Disapproval And Love Are Not Mutually Exclusive

After reading the editorial in the May 30 issue of the Review, I thought of the writings of Henri J. M. Nouwen in his booklet Called To Love. For the first Thursday of Lent he writes:

"We often confuse unconditional love with unconditional approval. God loves us without conditions but does not approve of violence, hatred, suspicion and all other expressions of evil because they all contradict the love God wants to instill in the human heart. Evil is the absence of God's love. Evil does not belong to God."

According to the gospel account Jesus did not approve of the lifestyle of the Scribes and Pharisees, the money changers at the temple, the attitude of the priest and Levite on the Jericho road, etc. The loving behavior modeled by Jesus that you mentioned in your editorial included disapproval of many lifestyles.

When we use God's love (grace) as an argument for the ordination of a self-avowed practicing homosexual, we are confusing the unconditional love of God with unconditional approval. For example, why doesn't the love of God apply to the ordination of a continuing self-avowed child molester, a vocal member of the Ku Klux Klan or one who engages in family violence? If the love of God does not apply to the ordination of all lifestyles, then common logic would argue that each lifestyle needs to be examined on its own as to whether or not it is compatible with historic Christian teachings.

James Wall, the editor of Christian Century, said about the mainline Protestant churches, "We became so secular, so partisan, that we created a spiritual and moral void." Consider the woman who was accused of adultery by men who had also committed adultery. A religion of love would have said to her, "God loves you and so do I." A religion of law would have said, "Thou art a sinner and are forever cast into outer darkness." Jesus said "Arise and sin no more."

The fault line described in the Review's editorial is made of the two extremes: a religion of unconditional approval, or a religion of law. When we United Methodists stop confusing unconditional love with unconditional approval, we will start giving moral leadership for the present age.

Louis Schowengerdt
Denison, Texas

Editor's Note: Bishop Schowengerdt is a retired bishop of the United Methodist Church.