John's right, nervously. "We have no lights out here, and the intercom system must be down, or the pilot would be telling us all this himself. Is there electricity in the cockpit? I mean, we're not going to crash land, are we?"
"I can assure you that the aircraft is in no danger at all," the attendant said. "The captain has the plane in control, and has established contact with the air traffic controllers."
"With his cell phone, no doubt." The man turned his head toward the window and sighed. It was quiet for a moment. Tense. They could feel the plane begin its unscheduled descent. "Jesus. How do we know they're telling us the truth?" he asked, to no one in particular.
"What's your name?" John asked quietly.
"Paris," he replied, absently.
"Well, Paris, we won't know for certain until we get there, but for now, we will just have to have faith."
After landing in Nashville, the passengers were asked to de-plane. They were given passes to the AA Lounge, and vouchers for complimentary beverages. John got a Coke Zero and found a table near the window. He was surprised when both Diana and Paris sat down next to him.
"Well, that was....interesting," Diana said.
"God, yes," Paris agreed.
"Can I ask you something, Paris?" John looked at the young man intently. "Early in the flight, you said you didn't believe in God. But three times I've heard you call out His name. Why is that?"
"Jeez, you Christians all seem to get offended easily," Paris sneered. "Did I offend you, too, preacher lady?"
"That's not what I meant at all," John said. "See, I think that every person has a desire, deep down inside them, to know God."
"I agree with you there," Diana interjected.
"But unlike you," John nodded toward Diana before fixing his gaze on Paris, "I believe God has given us a road-map to find Him. Our whole lives are spent looking for purpose, when His purpose is to draw us to himself."
"If you knew me better, you wouldn't say that to me. See, I think your church has rejected people like me."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if you must know, I'm gay. In fact, I'm on my way to DC to attend a gay rights rally at the Supreme Court, before they hear arguments for gay marriage in one of the states--I forget which one. I just know it's not Texas. Not yet."
Diana would not let this opportunity go to waste. "Our church accepts all people, regardless of nationality, creed, color, or sexual orientation."
Paris still directed his attention to John. "But your church doesn't, I'll bet," he said. "You think God has standards, and gay people just don't measure up. Am I right?"
"None of us is perfect," John replied. "All of us have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. That includes me."
"Oh, so we're all sinners, but some of our sins are better, and some are worse. Am I right? God can overlook your sins, but not mine. That's the message I hear from people like you."
John shook his head. "We are all born with a sin nature. And sin separates us from God. But God sent His Son Jesus to take away our sins, and restore a right relationship with us."
"Well, I agree with you on one point," Paris said, bitterly. "I was born this way."
"God made you who you are," Diana said. She was trying to be helpful.
Ignoring Diana's remark, John cleared his throat. "Look, I can't speak to your situation. I've never been attracted to men. But I do know one thing. Left to my own longings and desires, I'd be a serial adulterer. As often as I travel on business away from my wife, I do get tempted by women wherever I go. Some of them might agree to sleep with me if I wanted. And the culture accepts and even encourages that behavior. A lot of the songs you hear on the radio are about sexual infidelity. Most of the movies that come out have that theme. But that doesn't make it right."
"Do you mean that God rejects straight men, too?" Paris grinned.
"I'm saying that whenever I choose to follow my baser instinct, I cannot assume that God approves. So I have to decide which is more important to me--a cheap thrill on a one night stand, or a growing, honest relationship with my God and with my wife."
"Well, it's not against the law to have an affair."
"It is against God's law."
"But my partner and I are in a monogamous relationship," Paris said. "That should count for something."
"Suppose you were a drug addict. But you were very careful to only use clean needles, and you never shared your needle with any other drug user. In that situation, you'd be a responsible drug user--you wouldn't be exposing yourself or others to hepatitis or HIV. But you'd still be an addict. Is that what God made you for?"
"I'm not sure whether God made me or not, much less whether I was born for any particular purpose. So I guess I'm more like Diana. I'll find what works for me, and enjoy it while it lasts. After that, who knows?"
