Finding Truth in a Relative Culture

WARNING: Today I am writing about topics that are controversial, and I am aware that not everyone will agree with what I have to say.  Continue reading with caution!

This past week, the State of Washington where I live has been in the news a lot.  This is because of the Spokane-area NCAAP leader who has been living her life as a black woman for many years even though she was born with white skin and blond hair.  I’m sure you’ve heard many of the comments and opinions that have been reported by the media over the past week.

While I don’t agree with Rachel Dolezal lying over the past few years, I can’t help but see a bigger picture than what has been focused on.  It seems that most people have condemned Ms. Dolezal for what she has done only a couple weeks after praising Bruce Jenner for the completion of his process of trans-gendering from a man into a woman.  I guess I see an inconsistency there.

Now don’t get me wrong – as a Christian, I definitely see moral issues with the concept of trans-gendering.  But what I don’t see is any difference between Bruce Jenner, Rachel Dolezal, or those who align themselves with the homosexual agenda.  What they have all experienced is dissatisfaction with God’s original design for them and a desire to have control over that creative process.  Why do we condemn one and praise the other?  Of course, the answer to this lies in deep-rooted cultural issues that determine what we will accept and what we will not in our country.  I’m not planning to discuss all of these here, but here’s something I do know: culture does not determine truth – God’s Word does.

And here’s what God’s Word says:

Genesis 1:1 & 27 - “In the beginning, God . . . created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”         

                                           

 Psalm 139:13-16 - “For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb . . . I am fearfully and wonderfully made . . . When I was woven together . . . your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."                            

Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8 - “I the Lord do not change . . . Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”                                           

                                         

These verses tell me that God is in charge of the creative process and that he does not change to adapt to the beliefs of new cultures.  In other words, we as humans don’t get to decide that God made a mistake when he made us that requires our correction.  A proper view of God’s sovereignty allows us to rest in him instead of fighting what we don’t like.  The apostle Paul taught in Philippians 4:11-13 that our job is to find contentment in every circumstance that we find ourselves in – and this comes when we are trusting God’s strength instead of our own.

Okay, so it’s easier to see these truths while looking at others, but harder when looking at ourselves.  Maybe the Holy Spirit is convicting me, but these thoughts have crossed my mind this week as well: am I any different than the people in the media that I’ve mentioned, just because I don’t seek to change my God-given color, sex, or sexual orientation?  Why do I put on makeup before I leave my home?  Why do I color my hair?  Am I content with the skin and hair that God chose to give me?  Have I replaced God’s truth about me with lies from the culture I live in?  As Christians we need to stand for what God’s Word says in a culture that has lost its way; but we can’t forget to look inside ourselves as well.  Here’s some more truth to live by in a relative culture:

Matthew 7:3 & 5 - “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye . . . first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

John 8:7 - “If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone . . .”