Witt's End

 Has our church cultured cheapened the Atoning sacrifice of our Savior? I think specifically about purity culture. The idea that purity is upheld and extolled above all else.  Many of us have sat through the chewing gum lesson in church circles. A new piece of gum is held up, and told it’s our purity, look how great it is. Then it’s chewed up and put down on the wrapper. It can’t go back to the way it was. I’ve seen similar lessons demonstrated with a glass or other fragile object. Then and now my reaction has always been, “what the hell?!?” The whole idea of redemption, the whole purpose of an atonement, of salvation is being able to overcome and be restored from our sin and fallen state. The entire purpose. Yet somehow we’ve made it seem that not having to access that restorative power is somehow so much elevated over having to use it. Now I’m not saying that I want people to struggle and suffer. I don’t. But I feel like we are creating incentives to not come forward and not use the

Would I have mocked Noah for building a boat? Would I have sided with David or Saul? Would I have followed Jeremiah? Would I have followed Christ? Would I have believed he was resurrected? Those are the religious what if questions I ask all the time about my faith and experience. And if we’re being intellectually honest we don’t know the answer. We can hope. But we don’t know for sure. We can’t know. It gets even more challenging when I start addressing the historical examples. Would I have fought for or against Roman invasion and occupation of the lands of my ancestors? Would I have gone on crusades? Would I go to the New World or would I have stuck in out in the Motherland? Would I have participated in Witch Trials? Would I have joined the Continental Army or been a loyalist? Would I have supported or opposed ratification of the constitution? Would I have supported abolition? Would I stay in the Union, join the confederacy or ignore the war? Would I have homesteaded and settled the w