For the past few days I’ve thought about rightness of place. Depending upon the speaker when I hear the phrase “rightness of place” it takes me in a few different directions. One may be the definition of righteousness meaning “right standing.” The other may be the shocking order “know your place.” However, I was recently transported away to my teens when I was a bus captain on the inner city church bus route. My job was to dismount the bus, knock on doors, load our passengers, and get them to church. Tammy, my co-captain, was the cheerleader. We would help each other corral the kids and keep their attention. By the time we loaded up the buses and hit I-75 northbound, some of the children would have already been on the bus for hours. To keep them occupied we would sing. One of those songs was brought to memory today was, “I don’t have to settle for less because I’m king’s kid. All the riches of His kingdom now are mine. I’ve been purchased by His blood and I’ve been adopted. Now I’m living like a king’s kid all the time.”
Now that’s rightness of place!
Throughout my teen and young adult years, that song gave me great pride as a Christian. It was a proclamation, a play bill, a warning to the devil himself, and the world in general to not mess with me. That attitude was reinforced by the church with the unwritten fine print that since I was Pentecostal that you need to be too. The Alternative was to pack your bags because hell was your next stop. Along with that attitude came the assurance that we were always right. Even if we were deadly wrong we were divinely right in our wrongness. There was even a song for that, “The Church of God is right – hallelujah to the Lamb…”
Those philosophies were sadly trampled when I faced the planet that revolved in real time with the rest of universe.
Please don’t misunderstand, I still love Pentecost. I attended and am an Associate Pastor in a Radically Inclusive Pentecostal church. I unapologetically worship with my whole self. I wade in and full body, immersed into the flow of the Holy Ghost. I even still love to say “Holy Ghost” rather than “Holy Spirit,” because it just sounds more “Pentecostally.” I love the connection that flows from person to person, and shows a physical reaction, and bursts forth in spontaneous eruption. Am I better than anyone for this? No. But I am a better me. Do I think that everyone should be Pentecostal? No. I’m not foolish enough to believe that.
We only have two feet and there are millions of styles of footwear. The Bible clearly states to seek out your own soul’s salvation. There is no Greek or Hebrew to dismember this Scripture and it wasn’t written in tongues.
When I hear someone say they’re a Christian, it doesn’t make a connection like it once did. If fact, I tense up and find the nearest exit. The word “Christian” has been redefined as those who place themselves above anyone and anything else. It has become a manifestation of a loveless God who would rather rain down fire at their command than to love beyond the four walls of a church. A God who co-signs their schemes, and at the mere mention of His name they’re given permission to call down judgment, and pronounce a verdict of hell. I’ve even grown wary of those who say they have an “open mind” because it’s become another ploy to get people to open up quicker and receive their sentencing.
I don’t place myself at a higher standard than judgmental Christians. I’ve learned differently, because I was once there. If they didn’t look, act, eat, and shop like us then they didn’t belong. And knowing I was gay I even judged myself. I understand where they come from even if I don’t agree. At times it’s embarrassing to know I was once there. It’s comparable to family reunions when the crazy folks come out to join in the festivities. You love them because they’re family, but you’d rather not let the whole world know you’re related.
Religions built around Christ’s principles are a myriad account of contradictions. They are revelations of how to make everyone else wrong and themselves right; built from the words of Jesus who was trying to bring us all together. Jesus, being the very manifestation of God, is love by nature. The church as a whole has become so waylaid by pomp and circumstance that it has been forgotten or maybe concealed that we come together to love one another. From a psychological stand point, the church should be a support group of like-minded individuals trying to make a spiritual connection. A place where the individual is fed: spiritually, mentally, and if needed, physically.
If you’re searching for a church please don’t judge the entire organization by a few members who get on your nerves. That would be like judging a farmer’s entire livestock for having one sick pig. We as a people, and especially Americans, often confuse the church with God. That’s the reason the church and its followers are the leading cause of atheism today. Also remember there is no such thing as the perfect church, but there is a perfect church for you. Do your homework, comparison shop, and find the rightness of place for yourself.
