Recently I heard Audrey Aussad’s version of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Her version’s verse goes something like this:
I’ve seen you in our home fires
Burning with a quiet light
You are mothering and feeding
In the wee hours of the night
Your gentle love is patient
You will never fade or tire.
Your peace will make us one.
In the past few years, our church has faced crises that have ravaged it. Conversations have devolved into screaming matches and facebook arguments. Twitter has become a flaming garbage dump of hate and anger. Obviously, it could go on and on.
I have friends who have left the church because the arguing goes on and on. It is exhausting and discouraging. To try to maintain some level of spirituality when every time I (or my friends) get online, someone in our church is making fun of, criticizing, or emotionally decimating someone who is theologically or any other way different, is disturbing and discouraging.
So here’s my Christmas wish
I’m asking every Adventist, everywhere, to choose to take one month off of arguing about theology, positions, etc etc for one month.
From Nov 25-Dec 25, I’m asking for a special hiatus. I’m not asking anyone to change their opinions, or convictions. I’m not asking anyone to stop speaking their convictions. I’m simply asking that we keep arguments off of the public spaces of the internet.
If we could simply commit to bringing a little “Peace on Earth” to the Adventist Church, it could change lives.
I mean that.
A 10 year old girl wrote a letter to the USSR’s General Secretary during the height of the Cold War. She pleaded with him to end the standoff. In a remarkable turn of events, it worked. Her letter and later visit to the USSR significantly altered the course and eventually contributed to the end of the Cold War.
That’s essentially what I’m trying to do here. If for one month we can stop arguing, making fun, and being so generally theologically xenophobic on every single side of this issue, maybe, maybe for a short time we can truly have peace on earth in Adventism.
It is never too late to try to make things better.
If you want to be a part of this or help spread this message, share and #adventpeaceonearth (it’s a pun, guys). Write your own letter and commit to bringing peace during this holiday season.
yours truly,
Casey
