Overview of Friday Night

Below is kind of a rough draft of some of the notes that I sketched out for our conversation. Feel free to add your thoughts from the discussion in a comment or email me and I'll be more than happy to add you to the administrative list so you can add your own thoughts. There are also some pictures attached below.

“We live in a pornographic culture.” – Eugene Peterson
Meaning we tend to objectify people. View people in terms of their content.

This objectifying of people, we turn people into the content of their actions or thoughts instead of their relational being.

In our culture, “content” dominates. In our churches, “content” dominate. So when disagreements arise, there is an inevitable clash. And at the expense of the relationship.

In the biblical texts, and especially with Jesus, the emphasis is on the relationship instead of the “content” or issue”. Whereas, we are terribly occupied with the “issue” at the expense of the relationship.

STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON
The Father wasn’t concerned with the issue but with the relationship (Luke 15: 20-24)
The brother wasn’t concerned with the relationship but with the issue (Luke 15:25-30)

Both had to do with a lack of listening. I think that is where we really begin to understand and embrace the other in love. Hearing intently. More time should be focused on the character and interchanges of the relationship than on the disagreement on the issue.

“There can be no doctrinal orthodoxy without first being a good friends.” – Pope Something

And what we need in most issues of conflict is not a doctrinal statement but a relational statement. We have to realize that the other person is larger than the issue or the culture they symbolize. Even more so with our enemies.

As we negotiate these relationships we must do so with HEALING as the ultimate aim. Anything that doesn’t take into account this ministry of healing is missing it.