Irreconcilable Differences

Why can't we all just get along? Let's meet in the middle. We should straddle the fence or be in the middle of the road. Why should we take a stand or strong position on anything? When we do, it just causes division. Besides, who is to say who is really right about anything?

Do any of those sound familiar? Where have you heard them? Politics, school, family, or maybe even in church?

How about these: never the twain shall meet, black and white, good and evil, right and wrong, or irreconcilable differences?

You hear as a justification for divorce, "irreconcilable differences", meaning that the two believe that they, though once in love, are now incompatible. Dictionary.com has this definition for irreconcilable: "conflicting ideas or beliefs that cannot be brought into harmony." Harmony meaning: agreement, unity, or peace.

In politics, we hear a lot about "bipartisan" or "reaching across the aisle". What does that really mean? We have two major parties, the DemocRats and the RepubliCan'ts. Traditionally, the cRats have been thought of as being Liberal. The iCan'ts are more Conservative. When you consider the differences in philosophy between Liberals and Conservatives, they are diametrically opposed to each other. If a politician goes to Washington, having been elected due to the philosophy stated during the campaign, how can they believe the voters will be happy when they abandon those principles to be bipartisan? Have you listened to a politician who claims to be a moderate? They are a perfect example of the terms used in the first paragraph. They believe that they are appealing to the mass of "undecided voters". They mistakenly assume that an undecided voter is a voter at all and that by being undecided, it means they want to vote for someone who has no core beliefs, who has positioned himself in the middle of the road. When it comes to election time, based on the vast differences between Liberals and Conservatives, if a citizen still does not know who they want to vote for, they do not care! Wouldn't it be exciting for a stated Conservative to get to DC and remain a true Conservative?

What about the Church? Does the Bible call for all "believers" to get along? Are we supposed to major on the minors and not be controversial? Some believe that this is exactly what we are supposed to do. The "Ecumenical Movement" believes the church should function as defined, "of or pertaining to a movement, aimed at achieving universal Christian unity and church union through international interdenominational organizations that cooperate on matters of mutual concern." (Dictionary.com). A current movement, "The Emerging Church", also believes that we should not make an issue of doctrinal differences. They feel that these divisive issues are destructive to unity and should be avoided. They believe that no one can be sure of being right on these doctrines, so no one should judge a religion which disagrees. There are no "black and white", "right or wrong" positions.

Is that how Jesus taught? Did He come to unite? -No, He came to "divide"! He is the perfect example of holding fast to core beliefs, to no compromise. There is no "middle of the road" ground in the Bible or in true Christianity. The Bible teaches about good and evil and makes a stark distinction between the two.