Oh, the taste of compromise

Bittersweet...Isn't that how they describe it?

America is an interesting place to live--an experiment in which people with opposing views can live peaceably together. The conception was, and continues to be, bold and exciting. But the actual ways in which this works out can be spooky and nauseating.

Consider the recent controversy over choosing Rick Warren to offer the opening prayer at the Inauguration for the new president. The left is galled by the thought of someone who is openly judgmental of gays and lesbians commencing the era of an inclusive leader. The right is no doubt wondering about the motivation behind the decision.

Is this what Jefferson had in mind? Remember the idea of democracy? Open and honest dialogue even among the most divergent opinions. But it turns out that this kind of thing takes a lot of time. It's usually messy. And people seldom change their minds, even when the opposing argument makes better sense. So, it's expedient compromise... politics over persuasion, coalition over conscience, victory over value...

So then? What is the real meaning in all this? Was it simply inevitable that the rising star of the secular world would choose the rising star of the religious world to solemnize the occasion? Or is it more a symbolic statement? A glimpse of the future wrapped in an obvious compromise. Most of us are warming to the reality of sacrifice and it looks like no one is going to get out of this unscathed. So who better to usher in the season of change than the prophet of purpose?

A half-win? Almost certainly, and all the way around. But given the circumstances, it's probably not so bad. Now if we can just get used to the taste.

What goes around...

Despite what some would like to believe, the Bible is not always consistent. In fact, it is sometimes in conversation with itself. Or rather, one writer is looking at a particular question in one way; while another writer is seeing or emphasizing something else. This does not mean that the Bible is unreliable. It rather means that life on earth is sometimes complex. There is more going on than our minds can comprehend. Or to use the language of the Bible itself, "God's ways are not our ways."

Take for example, the matter of justice. We read a great deal about justice in the Bible. Some of it is straightforward and serves as a healthy warning: You shall not... And if you do... This is commonly associated with the book of Leviticus. The Levites were the tribe of Israel chiefly responsible for the temple and the priestly activities of the nation. This Priestly Tradition is also responsible for the more defined laws of the Hebrew Scriptures--the specific consequences for particular infractions. Things like, what you can expect should your oxen gore someone in the community...

It is probably out of this Priestly Tradtion that one of the prominent theologies of justice emerged--the notion that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. This is a very strong tradition that is still with us today. In a sense, it is the rationale for our own system of law. And much like ancient Israel, it applies well enough for us to accept it as true... If you do good things, good things will happen to you...If you do bad things, bad things will happen to you. Essentially, the argument is that suffering is directly related to sin.

Yet, while this may be true and seems to apply well enough for us to accept it, it is not a perfect model. Sometimes justice is a bit more elusive...sin a bit more complicated. This is the side taken by what is often called the Wisdom Tradition. The book of Job, for example, challenges the suggestion that suffering is simply a matter of sin. Ecclesiastes seems to reject the connection altogether suggesting rather that suffering might be just a matter of ignorance and luck. And just like we see evidence supporting the Priestly Tradition, we also see evidence supporting the Wisdom Tradition. We've seen the good suffer under the rule of evil and we've seen evil prosper under the rule of the good.

So here is the dilemma. We can see both sides, can't we? We know that sin can definitely invite suffering--in any number of ways. But we also can see that just because a person is suffering does not necessarily mean that he/she deserves it.

So what can we do? How do we live as faithful people--knowing that sin is real and destructive and yet also understanding that innocent people do suffer? I suggest two things: First we are wise to know and remember the story of Jesus. His story is, I think, an important window into God's justice. The way that he dealt with people, especially sinners, suggests that God might be more interested in repentance than blood. In the same way, his death is by all measures a miscarriage of justice. And yet, it is overcome by God's capacity to bring good out of evil. In other words, God is the final judge--even though we may not be able to see it in the present. The Resurrection is a glimpse into the justice of God. Justice is not lost but it might come in a way that we are not expecting.

This brings us to the second thing to remember. We are all in this together...but... We are all sinners to one degree or another. But those degrees are not insignificant. Those who would have us believe that all sin is the same are perhaps trying to excuse themselves from some urgent matter of restitution that God is working on.

There is an interesting story in Genesis 18. It comes just after God has reiterated his promise to Abraham. The Lord is on his way to destroy the city of Sodom for its wickedness. Initially, the Lord wants to hide Abraham from the darker side of his work but ultimately a conversation emerges--primarily out of Abraham's concern for any decent people who might be living in the city. The conversation is about justice and the suffering of the innocent. I encourage you to read the story yourself but basically it is a question of whether or not God will spare the many for the sake of the righteousness of the few. This is an important question and an important reminder that though we are all sinners, there are distinctions.

It is important for us to see the wheel turn from time to time. It reminds us that we live in a world where God is still paying attention.

We are all sinners but there is also that matter of justice--especially for the innocent and for those who have sought to do right when others were doing ill. As we watch the good suffering along with the wicked, we should be praying for them. Not only for the sake of justice but also for the sake of mercy.

The Pain of Some Else's Joy

When I went to college, I was assigned to a dorm room with three roommates. Two of these joined a fraternity within the first two weeks of school so I was able to enjoy a relatively large suite with just one other person. His name was Mike.

Mike was from a small rural community in the Southwestern part of the state of Iowa. He had a sister and played football. He had a decent sense of humor and was actually the valedictorian of his graduating class. All in all, Mike was a good, randomly assigned roommate. While he was not my closest friend at college, we did a lot together and by and large got along quite well--except for one thing.

As the year progressed, I began to notice that Mike had a terribly hard time celebrating anything good that might happen to somebody else. Worse yet, there was a disturbing joy that came upon him when bad things would happen to others, especially me.

I had never seen anything quite like it. Mike's emotional state seemed to be inversely related to the people around him. Generally, he was low key and not particularly responsive. He could sit through an entire meal without saying a word. However, if I entered the room with a broken arm or even a particularly poor grade, it was like party-time for this guy. Although I have yet to meet anyone else who's joy was quite so dependent upon the misfortune of others, I have encountered lesser degrees of this affliction. I cannot really explain it, although I am sure that it is more common than I realize.

It turned out that Mike flunked out of his freshman year of college. It wasn't because he couldn't do the work. He was, after all, the valedictorian of his high school class. It was rather that as the year wore on, Mike spent more and more time in our dorm room and less and less time attending class. I would come home from the library or from watching MASH in the commons and Mike would be sitting at his desk drinking a six-pack all by himself.

I honestly felt bad for him. I did not find the joy in his suffering that he seemed to find in mine. But ultimately I could not break through. I heard that he transferred to another school and I am sure that he eventually graduated. I hope that he is doing well. I hope that he is still alive.

We still hear that ongoing debate--do we live in a world of scarcity or a world of abundance? Is there enough for all? Or does it really come down to us or them... yours or mine...

My experience that year in the dorm taught me something about myself. I've got all kinds of weaknesses for sure but I just can't bring myself to celebrate misfortune. I just can't believe that God has created a world where there is only so much blessing to go around.