More on "Open Choice"

I would like to describe my thoughts in more detail on what it means to be an )open( church.  See The Open Church for an introduction to the core values and beliefs.  For each of the core values, I will discuss:

1. Motivation (Why do we care about this?)
2. Open vs. Closed (What's the difference?)
3. Next Steps (How do we change?)

Open Choice
or "Freedom!"

See my posts The Theology of Freedom, The Good News of Freedom and Church in a Trance for more on Freedom.  I can't seem to stop talking about it.

1. Motivation (Why do we care about this?)

• Because God Designed Us for Free Will: God created us with a choice engine: a trio of mind, emotion and spirit that inhabits our bodies.  Then he entered into relationship with us as recorded in the Bible and the history of the church.  By God's design and continuing work in this world, we can use our ability to choose to accept God's offer of relationship ("Grace") and accept God's offer of help ("the Holy Spirit") to live our lives as his children who make right choices.  
• Because Freedom is Valuable: The Bible's message is rich in Freedom.   Freedom defines our Salvation and is thus the core of the gospel message that Jesus died to bring us, so it is God's greatest gift to man.  Freedom defines right treatment of others, as we value their freedom and therefore empower them, release them, and love them as individuals, the way that God liberates us.  Freedom defines the right behavior of the local and global Church!  Groups of believers simply participate in the Kingdom of Heaven, and must AVOID tendencies toward elitism, control, self-gratification, isolationism, and exclusion of outsiders.  God does not enslave us through systems of control.  God-inspired Freedom is the Freedom to do Right and to love others Right.  It is never Freedom to harm others or to allow others to do so.
• Because Freedom Brings the Kingdom of Heaven to the World: When we preach and live out the message of Freedom, we are bringing the gospel to the world.  The gospel (meaning the Good News) is the message of Salvation (meaning the liberation of captives) through Grace (meaning God's unconditional love and acceptance of us).  The significant new thing that Jesus' coming brought was the beginning of a new era called the Kingdom of Heaven (or Kingdom of God), in which the old way based on sacrifices and law-keeping was no longer helpful to enter into relationship with God.  Instead, relationship was offered through free choice, open to all, and bought by the singular sacrifice of Jesus.  The Kingdom of Heaven is the continuing presence of Jesus on Earth, through his believers.  By believing in him, following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and bringing good things into the world, we are building his kingdom on Earth.  In doing so, we bring liberation to the world!  

2. Open vs. Closed (What's the difference?)

Open	Closed
The church is our participation in the Kingdom of Heaven, where people are free because God has liberated them.  We don't add standards of beliefs or behavior which lead to levels and categories of Christians and give us ammunition to judge one another.	The church can become a kingdom unto itself, with rules of membership, comfort of members, and focus on building an inward-looking community.  The rules are often enforced in various ways that lead people with differences to know they are not welcome, and leads believers to know what behavior and ideals are required.
The gospel message is viewed as a message of liberation to the world.  If God has freed us, then we must actively offer freedom to others.  The message is positive, hopeful, and easy to share because it carries God's love to others.	The gospel message is viewed as a golden standard of faith and actions.  Instead of experiencing and sharing freedom, we preach a message of failure and condescension.  For people to accept our message, they must accept that they are lower than us and worthy of judgment.  The message we carry is contradictory: God loves us, but only after we give up our freedom.
Applies the gospel message of freedom as a standard of behavior and fair treatment to all.  We must live the message we preach.  We must let it transform our families, friendships and communities.  The light of freedom shows more clearly the darkness of judgment, pride, control, elitism and exploitation.	Applies the gospel message of judgment as a standard of behavior and fair treatment.  We must judge others as God judges us.  We must prepare each other for eternal judgment.  By valuing our eternal souls more than our earthly lives, we neglect people's physical and emotional needs and focus on spiritual rightness.  We grow cold to mundane details of life on Earth as we focus our eyes on heaven.

3. Next Steps (How do we change?)

• Reword all church messages, policies, songs, and teaching materials to remove negative, judgmental or divisive language.  We are not dirt.  We are not worms.  Do not allow teachers to teach our children that they are nothing unless they conform.
• Actively liberate all people who join us as Christians.  Let them know they are valued as they are, and not for how they can be like us.  Apply this deliberately to people who fit in LESS well than others, such as non-believers, people of other religions, or people of low social standing.  Love those people!  Apply the same freedom to people in your group.  Encourage them to be unique rather than the same.  Appreciate the contribution of each different type of person, and how they help to build a more complete community.
• Tear down the systems of control and kingdoms built by man, for man.  Value people rather than ideals.  Do not capture people into a system, but point them toward the true kingdom of God.  Do not force people to honor God in certain ways, but let God speak for himself.  Let each person bring his/her gift to God.