"Let me ask you one thing. When the flight attendant told us the plane was being diverted, but we were in no imminent danger, what was the first thing you thought?"
"I don't know. What?"
"You wondered whether she was telling you the truth. You assumed that she could be hiding something. Maybe she wasn't telling us everything, because she didn't want to spread panic. Maybe she was spouting the Company line about safety. Whatever she said, you questioned her motives, didn't you."
"I guess I did. So what?"
"What if she had come and informed us that the plane was going to crash? What would you have done then? Would you have gotten another drink to enjoy from the beverage cart? I don't think so. Most people in that situation don't say, 'drink up, boys, we're all gonna die!' No. Most people in that situation, when they feel helpless, turn to God for help. They wish they had done more good, and left fewer regrets."
"Okay. So what's your point?"
"None of us knows how many days we will live. We could all die tomorrow. That puts more importance on the decisions we make today, doesn't it. If you have been told that you are living in sin, whatever that sin might be, you have to decide whether you want to continue in that behavior for your own personal pleasure in the moment, or if you want to give that up for something better. Jesus is that something better. You can lay your sin, whatever it is, at the foot of the cross and decide in your heart that you want to follow Christ, to pursue God whatever the cost. Or you can hold onto it, and take your chances with it. When Jesus was teaching on this earth, a rich young man, with great wealth and power, approached Him. The Bible called him a 'ruler', meaning he had power and position in politics or society. He asked Jesus what it would take for him to gain eternal life. Jesus told him to get rid of his wealth, to divest himself from his riches. Because Jesus knew that in this young man's heart, money was his god. He wasn't saying that wealthy people could not be saved. He was saying that in this one young man's case, it was either money or God--he couldn't serve both. Unfortunately, that young man was not ready to pay the price of his salvation. He walked away with his money in his pocket, but without Jesus in his heart. Unless he came back to Jesus later, that man died in his sin, separated from God. And what good did his money do him then?"
"So you're saying that if I want to be right with God I have to sacrifice my relationships, and deny myself?"
"I didn't say it. Jesus said it."
The announcement came over the PA system that another plane had been found and fueled, and that all of their luggage had been transferred to the new plane. They could now begin boarding for the second leg of their journey.
When John reached his seat, he noticed two different passengers were seated next to him. Diana and Paris had apparently asked for different seats, or a different flight altogether. John prayed for them, that God would direct their paths and draw them to Himself. Then he settled in, and opened his Bible.
"Hey, what'cha readin' there?" the man in the cowboy hat asked.
"God, yes," Paris agreed.
"Can I ask you something, Paris?" John looked at the young man intently. "Early in the flight, you said you didn't believe in God. But three times I've heard you call out His name. Why is that?"
"Jeez, you Christians all seem to get offended easily," Paris sneered. "Did I offend you, too, preacher lady?"
"That's not what I meant at all," John said. "See, I think that every person has a desire, deep down inside them, to know God."
"I agree with you there," Diana interjected.
"But unlike you," John nodded toward Diana before fixing his gaze on Paris, "I believe God has given us a road-map to find Him. Our whole lives are spent looking for purpose, when His purpose is to draw us to himself."
"If you knew me better, you wouldn't say that to me. See, I think your church has rejected people like me."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if you must know, I'm gay. In fact, I'm on my way to DC to attend a gay rights rally at the Supreme Court, before they hear arguments for gay marriage in one of the states--I forget which one. I just know it's not Texas. Not yet."
Diana would not let this opportunity go to waste. "Our church accepts all people, regardless of nationality, creed, color, or sexual orientation."
Paris still directed his attention to John. "But your church doesn't, I'll bet," he said. "You think God has standards, and gay people just don't measure up. Am I right?"
"None of us is perfect," John replied. "All of us have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. That includes me."
"Oh, so we're all sinners, but some of our sins are better, and some are worse. Am I right? God can overlook your sins, but not mine. That's the message I hear from people like you."
John shook his head. "We are all born with a sin nature. And sin separates us from God. But God sent His Son Jesus to take away our sins, and restore a right relationship with us."
