Defining Grace

In light of some recent study on the actual meaning of grace, I have reconsidered a position I have held for the last couple of years. Those of you who know me are well aware that on the issue of immigration I have always held that the borders must be better secured, their should be no amnesty granted, and that any path to citizenship for illegal immigrants must take into account those who are already in the citizenship process and allow for those people who are here legally to have precedence. I still believe that the borders need to be secured but on the other two I have some modifications.

Contrary to the opinion of the modern-day humanist, America is a Christian nation and therefore we should understand grace, but we don’t. We have an egalitarian, democratic view of what grace is; we think that grace is earned. Now of course, most professing Christians would tell you that the definition of grace prohibits it from being earned, but we do not act that way; if one person receives grace from another, everyone else thinks they are entitled to the same. It is this type of thinking that led me to the view that we cannot simply provide amnesty for those illegal immigrants that are presently inside our borders: If we grant it to them now, we’ll have to continue to give it to anyone that manages to get across the border. But that is not true. America should show the rest of the world what the true definition of grace is and grant amnesty to all illegal immigrants that currently reside inside our borders as well as those who are currently on the legal path to citizenship. After a background check and some paperwork, they will be made citizens. Then we say that from this point forward, anyone caught as an illegal immigrant will be immediately deported or prosecuted for breaking immigration laws. As Christians, we understand that grace motivates. These people who have received unmerited grace will be more inclined to blend into American society as citizens as the United States of America.

I know that this plan would require a lot more refining but the principle is that we have received unmerited grace from our Father and why should we not reciprocate. I know it does not sound fair and that people will say, “It is not fair to those who have been in the citizenship process legally to have illegal immigrants suddenly brought to an equal level.” I would refer those people to Mathew 20:1-16, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. As a sovereign nation, it is our option, perceived as fair or not.

With several of the major Christian denominations holding their denominational conferences this past week, there has been a lot of controversy in the Christian world. One that is drawing particular attention is the decision of the SBA to restrict their pastors from the partaking of any alchoholic beverages. In light of this descision, I have decided to draft my own psuedo-bi-law for a fictional denomination. That bi-law follows:




First, I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read and fully understand our position on this matter. While some in the world may think our position trivial and possibly even legalistic we will show that it is not trivial and will only deepen our commitment to the faith. In the most recent update of our bi-laws, we added the resolution that prohibits all licensed pastors of our denomination from attending or viewing movies or films with a rating over the MPAA rating of G. We have had a fair amount of feedback both positive and negative on the matter. Some have praised the decision as a “substantial gain,” while others have called it “pharisaical” and have asked us to present our rational for the decision; that rationale follows.

The Motion Picture Association of America is the group responsible for determining the ratings of motion pictures here in America. The criteria for a “G” taken from the MPAA’s website are: “This is a film which contains nothing in theme, language, nudity and sex, violence, etc. that would, in the view of the Rating Board, be offensive to parents whose younger children view the film. The G rating is not a certificate of approval nor does it signify a children’s film. Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated films. The violence is at a minimum. Nudity and sex scenes are not present, nor is there any drug use content.” While we still feel that adults should exercise caution in what G-rated movies they choose to see (because of the potential violence and sexual undertones) we do believe that a vast majority of these films, while not edifying, are at least clean.

A look at the PG guidelines forces a different take: “This is a film which clearly needs to be examined by parents before they let their children attend. The label PG plainly states parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, but leaves the parent to make the decision. Parents are warned against sending their children, unseen and without inquiry, to PG-rated movies. The theme of a PG-rated film may itself call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity in these films. There may be some violence or brief nudity. However, these elements are not considered so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated film. The PG rating, suggesting parental guidance, is thus an alert for examination of a film by parents before deciding on its viewing by their children. Obviously such a line is difficult to draw. In our pluralistic society it is not easy to make judgments without incurring some disagreement. As long as parents know they must exercise parental responsibility, the rating serves as a meaningful guide and as a warning.” Most adults would be able to discern what is viewable and what is not, but because of the temptations offered by “brief nudity,” “violence,” and “profanity” to some people, we feel that it is safer to prohibit our pastors and leaders from attending or viewing these films. While most would be able to handle the situation, the chance that a weaker brother may be put into a position in which they may stumble is not worth the liberty. We hope that this adequately explains our position and that you will prayerfully adhere to this new guideline.

Well, everyone else is doing it so I figured I should too. Blogging is all the rage. I have never been one to share my thoughts in an open forum but decided that it might not be a bad idea to have those ideas challenged by intelligent people from time to time. So if anyone reads these things it would be cool to get feedback. I'll probably spout off about a number of things, but mostly religion/spirituality (I am a Christian), politics, social issues, and music. Thanks for reading.