Apologize, and we'll be all in with foolish

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011419.cfm
Hebrews 1:1-6
Mark 1:14-20

Christians need to rethink how we communicate with other people. We’ve got to be more clever. I think the answer is to apologize for what we believe and let the cat out of the bag. There’s obviously something wrong with us compared to the way the world works.

We think God made the world perfect and we messed it up. We think God became one of us because we need him. We think God loves us so much that he will live in our hearts only if we let him. We think all the awful things we do will be forgiven, and we’re going to live in heaven with him after we leave this life. We think God has communicated with us since the beginning of time and he’s present to us now as three persons. To a large group of people, many who are in charge of most of the world’s organizations, we’re the biggest bunch of morons to walk the earth.

Yeah, that’s us. Can we present our foolish-looking beliefs to others with a new approach? I think we can.

If we shift the current practice of apologizing for wrong-headed behaviors to apologizing for our formed consciences Christians might survive a whole lot longer in an antagonistic atmosphere. Normally, everyone express our regrets at offending others for what we do by apologizing. I suggest that we express our regrets for what we believe. People forgive each other when we apologize. It’s culturally expected. So, we should ask forgiveness for our disagreeable Christian beliefs and allow people to sigh, shake their heads, and then just let us go on being who we are. 

We should outwardly admit that we’re OK with their crazy-to-us thinking because we’re waiting until Jesus comes back. He’s the final arbiter. So, everyone can just go ahead with the stuff they’re doing. We’re fine being who we are. We think we’re right, but don’t worry about us. If we’re wrong, then the world’s thinking will prevail. If we’re right, then Jesus will return and make every knee bend. In the end, folks can just shrug, reluctantly but with some finality, that we can actually just put up with each other.

That would be a very good place to be, even as the world crumbles and rumbles into oblivion. We can have pot lucks, bottled water, and exchange blankets. It’s what communism wants to be and can’t. It’s what socialism wants to force us into but can’t. It’s what capitalism thinks can be bought, but also can’t. It’s a cordial, apologetic and collaborative sauntering into our shared deaths. Some folks might even be weirdly supportive in our joy. "We are all going die clueless of what's next, except those crazy Christian folks think they're heading off to heaven. They're nuts, but that's a pretty adorable way to go."

We can be treated like the lost jungle tribes who've never been soiled by civilization. Take our pictures, and study our culture and religion, but leave us alone to romp around in our innocence. We can continue to charge admission to our churches and even outwardly use the funds to feed the poor and rescue those in danger. (Wait, we're already doing that. So ... this just might work!)

We are all offending each other by our core beliefs anyway, and it’s high time everybody gets used to living with each other in open contention by giving a nodding acceptance that we Christians are just plain stupid and backwards. For Christians, rather than seethe and simmer in disgust with folks that disagree with us, we should actually succumb to foolishness. We just lay our cards on the table and quit bluffing that we’ve got something of value with an incomplete hand. We're like four year olds playing checkers. "I've got my king, but he's invisible. Aren't I cute?"

Let’s be honest. Our hand at the poker table of life only looks good to us. We’ve got all hearts — an Ace, a Queen, a Jack and a Ten. Our fifth card is missing. We should just lay them down on the table. We’re positive that our next card is going to be a King of Hearts. Even after drawing our new card and not getting that King, we still insist it's coming.

Rather than complain about the ridiculous and foolish bunch of knuckleheads that others are, or worry that we’re the damn fools, we need to put our insufferable patience waiting for an inside straight right onto the green felt and let everyone else show their full hands and win.

“Yeah, four Aces of Spades is pretty good, but it’s not really the winning hand,” we have to say, sitting there without the King of Hearts. We look silly and witless, but our logic will be clear. We’re expectant. We’re hopeful. We have faith. We have love for each other. 

I think we can get away with being insufferably apologetic. “I’m sorry. That’s just the hand I’ve been dealt.”

The problems we have with each other come down to the stupid stuff we think others believe and the subsequent danger their beliefs represent to us. Deep down we know, though, that some of that stupid stuff is in our heads too, and it just might improve our lot to hear what others think. All we’ve got to do is be courageous enough to know that we're probably going to offend someone else for what we believe. So, apologize for it. If we believe it, and it’s true, then nothing is going to upend the truth. What the heck? We’re just sorry for being so damn sure about the truth.

