The First Way

“We aren’t Left or Right. Christianity is a third way.” This statement is meant to help believers see the problems of over-identifying with worldly political tribes. The third way isn’t Moderate either. It’s a distinct, called-out, set-apart identity that finds its home in God’s kingdom, under Christ’s authority. This is what the word ‘holy’ means.

The idea of a third way can be improved. It’s really the first way. It’s the way we were originally created to live. Yes, humanity has wandered far, far afield. But Jesus has come to call us back. Repentance is a return. He made a way, and he is the way. The first way.

By Degree

North and south are directions. There are poles, but few of us wind up there. North-ness and south-ness are measured by degree. In politics and religion, degrees aren't allowed; we're pushed to poles: conservative or liberal. For Christianity, this relates to our approach to God's Word. How much authority does his Word carry in my actual lived life? So I ask myself, how many degrees am I from the North Pole of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Great Commandment, Great Commission, and his other teachings? Does the answer to this question make me more conservative? Or more liberal?

Losing All Influence

The American government has been cutting funding in several areas. These are choices that come with both savings and costs. One cost is a loss of influence. Defunded programs that survive will be free of government pressure. It's true of the Church, too. When we cut ourselves off from the world, we lose influence.

Bakers influence dough by adding yeast. It's a choice: hardtack or soft sandwich bread. Significantly, Jesus chose this as an instructive metaphor for how his kingdom spreads. One caveat: God's pressure is love, not mammon.