{"id":19931,"date":"2024-08-20T10:33:13","date_gmt":"2024-08-20T10:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/?p=19931"},"modified":"2024-08-23T03:40:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T03:40:13","slug":"movement-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/movement-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Movement 7"},"content":{"rendered":"

20 August 2024| St Albans, UK [Adrian Peck, with tedNEWS<\/em>]<\/p>\n

Johnny turns up to your church services for the first time. Being a church community that values acceptance, you overlook the pungent mix of alcohol and cigarette odour that follows him around as if he is generating his own climate. His clothes are shabby and ill-fitting and display some disturbing stains. You are OK with this, as the local minister has drilled into the congregation that you need to accept people like this. A couple of weeks later, he falls asleep and loses control of his bladder. Subsequently, the floor is sanitised. The pew cushions are unceremoniously burnt as they are way past being rescued. But that is ok because the church welcomes the \u2018least of these,\u2019 and that includes Johnny.<\/p>\n

In the spirit of good fellowship, there are often shared lunches where the members bring food for themselves and others. For many, this is the highlight of the month because rather than rushing off at the service\u2019s conclusion, they get to talk, share and really get to know and support each other. Johnny\u2019s introduction to this tradition proves eventful. He has not eaten nutritious food in such quantities in a long while, causing his stomach to violently protest at the sudden intrusion. Most of the lovingly prepared food finds its way back out into the wild, liberally coating the cubicle, cistern, toilet seat and pan that Johnny thankfully made it to before projectile vomiting. The members who are blessed with the spiritual gifts of service and helps, spring into action to clean up the facilities and Johnny \u2013 all is once again spic and span.<\/p>\n

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Johnny has had a particularly rough night. The service has acted like an anaesthetic and, combined with comfortable cushions and a warm room, sleep is irresistible for him.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A few weeks later, the preacher has come to a poignant moment in their sermon. For both effect and to allow the congregation to contemplate what has been said, she pauses dramatically. Meanwhile, Johnny has had a particularly rough night. The service has acted like an anaesthetic and, combined with comfortable cushions and a warm room, sleep is irresistible for him. As the speaker looks meaningfully into the congregation\u2019s eyes, the silence is suddenly shattered by a sonorous snore from Johnny that seems to hit the decibel level of a jet engine. The moment is lost forever. Looks of shock mingle with sniggers. But in the end, that is fine. Johnny cannot help it.<\/p>\n

An uncomfortable presence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fast forward several months and Johnny is still providing unwanted sound effects with devastatingly efficient timing. He has deposited the contents of his stomach at various places around the building. He continues to be accompanied by eye-wincing aromas. Plans are hatched to help Johnny out. Clothing is offered but, alas, is vigorously rebuffed. He is encouraged to enrol in Alcoholics Anonymous to help with his addictions, but after one meeting, he declares that it is not for him. Food parcels are accepted, but the suspicion is they are discarded on the journey home. Johnny is gently encouraged to sit on chairs that are more easily cleaned. During services, sentries are positioned next to him, charged with delivering judicious nudges to help keep Johnny in a conscious, non-snoring state. However, on one occasion, this measure backfires as Johnny splutters awake after one particularly firm elbow in the ribs and ejects expletives out into the atmosphere like confetti.<\/p>\n

Reformation required<\/strong><\/p>\n

Patience starts to wear thin. Every effort to help Johnny comes to nothing. The chats with him about his behaviour begin to get pointed and firm but prove no more effective. The many measures to bring about a reformed, clean-cut Johnny end in abject failure. After months of trying, acceptance has worn thin and reached its expiry date. Finally, it is decided that Johnny should be persuaded that he would be better off elsewhere.<\/p>\n

It turns out, that as welcoming as the congregation were at first, it is apparent their acceptance can be characterised as partial, temporary and contingent. It is partial because they do not accept Johnny for all that he is. It is temporary because of that expiry date. It is contingent because they were accepting of him on the understanding that, eventually, a non-smelling, non-vomiting, non-snoring version of Johnny would emerge.<\/p>\n

Acceptance is not easy.\u00a0 It is often misconstrued as conferring approval. If I accept you, it must mean that I accept everything you do. If I accept the things you do, it follows I must approve of them. This logic means we quickly reject those whose behaviour, appearance, or any other aspect of their being we find disagreeable.<\/p>\n

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Acceptance is not easy.\u00a0 It is often misconstrued as conferring approval. If I accept you, it must mean that I accept everything you do.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Acceptance is not the same as approval<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, acceptance is not the same as approval. Acceptance is embracing and recognising someone as they are. Despite what they do, even things with which we disagree, we still welcome them as fellow human beings, as fellow bearers of the image of God as fractured as the one seen in us, and as someone whom God loves, too.<\/p>\n

There is an intriguing passage about acceptance that runs from Romans 14:1 to 15:7. Paul begins and ends this passage with similar instructions.<\/p>\n

\u2018Accept <\/strong>the one whose faith is weak, without quarrelling over disputable matters.\u2019 14:1<\/p>\n

\u2018Accept<\/strong> one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, to bring praise to God.\u2019 15:7[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

The passage sees Paul taking his readers on a journey from accepting just the weak in 14:1 to accepting everyone<\/em> in 15:7. The underlying meaning of the word in Greek translated as \u2018accept\u2019 here and \u2018welcome\u2019 elsewhere, is to \u2018incorporate each other into your Christian circle with no inner reservations\u2019 or \u2018to take to oneself.\u2019[2]<\/a>\u00a0 In between, he outlines what such acceptance looks like in practice, where he advises:<\/p>\n