Our answer to surviving in a ruthless world lies in apologizing for what we believe right up front. If we apologize and request pardon for what we think, our adversaries just might become our friends. We stretch an apology — begging others for forgiveness —from something we’ve accidentally done wrong into something we can't un-believe. Instead of only apologizing for actual mistakes, “I’m sorry for backing my car into your garage door” we apologize for being intransigent. "I can't help the way I'm formed. Sorry about that. I'm stuck this way." I believe we will be left alone, and truly nice folks might start having real conversations with us. It’s not that we need to change our minds. We just need to apologize for having our minds work the way they do.

“I’m sorry for believing that life begins at conception.” 

“I’m sorry that I think same-sex marriage is an oxymoron.” 

“I’m sorry that God forms my conscience through scripture and church doctrine.”

It’s rankles a lot of folks that I believe those things. I know. I never apologize for what I believe. Maybe it's time I do that. Actually, I am really sorry about others being unable to put up with me. Truly. I wish I could think that none of my formed absolutes were true. That way I could simply morph into whatever anyone else believes and we'd kinda think the same. However, I’m sorry. That’s not going to happen. I can’t be repaired, or as I now believe, re-broken. 

Once I apologize, maybe more people will make room for just chatting and hanging out. Maybe we can coexist. “So, what’s the deal with the Broncos?”

Apologizing isn’t true repentance. We don't try to re-design the mistakes happened to make them disappear. Maybe it was at some time, but not anymore. So, maybe we can use apologies to tell others what we actually believe. For instance, we don’t apologize for killing our neighbor’s dog with a shovel. “I’m sorry about that. Couldn’t be helped. I’m a violent person. Let me buy you a new dog.” We need to exhibit substantially more chagrin for heinous activities. An apology isn’t enough. “911? This is John. There’s something seriously wrong with me. I just killed my neighbor’s dog with a shovel. I need to be locked up.”

Our Christian beliefs aren’t heinous or criminal. They just aren’t. We don't need to be locked up for believing in a triune God, indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the incarnation. Those are radical and substantive, but on the level of killing the neighbor's dog? Not even close.

Even though we think the world is going to be restored under the King, Jesus’ reign, and that all evil will perish, and that all nations, all rulers, and every single person on earth will bow to Jesus, we’re not criminals. At most our beliefs cause disgust. And not because they are globally revolutionary, especially when the angels come and sequester all violence and sin. No, the disgust takes place from our convictions about morals, ethics, and authority.

“I’m sorry. I can’t attend a religious ceremony where Anthony and Paul are getting married. My beliefs force me to stay away.” 

We can, however, be civil. Most of us are, though we've got some work to do there. Starting with an apologetic frame of discourse we can be civilly supportive while still being allowed to differ at the core of our being.

“I’m going to send a house-warming gift, though. Do they need a waffle iron?”

Our beliefs might get us yelled at and eventually thrown into prison, but that’s only if we’re extremely confrontative. If we stand in front of a liquor store with a sign that says “Drunks are going to hell!” we can expect some blowback. First of all, it's not true. But if we all agree to only allow the drunks in our Christian numbers to hold up a sign, then our Christian drunks can both apologize for being a drunk and get our point across. In fact, we’re going to get a couple of thumbs up. 

“I’m sorry for being a drunk. Don’t drink and drive and end up like me!” See? Apologizing is way better.

Apologizing allows us to recover from the shouts of angry folks even after cutting into the front of a long line. Those in the back might not be happy, but they know we’re sorry about being rude. We don't actually move to the back of the line, but we keep apologizing to diffuse the anger. "Really! I'm sorry about this!"

We say, “Sorry!” When we bump into someone and spill coffee onto their shirt. "I'm an idiot. I'm so sorry." It’s amazing, but that apology about our weird mental and physical limitations will probably save us from a whooping. 

An apology can also allow Christians to be apologetically brutal. “I’m sorry. I can’t use that hospital for my treatment. They provide abortion services. Can you please back up and drive this ambulance over to St. Francis Hospital? Yeah, I know, but I can't go in there.”

It’s likely cultural suicide these days to admit our beliefs. I’m simply saying that apologizing for our beliefs might buy us some time to get safely back home without our car getting egged for our anti-abortion bumper sticker. Perhaps the bumper stickers can all be rewritten.

“I’m sorry, but I believe abortion kills babies.” 

“I apologize, however chastity motivates my decisions.” 

“I beg your pardon, but I believe God loves me.”