I'm a conservative, always have been, always will be, not because I'm "igorant" (I have a high school diploma and 2 college degrees…), "brainwashed" (…1 from a large public secular university and the other from a small private Southern Baptist university…) or "intolerant" (…in 2 very progressive fields of study) but because it makes the most sense to me. I'm conservative in pretty much every sense of the word, including politically (Ronald Regan is my homeboy), socially (pro-life, marriage defined as a man and a woman, etc.), fiscally (Dave Ramsey would be proud), athleticly (let the pitchers hit, defensive struggles are way more fun than offensive shootouts, can we please get rid of instant replay, etc) and spiritually (the Bible is God's inspired and inerrent word, Jesus is fully God/fully man and the only way to heaven, etc). I'm also a Christian. However, because of the public perception and reputation of the "Christian right", the true meaning of these terms, especially when they are used together, has become distorted. Those of us that hold these worldviews are often seen as close-minded and we spend the majority of our time trying to fight a stereotype. Chris Seay, pastor of Ecclesia Church in Houston, said that "we're not tired because we're doing too many things but because we're doing the wrong thing." Jesus didn't call us to spend our lives trying to remove a label, he called us to be salt and light in a dark, dying world.
As I've gone through Graduate School, I've seen the effects that human nature can have. I've seen the heartache and destruction that the simplest acts of indifference can cause but watching "58:" brought me hope. It helped to ease some of the questions that I have struggled with over the last few years. Questions like "How do you love someone and hate their sin?" and "Where's the line between standing for what you believe to be right and being judgemental?". The answer is that you see them as God sees them and respond to them as God would respond to them. "58:" is the story of how the church is meeting the needs of those at "the ends of the earth" that need the Jesus the most, those trapped by debt, sex, and disease. He told the us that greatest commandment is to love God completely and love people unconditionally. I want to be part of a church that understands the needs of its surrounding community and goes out of its way minister to those who are less fortunate. I want to be part of a church that sees God at work around the globe and rushes to partner where the needs are the greatest. I want to be part of a church that is doing the right thing. His truth is marching on and I want to be a part of it.
