What I dream of is an art of balance. — Henry MatisseMost of the time I feel like a little kid when he gets a piano all to himself for the first time.Yeah, it’s fun plop your fingers down at random, discovering which side makes the low notes and which side makes the high ones.But the choppy bursts eventually get annoying even to adolescent ears.Then, in a moment of prodigy, the real treasure is found: the scale.Low keys to high.High back to low.It only takes one finger, but, oh, the sound.And this scale, this spectrum of noise, demands one thing if you are to enjoy all it has to offer: you must go from one end to the other.I am an advocate of balance in perspective.This is painfully difficult for me to say, being born a fundamentalist and all.Let’s just say, if my childhood knew this, I’d be chased off the farm.And it upsets me even more because for well over a decade I had the market cornered on spirituality.I was right.I knew I was right.And if you didn’t know I was right, then you’d better get right with the Lord. Ironically, when I finally realized I may not have always been right, I wanted to get right with the Lord.In other words, I needed equilibrium—and fast.I packed my bags and left for the land of liberality.Three years of relativism later, I just wanted the piano to fall on me.Balance is a word uncommon to scripture, used here and there referring weighing certain things.Jesus never said, “So shall ye walk in balance,” whatever that would mean.But he did say things like, “I pray that they may be one” and “May they be brought to complete unity” (John 17).Two millenniums and 38,000 denominations later, we’re still working on that one.A Hindu friend asked me today, “What is Baptist?”I wasn’t thrilled to describe it as one of 38,000 ways to view a God who claims to be clearly revealed and unchanging, so I just said, “It’s a de-nom-i-na-tion—we’ll talk about it later.”My response to our disunity—let me rephrase—our variety?Balance.Is God surprised that the five churches on my street are of five different perspectives?Is he angry?Confused?Absolutely not.For this very reason God empowered the local church to paint itself.Variety is not the great evil.It allows the created to take in the magnitude of the Creator.Billions of these awkward two-legged creatures called humans roam the earth in the same general size and shape, and yet each one is utterly distinct.And this variety, this spectrum of being, demands one thing if you are to enjoy all it has to offer: you must go from one end to the other.I’m a fundamentalist in part.I’m also quite the liberal.Catch me on certain days and I’ll reveal my charismatic side.Moments later you’ll see my Mennonite tendencies.Deep down in me is a red-faced preacher with a KJV, a televangelist offering prosperity, and a devoted nun reading liturgy.And somehow we’ve all become good friends.There is beauty and wealth in every perspective.“Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christisall, and is in all” (Colossians 3:11).Because of our common God and his presence across the board, there is beauty and wealth in every perspective.Because of our common brokenness there are also missed targets in every viewpoint, aspects and ideas unworthy of application.Thus, what is at stake?A clearer picture of our God.A greater appreciation of our family.A more balanced spirituality.
March 27, 2008...3:49 pm
Enjoying the Spectrum: A Plea for Balance
By Brad Bell
What I dream of is an art of balance. — Henry Matisse Most of the time I feel like a little kid when he gets a piano all to himself for the first time. Yeah, it’s fun plop your fingers down at random, discovering which side makes the low notes and which side makes the high ones. But the choppy bursts eventually get annoying even to adolescent ears. Then, in a moment of prodigy, the real treasure is found: the scale. Low keys to high. High back to low. It only takes one finger, but, oh, the sound. And this scale, this spectrum of noise, demands one thing if you are to enjoy all it has to offer: you must go from one end to the other. I am an advocate of balance in perspective. This is painfully difficult for me to say, being born a fundamentalist and all. Let’s just say, if my childhood knew this, I’d be chased off the farm.And it upsets me even more because for well over a decade I had the market cornered on spirituality. I was right. I knew I was right. And if you didn’t know I was right, then you’d better get right with the Lord. Ironically, when I finally realized I may not have always been right, I wanted to get right with the Lord. In other words, I needed equilibrium—and fast. I packed my bags and left for the land of liberality. Three years of relativism later, I just wanted the piano to fall on me. Balance is a word uncommon to scripture, used here and there referring weighing certain things. Jesus never said, “So shall ye walk in balance,” whatever that would mean. But he did say things like, “I pray that they may be one” and “May they be brought to complete unity” (John 17). Two millenniums and 38,000 denominations later, we’re still working on that one. A Hindu friend asked me today, “What is Baptist?” I wasn’t thrilled to describe it as one of 38,000 ways to view a God who claims to be clearly revealed and unchanging, so I just said, “It’s a de-nom-i-na-tion—we’ll talk about it later.” My response to our disunity—let me rephrase—our variety? Balance. Is God surprised that the five churches on my street are of five different perspectives? Is he angry? Confused? Absolutely not. For this very reason God empowered the local church to paint itself. Variety is not the great evil. It allows the created to take in the magnitude of the Creator. Billions of these awkward two-legged creatures called humans roam the earth in the same general size and shape, and yet each one is utterly distinct. And this variety, this spectrum of being, demands one thing if you are to enjoy all it has to offer: you must go from one end to the other.I’m a fundamentalist in part. I’m also quite the liberal. Catch me on certain days and I’ll reveal my charismatic side. Moments later you’ll see my Mennonite tendencies. Deep down in me is a red-faced preacher with a KJV, a televangelist offering prosperity, and a devoted nun reading liturgy. And somehow we’ve all become good friends.There is beauty and wealth in every perspective. “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all” (Colossians 3:11). Because of our common God and his presence across the board, there is beauty and wealth in every perspective. Because of our common brokenness there are also missed targets in every viewpoint, aspects and ideas unworthy of application. Thus, what is at stake? A clearer picture of our God. A greater appreciation of our family. A more balanced spirituality.
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