“12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. 17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” 25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.” (Rom 2:12-29 ESV)

To some, upping the ante is a perennial choice. Others self-indulgently entertain notions of a one-day conversation, of a more peaceful time for comeuppance, of sanity prevailing. Sanity will not prevail when the foe is serpentine, no human foe, but one charged with heresy, witchcraft, manipulation. 

And we fight this foe in our every daily activity. Spirit speaks to spirit, a friend murmurs a word of prophetic gift, the Religion itself is on trial, because of no human foe but an immature Mockery prodding, asking, alternately, “show us your bravery, your strength”… and, “you aren’t, simply aren’t, ready yet”…

To the one with religion, all things are religious. The sheep, the wolf in the sheepfold, the exasperation on both sides of the division, the deep pride or familiar response of “just trust us…” yet in a context of very public disputes as to who and what is clean dogma… in this context the serpentine willfulness is for a leg up in the marriage banquet, a slightly more worldly-wise understanding of just who is having compassion on whom… talk is of a second baptism, of power from on high… yet the simpler powers, the fact of an antithetical lamppost allowed to flourish for ill or for good… the Fatherly patience towards any and all who might reach repentance… we lose if for once we forget the submissive nature of Belief, yet too the dogged determination to fight the serpent.

The serpent of simply hipster life. That some good is recognized in stories of the “cool kids” and the “losers”: what truth? That never-mind those top-of-the-meat-pile cool, but “likable” because of not judging others nor of boasting in our own hip routines. Equally at home, relegated but no time to complain, to the lesser spheres, yet somehow God redeems and utilizes all things. Including that dastardly dance number that caught us in the act. Including the wealth they try to bring to lawsuit about: things earned while under the non-starter banner of “Ignorance”, of “Unbelief”, of “Rebellion”.

To be theological, then, is to marry level-headedness to outstanding, even outlandish, truth claims. God is manifested… and there was a time of uncertainty but today we do double-duty, carrying the burdens of many in our heart, on our bodies, in our frame. Because we aren’t perfect. Because all of us can be a bit of a Rorschach blot to the inquisitive but immature or frightened observer. To whom no one can simply say, “Hey, I seem to like folks like you”, for whom some golden apple makes it tempting and “fun” to say, “Hey, stop following me!” As if this response were a harmless jest. So we don’t follow. We resist the urge to email even friends at times.

To the preacher all things, for she or he is held to a higher office, all things are dialog-worthy and to be approached patiently. With listening in intent, and with dialog in manner. This is heartfelt and sincere, but we observers of the Pulpit must never ourselves concede to a heresy or to a misjudgment of manners or of principles. We are never to combat each other in the pulpit, rather to Listen and to Dialog. Combat, if it occurs… this is for the voided Gospel imperative. The loss of a strange but beautiful new Tomorrow in the vision; the satanic plea, see I’m just repeating time-tested truths… only in complete antithesis to Today’s new Vision. We have Vision. We have a humble word for a needful bunch. We have a respectful—to one another—occasion even, with permission, to listen to the long-banned unreformed pulpit. In hopes of Reform. That the moguls and the foreigners of the world would, in certainty of the Book, approach each other’s pulpits in curiosity, to know what is the Spiritual Word of the hour. Because Spirit changes overnight. New entities… to condemn what is new, this is to hurt half the men or half the women in the audience, those who somehow align with the Story so often told, of change and amendment of life. Just of this! And no ambition to earn an ancestor’s pledge, but what we took to be our Duty, despite it being mocked, despite cynicism or bullish obstinance, to make it our Storyline and Mantra. This is healthsome. This is Earning the shared hand, parts that fit, getting along, making do, teaming up. Because Trust… it is Real. It is Earned. It is unknowingly, but lovingly, invested in. Through the friendship. In the conclave. By-and-by the passing hours. Those who had little to lose, these pulled off a miracle called Friendship that the enemy sues about, wanting to know details, in unbelief, in obstinate and sad reality check of having missed these friendships themselves. Yet all have them, and so we patronize not. We do not patronize the serpentine foe found in no man nor woman but in the Air and fighting us on the home Turf and Abroad. To resist temptation. To hear the patient pleas for peace. To make do and make up and make over, in aplomb and sanity, cautious prayerful boldness. Listening. Sagacious. Patient.