Your list is missing one of the most common areas of suffering: people (mostly women) whose spouses abandon, betray or divorce them when they did not want or choose that, and the resulting "widowed" single parent who follow's Christ calling to not remarry - either to stay available for reconciliation or to focus on raising and healing the children of the marriage.
Thanks for the excellent article. I have had similar thoughts for some time but never could articulate them. Now comes the hard part, namely living out the biblical mandate you laid out so clearly. May the Lord enable us to do so.
I very much appreciate this article you have written. I especially appreciated the following 5 things:
1. I appreciated how you mentioned that overprotecting children from challenging ideas (though I’d also say a wider range of different perspectives on social issues in general) can potentially be detrimental to the development of their emotional intelligence, which can make them more prone to becoming anxious or distressed whenever they hear ideas/perspectives that they don’t agree with (or sometimes, even those they are just unfamiliar with or have never heard of before). I’d only add that safety-ism and overprotectiveness can also have the effect of hindering a child’s development of critical thinking skills, which is also why treating youth as if they are more fragile or less capable of learning or delving into more complex/sensitive topics than they actually are, is problematic. This is also why I - and I hope I’m not berated for saying this ( it is a general remark and therefore, not meant to be taken personally by anyone in particular) - why I think if a youth in the church expresses a desire to honestly wrestle with Scripture on the matter of same-sex marriage and/or gender variance, and expresses a curiosity for learning more in depth about the different views Christians have come to have on these matters; it is better to give them the necessary space and level of freedom they need to wrestle with Scripture on these matters (just like one would if it were any other matter), and ensure they are properly equipped with a basic understanding of biblical hermeneutics, and continually provided with the emotional support they’ll need to wrestle with Scripture on these matters, with integrity before God, than it is to discourage or stifle their curiosity and interest in wrestling with Scripture and learning more about the various perspectives Christians have on these matters, out of fear they will be led astray (which, whether or not one realizes it, may be an indicator that they do not fully trust that the Spirit is with/inside the youth and will guide them in their study and learning, and is capable of directing them away from error, or convicting them and leading them to repent when they do err in life or doctrine).
2. I appreciated that you went ahead and candidly expressed that you find the use of the term “minorities” - in discussions about certain groups of people in society and in the church, problematic. I too, have always had my misgivings with folks using the term “minorities” whenever referring to particular groups of people - though apparently not for all the same reasons that you and Kevin DeYoung do. For instance, the main reason I find the term “minorities” problematic is because while some people who are classified as a certain type of “minority” in our society, may use or are okay with using this term to describe themselves…most people classified as a “minority” of some sort in our society actually dislike the term because historically, this term was largely imposed on them by people and institutions of the dominant culture.
3. I appreciated what you said regarding how Christians often treat the materially poor. Like you, I am a person who is incredibly passionate about fighting poverty alongside and in collaboration with people who are materially poor. It is indeed troubling that we often tend to help or work with people who are materially poor more out of a sense of pity or obligation, rather than out of a sense of solidarity. But praises be to God, that there is always room for improvement! It brings me joy to know this.
4. I appreciated these words of wisdom and encouragement you offered in your article:
“We are not supposed to compare ourselves to others and complain about unfair portions of suffering. Instead, we are each to embrace the suffering God has allowed in our lives or called us to bear, for reasons we don’t always understand, and seek to glorify God through it, depending on Christ and growing in holiness.” (Amen, brother, Amen!)
5. Lastly, Anthony, what I appreciated about your article is that it left me with a greater understanding that the real challenge is making sure we don’t minimize or completely disregard the differences between the suffering of our siblings in Christ who are same-sex attracted or struggle with gender dysphoria, and the suffering of our siblings in Christ who do not experience same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria, while simultaneously making sure we don’t belittle or coddle our siblings in Christ who are same-sex attracted or experience gender dysphoria because of these differences. This does appear to be the hardest thing for some folks who hold an affirming view of gender variance and same-sex marriage as well as some folks who hold the traditional view of gender and marriage, to do well, consistently.
