Reading the discussions on Scot McKnight's blog regarding Al Mohler and recent trends within evangelicalism, and also taking into account my own rejection of Young Earth Creationism views and of 5-point-Calvinism, made me question what exactly Big Tent Christianity as a vision and as a movement is trying to accomplish. Is it all about the minimalist vision of Christians with different traditions, views and interpretations ceasing to condemn or exclude each other and instead seeing those we don't agree with as true members of the same family, in other words: about pitching the tent wide enough to push no one out that actually does belong? Or is it about much more, namely an attempt to flesh out and work out what the apostle Paul described as our common goal of the "unity in the faith"? And if it is the latter, how do we envision such opposite camps, in regards to so many key issues, dropping their guards, finding common ground, and actually feeling compelled to approach each other in humility and love?
As long as our own sense of belonging is based on a felt shared connection based on individual values, convictions and beliefs, our personal tent by definition will never be wider than the space covered by those we perceive as "kindred spirits" and as part of our own tribe. We may not necessarily condemn those who choose to believe differently but we are certainly not going to make a big effort to seek fellowship with them or see them as an indispensable part of God's kingdom either. And without this active communion it seems rather pointless to be in the same tent to begin with.
But what if our personal sense of belonging based on perception was irrelevant? What if our convictions were secondary to the facts established by God - including the manifold expressions of faith within the same family of God? How can we possibly move beyond mutually exclusive definitions and statements of faith unless we establish first of all (NOT by definition but plain observation!) what the Holy Spirit has done through creating faith in a great variety of people, backgrounds and cultures?
If Jesus Christ has become vitally important to the way we see and relate to God, each other, and the world around us - aptly summarized in that central confession of the early Christians "Jesus is Lord" - the tent is never narrower than the space where the Spirit is at work. Trying to limit that space would be as useless and futile as trying to catch the wind. Those who by God's grace are able to see the kingdom, have better and more important business to attend to than constantly judging who is truly able to see it together with them or is not quite there yet. We ought to be much more concerned about seeing the goodness implied in the message of Christ spread and put into practice in word and in deed, particularly considering the huge challenges the world faces at the moment.
The question of belonging is vital and important. But let's remember that the Lordship of Christ is not dependent on people's individual response to God's established facts. The call to faith and obedience in the early apostolic message was a call to embrace what was already true from God's perspective. It is a world already reconciled to God in Christ that it is called to actively embrace the truth that they are loved and redeemed as demonstrated in the cross. In that particular sense, EVERYBODY belongs, and the evangelistic thrust and passion is to make that fact known and understood. Big Tent in that sense ought to be an orientation rather than a definition, and instead of quarreling with those we don't get along with very well because of their differing views, let's celebrate the fact that God's tent - or to use another term: "God's flock" - is constantly expanding!
