Awakening in the News:
The News-Leader writes about our Bible Belt alternative...
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by Phil Snider
 

As a pastor in Springfield, I would like to affirm the article written by Sheryl Hubbell (3-23), “Freedom of religion also allows for no religion.”  Indeed, one of the great hallmarks of the United States is that it is founded on a vision of diversity and respect that leaves room for differences of belief, especially in relationship to religion.

One of the great ironies of living in the Ozarks is that those who often claim to be the most persecuted are those from the dominant culture:  namely white Christians.  Because I come from a more moderate Christian tradition, I’m sometimes told by the more fundamentalist crowd around town that I’m either not an authentic Christian or in danger of the fires of hell.  When I consider that my experiences reflect those of a white male Protestant minister, I can only imagine how those from other faith traditions and cultures, as well as atheists, must feel.  To borrow Mrs. Hubbell’s language, it’s no wonder that those who aren’t Christians in Springfield often feel like “outcasts.”  If one of the virtues of Christianity is hospitality to those who are different, then I’m afraid that Christians in the Ozarks often fall far short of this biblical mandate.  They’ve become more concerned with playing the role of God (i.e. judging souls) than in loving their neighbor (i.e. following in the way of Christ).

But even though the most dominant religious voices in Springfield tend to be fairly exclusionary, they are hardly representative of all religious people in the area.  I have several clergy colleagues—Christian and Jewish alike—committed to making Springfield a place of diversity and respect for all people, and every single day I encounter people of faith whose religion calls them to build bridges of compassion instead of walls of hostility.

For Christians who wish to question the authenticity of my own faith, I would respond by saying that my faith in Jesus doesn’t make me less inclusive of others, but rather makes me more inclusive of others.  My faith in Jesus leads me to value, rather than diminish, the very real differences that exist between myself and others.  It is precisely my faith in Jesus that challenges me to move outside of my own comfort zones in order to recognize the inherent biases of my own cultural perspectives.  Jesus regularly welcomed the stranger and befriended the outsider, and if I am to follow in his footsteps then I am compelled to do the same (or at least try to do so).

In First Corinthians 13, St. Paul concluded his beautiful poem about love by saying that “faith, hope, and love abide, these three.  And the greatest of these is love.”  Perhaps even Christian orthodoxy affirms that, in the end, love is more important than right belief.  I hope that such a perspective can help Christians show hospitality and respect—rather than arrogance and disdain—to those who don’t hold every single belief in common.