It must be hard for dogs and cats to get along. Melanie and I have been watching videos of dogs and cats. They are so different. One might think the dogs are the aggressors in the conflict. The posted videos on social media skew the other way. Woe to the dog who just wants to pass the cat sleeping on the stairs. A tiny cat attacked my large, leashed labradog as I walked her one day. Paisley’s collar was unfortunately loose. So she pulled out of the collar and ran right at the cat. This was not good!
We see similar conflicts between humans in our world these days. Polarization rules the day. The water of anger and anxiety has seeped into the church’s boat, too. Christians in our world sometimes fight over politics, pandemics, vaccines, masks, and music. Conflict in the church goes back to the first band of disciples. The church in Rome was not exempt. At the risk of oversimplification, we might say, after Paul wrote tremendous theology for eleven chapters, he moved into a practical application. In 12:9-21, he paints a picture of what life might be like in the church. Then he reminded the early Christians and us that we all belong to Christ. Gentiles and Jews came together in the church at Rome and quarreled over what foods were appropriate to eat. The Gentiles felt great freedom to eat, but the Jews were bound by ancient dietary customs. They judged each other harshly. Paul taught that the way we treat each other is more important than the issue at hand. The witness of the church is at stake.
As I listen to different sides of conflicts these days, I hear people acting as though these matters are “ultimate.” To be clear, only the kingdom of God is ultimate. Paul concludes that the kingdom of God, already among us, is not finally about eating and drinking but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. God himself lives among us by his Spirit and watches over us, holding us accountable for our treatment of each other.
Back to my story. When Paisley arrived at the cat, the cat bowed its back, made a strange growl and swatted at her. Paisley looked at the cat, turned around, and ran back to me. This was good. I put her collar back on and we walked away without a fight. We don’t have to quarrel with others. Disagreements will happen but fighting is avoidable. We can walk away. A gentle answer turns away wrath. Roy Hudson, my elderly deacon at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, used to say, “We can disagree without being disagreeable.” He was right.
