I have decided that my “word of the month” should be “grapple.” (The verb, not the noun.) Since it’s late in January, we’ll make it the, uh, January/February word of the month.

Grap-ple [grap–uhl], verb

1. to hold or make fast to something, as with a grapple.
2. to use a grapple.
3. to seize another, or each other, in a firm grip, as in wrestling; clinch.
4. to engage in a struggle or close encounter (usually fol. by with): He was grappling with a boy twice his size.
5. to try to overcome or deal (usually fol. by with): to grapple with a problem.
(SOURCE: Dictionary.com Unabridged version 1.1)

1 : to seize with or as if with a grapple
2 : to come to grips with : wrestle
3 : to bind closely
(SOURCE: Merriam-Webster Online)

(I especially like Dictionary.com’s definitions 4 & 5, and Merriam-Webster definition 2.)

It seems like I have grappled with a lot of things lately–in a good way. Lots of stuff I’m reading, seeing, and hearing is challenging my mindsets. I just finished Velvet Elvis (see earlier blog entry), and I grappled with a lot of the ideas in that book. Last Friday, I grappled with new ways of doing worship at an event we hosted here in Tulsa. And last night, my son (The Director) and I went to see U2-3D at the IMAX theater, and I grappled some more.

U2-3D is by far the most dynamic concert film I’ve ever seen; the images and sounds are absolutely captivating. I don’t know very many modern musicians who would not cite U2 as one of their influences; they have made their mark on at least two generations now. The movie is highly recommended, if you’re anywhere around where it is, or will be, playing.

So…what was I grappling with??

I will be as general as I can so I don’t spoil the film for those who haven’t seen it (if you really don’t want to know anything, you might skip the rest of this post and come back to it after you see the film). But….

There is a strong theme through portions of the concert: “COEXIST”. Maybe you’ve seen this symbol around on bumperstickers or t-shirts:

The idea is that Muslims, Jews and Christians (and by extension, all religious groups) should be able to coexist on the planet without wars and fighting. It’s a grassroots plea for cultural reconciliation. Now, as a red-state American Christian with conservative views, I have no problem “coexisting” with Jews. They are God’s chosen people, and I have a great love for the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. But as one who remembers 9-11 and understands the violence that fundamentalist Islam can generate…admittedly I grapple with “coexisting” with Muslims. It’s not a racial thing at all, neither is it a matter of intolerance of people with different religious beliefs than my own; rather, I struggle with what Islam teaches about how “infidels” (non-Muslims) should be treated (it isn’t very “tolerant”). And because I do not believe that Allah and Jehovah are the same God, it’s hard for me to think of Muslims as “brothers”, at least in the religious/spiritual sense. So when someone with clout, someone like Bono, promotes an effort that puts Jews, Christians and Muslims in the same brotherhood…I’m not trying to be inflammatory here, just trying to be honest about what I was grappling with.

Truth is, a couple of years ago, the “Coexist” thing might have been enough to get me to walk out. But I grappled there in the theater; I listened and I watched, and I tried to understand. And as I grappled with this concept, I realized that Bono wasn’t preaching some strange universalist all-roads-lead-to-God kind of thing. It wasn’t about religion at all. “Coexist” is about people. People are people, no matter their religion, or race, or culture. And when someone says that all people should be able to coexist, that’s neither political nor religious–it’s humanitarian.

I don’t know where we American Christians developed this mentality that Christians are superior to others; I don’t believe the early church had that mentality, and it certainly isn’t conducive to showing the love of Jesus to people. Knowing Bono’s Christian beliefs, I was both humbled and inspired by his obvious expressions of love and acceptance of all mankind. As I grappled with this, I came to understand the truth behind the message.

So…sometimes it’s good to grapple with things. I highly recommend it. 🙂 One last thing…whatever you think of Bono or the questions concerning the Christian witness of U2…I still find it amazing that a whiskey-swilling, cigar-smoking, profanity-speaking Irish rockstar can do more to show the true love of Jesus to the world than the entire evangelical American church ever did. If that doesn’t tell us something needs to change with us, I don’t know what does.

Bookmark and Share

Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo. I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.