"Well, I agree with you on one point," Paris said, bitterly. "I was born this way."
"God made you who you are," Diana said. She was trying to be helpful.
Ignoring Diana's remark, John cleared his throat. "Look, I can't speak to your situation. I've never been attracted to men. But I do know one thing. Left to my own longings and desires, I'd be a serial adulterer. As often as I travel on business away from my wife, I do get tempted by women wherever I go. Some of them might agree to sleep with me if I wanted. And the culture accepts and even encourages that behavior. A lot of the songs you hear on the radio are about sexual infidelity. Most of the movies that come out have that theme. But that doesn't make it right."
"Do you mean that God rejects straight men, too?" Paris grinned.
"I'm saying that whenever I choose to follow my baser instinct, I cannot assume that God approves. So I have to decide which is more important to me--a cheap thrill on a one night stand, or a growing, honest relationship with my God and with my wife."
"Well, it's not against the law to have an affair."
"It is against God's law."
"But my partner and I are in a monogamous relationship," Paris said. "That should count for something."
"Suppose you were a drug addict. But you were very careful to only use clean needles, and you never shared your needle with any other drug user. In that situation, you'd be a responsible drug user--you wouldn't be exposing yourself or others to hepatitis or HIV. But you'd still be an addict. Is that what God made you for?"
"I'm not sure whether God made me or not, much less whether I was born for any particular purpose. So I guess I'm more like Diana. I'll find what works for me, and enjoy it while it lasts. After that, who knows?"
"Let me ask you one thing. When the flight attendant told us the plane was being diverted, but we were in no imminent danger, what was the first thing you thought?"
"I don't know. What?"
"You wondered whether she was telling you the truth. You assumed that she could be hiding something. Maybe she wasn't telling us everything, because she didn't want to spread panic. Maybe she was spouting the Company line about safety. Whatever she said, you questioned her motives, didn't you."
"I guess I did. So what?"
"What if she had come and informed us that the plane was going to crash? What would you have done then? Would you have gotten another drink to enjoy from the beverage cart? I don't think so. Most people in that situation don't say, 'drink up, boys, we're all gonna die!' No. Most people in that situation, when they feel helpless, turn to God for help. They wish they had done more good, and left fewer regrets."
"Okay. So what's your point?"
"None of us knows how many days we will live. We could all die tomorrow. That puts more importance on the decisions we make today, doesn't it. If you have been told that you are living in sin, whatever that sin might be, you have to decide whether you want to continue in that behavior for your own personal pleasure in the moment, or if you want to give that up for something better. Jesus is that something better. You can lay your sin, whatever it is, at the foot of the cross and decide in your heart that you want to follow Christ, to pursue God whatever the cost. Or you can hold onto it, and take your chances with it. When Jesus was teaching on this earth, a rich young man, with great wealth and power, approached Him. The Bible called him a 'ruler', meaning he had power and position in politics or society. He asked Jesus what it would take for him to gain eternal life. Jesus told him to get rid of his wealth, to divest himself from his riches. Because Jesus knew that in this young man's heart, money was his god. He wasn't saying that wealthy people could not be saved. He was saying that in this one young man's case, it was either money or God--he couldn't serve both. Unfortunately, that young man was not ready to pay the price of his salvation. He walked away with his money in his pocket, but without Jesus in his heart. Unless he came back to Jesus later, that man died in his sin, separated from God. And what good did his money do him then?"
"So you're saying that if I want to be right with God I have to sacrifice my relationships, and deny myself?"
"I didn't say it. Jesus said it."
The announcement came over the PA system that another plane had been found and fueled, and that all of their luggage had been transferred to the new plane. They could now begin boarding for the second leg of their journey.
When John reached his seat, he noticed two different passengers were seated next to him. Diana and Paris had apparently asked for different seats, or a different flight altogether. John prayed for them, that God would direct their paths and draw them to Himself. Then he settled in, and opened his Bible.
"Hey, what'cha readin' there?" the man in the cowboy hat asked.
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