Of this one thing we can be certain, that there is too much certainty in our practice of faith. Homosexuality and abortion would be just two of such issues that we are far too certain about. I am not saying that our POV (point of view) is completely invalid. But I am saying that many of the Christians around the world do not agree with our oversimplification of most issues that have such high socio-cultural factors.

For instance, I am currently leading a congregation of Internationals in Eastern Europe. I have discovered that our Western European brothers and sisters do not agree with the standard homophobia of the United States religious right, nor do they view abortion in the tightly black and white frames that the Family in the USA views this subject. Our European Christians view both of these supposedly black and white issues with far more compassion (and ambiguity) than we Americans generally do.

Their compassion does not make them right and Americans wrong, but neither is their moral arrogance (certainty that they are right) remotely on the same scale as the American one. I find it appalling when I meet those who are the most anti-abortional and they can give me no biblical basis for it. I did not say that there was no biblical basis for an anti-abortion stance, but rather that few seem to be able explain it in a cohesive scriptural manner why we should be strongly against abortion. It seems that many of us have just accepted Dobson's position or someone else's position without doing any of the hard thinking ourselves. It seems that we have been influenced by the political religious right much more than we have by what God states about it. The online discussions about these matters are disturbing. Abortion is a far more complex subject than just killing the unborn. If we really think abortion to be wrong, should we not be more for adoption, and let that compassion lead our anti-abortion position? (Imagine actually doing something positive rather than just vilifying everyone who opposes your POV!) Our European Family would say that what we are for is much more important than what we are against.

Concerning the homophobia of the US church, our European Family just states the apparent truth of Scripture, that Jesus both loves them and died for them as well as me. How can I not be as compassionate toward them as any other "sinner", of which I very well may be the worse? I think Jesus would approve of this approach. The certainty that we have about our certainly, makes much of what we believe to be fact, suspect. Religious certainty as with any other certainty needs to be grounded in actual study, not what I am told from the sermon on Sunday nor what I hear on Christian radio (whatever a christian radio is).

I have to admit, that we have blended families, divided families, lost families, live-together families and every other type of family coming to our International fellowship. Some of you might say, "now I understand why that David has gone liberal on us" and some of you might think that the context I am working in has influenced my ability to discern the black and white of God's word. I am not nor has it, but I do think the Europeans are more mature than we Americans are, in that they are wise enough to see the love and compassion of God, and they are willing to model it and express it. I think it was my grandmother who said to me, that you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.

It seems that our certainty is tied to our feelings much more than our study and learning. I have feelings too . . . and strong ones frankly. One of those strong feelings is that I am married to an awesome woman . . . but it is rooted in 20 years of learning, not feelings only. Other than this, I am certain that I cannot be too certain about most certainties.