Your list is missing one of the most common areas of suffering: people (mostly women) whose spouses abandon, betray or divorce them when they did not want or choose that, and the resulting "widowed" single parent who follow's Christ calling to not remarry - either to stay available for reconciliation or to focus on raising and healing the children of the marriage.
Certainly that could be added as well. Thank you Leslie.
Thanks for the excellent article. I have had similar thoughts for some time but never could articulate them. Now comes the hard part, namely living out the biblical mandate you laid out so clearly. May the Lord enable us to do so.
Amen!
Hey Anthony,
I very much appreciate this article you have written. I especially appreciated the following 5 things:
1. I appreciated how you mentioned that overprotecting children from challenging ideas (though I’d also say a wider range of different perspectives on social issues in general) can potentially be detrimental to the development of their emotional intelligence, which can make them more prone to becoming anxious or distressed whenever they hear ideas/perspectives that they don’t agree with (or sometimes, even those they are just unfamiliar with or have never heard of before). I’d only add that safety-ism and overprotectiveness can also have the effect of hindering a child’s development of critical thinking skills, which is also why treating youth as if they are more fragile or less capable of learning or delving into more complex/sensitive topics than they actually are, is problematic. This is also why I - and I hope I’m not berated for saying this ( it is a general remark and therefore, not meant to be taken personally by anyone in particular) - why I think if a youth in the church expresses a desire to honestly wrestle with Scripture on the matter of same-sex marriage and/or gender variance, and expresses a curiosity for learning more in depth about the different views Christians have come to have on these matters; it is better to give them the necessary space and level of freedom they need to wrestle with Scripture on these matters (just like one would if it were any other matter), and ensure they are properly equipped with a basic understanding of biblical hermeneutics, and continually provided with the emotional support they’ll need to wrestle with Scripture on these matters, with integrity before God, than it is to discourage or stifle their curiosity and interest in wrestling with Scripture and learning more about the various perspectives Christians have on these matters, out of fear they will be led astray (which, whether or not one realizes it, may be an indicator that they do not fully trust that the Spirit is with/inside the youth and will guide them in their study and learning, and is capable of directing them away from error, or convicting them and leading them to repent when they do err in life or doctrine).
2. I appreciated that you went ahead and candidly expressed that you find the use of the term “minorities” - in discussions about certain groups of people in society and in the church, problematic. I too, have always had my misgivings with folks using the term “minorities” whenever referring to particular groups of people - though apparently not for all the same reasons that you and Kevin DeYoung do. For instance, the main reason I find the term “minorities” problematic is because while some people who are classified as a certain type of “minority” in our society, may use or are okay with using this term to describe themselves…most people classified as a “minority” of some sort in our society actually dislike the term because historically, this term was largely imposed on them by people and institutions of the dominant culture.
3. I appreciated what you said regarding how Christians often treat the materially poor. Like you, I am a person who is incredibly passionate about fighting poverty alongside and in collaboration with people who are materially poor. It is indeed troubling that we often tend to help or work with people who are materially poor more out of a sense of pity or obligation, rather than out of a sense of solidarity. But praises be to God, that there is always room for improvement! It brings me joy to know this.
4. I appreciated these words of wisdom and encouragement you offered in your article:
“We are not supposed to compare ourselves to others and complain about unfair portions of suffering. Instead, we are each to embrace the suffering God has allowed in our lives or called us to bear, for reasons we don’t always understand, and seek to glorify God through it, depending on Christ and growing in holiness.” (Amen, brother, Amen!)
5. Lastly, Anthony, what I appreciated about your article is that it left me with a greater understanding that the real challenge is making sure we don’t minimize or completely disregard the differences between the suffering of our siblings in Christ who are same-sex attracted or struggle with gender dysphoria, and the suffering of our siblings in Christ who do not experience same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria, while simultaneously making sure we don’t belittle or coddle our siblings in Christ who are same-sex attracted or experience gender dysphoria because of these differences. This does appear to be the hardest thing for some folks who hold an affirming view of gender variance and same-sex marriage as well as some folks who hold the traditional view of gender and marriage, to do well, consistently.
Thank you for your appreciations! It is good to read your reflections.