{"id":7114,"date":"2019-10-01T11:41:37","date_gmt":"2019-10-01T16:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedisciplemaker.org\/?p=7114"},"modified":"2019-10-01T11:41:37","modified_gmt":"2019-10-01T16:41:37","slug":"how-metoo-leads-us-to-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navpress.com\/sites\/thedisciplemaker\/2019\/10\/how-metoo-leads-us-to-jesus\/","title":{"rendered":"How #MeToo Leads Us to Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

A friend told me how her father abandoned her family in the late 1950\u2019s. She was just a little girl. He vanished from their lives, never paid a dime to help, and acted like they never existed. My friend\u2019s mom did the best she could, but it was a struggle. Because of her church\u2019s dogmatic teaching, she never filed for divorce, never considered finding companionship with another husband, and just accepted her lonely lot. She assumed that the only two choices were to stay single for the rest of her life or to dishonor God.
\nMy friend loves her mom and respects her humility. But she also wonders how things might\u2019ve been different if her mom would\u2019ve known what the Bible actually says: \u201cAbandonment is grounds for divorce.\u201d (I unpack this tough topic in a sermon<\/a> I preached on 2\/10\/19). Divorce is never good, but sometimes it\u2019s the lesser of two terrible options. Jesus knew it would be necessary sometimes because of the \u201chardness of hearts.\u201d And Jesus knew His Spirit could bring healing, hope, and help to those scarred by the realities of broken marriages.
\nIt makes me wonder: what if the church, rather than Woodstock culture, powered the revolution that sought to elevate women\u2019s rights in the 60\u2019s? What if the entire movement was shaped by the way Jesus treated women? All of this leads me to ponder #MeToo.<\/p>\n

From Jesus to #MeToo<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I\u2019m glad #MeToo came. I\u2019m thankful there\u2019s a growing chance that perpetrators like Harvey Weinstein will no longer be able to victimize people \u2013 at least not without severe consequences. I\u2019m encouraged to see churches, schools, businesses, and politicians held accountable.
\nOf course, a movement like this won\u2019t always be healthy. False accusations will bear more weight. Innocent people might pay the price. Because the stakes are so high, I hope Christians will engage and steer the movement in healthy ways. It seems like something Jesus might\u2019ve done.
\nImagine if Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John would\u2019ve used hashtags to describe Jesus\u2019 activism:
\n#SheToo
\n#ChildrenToo
\n#SamaritanLivesMatter
\n#HugLepers
\n#TruthAndGrace
\nA Biblical way to pronounce #MeToo<\/em> is Imago Dei<\/em>. All people are made in the image of God, so every person on the planet is unfathomably precious to God. Nothing can take that way \u2013 not their gender, not their ethnicity, and not even their mistakes. Embracing Imago Dei <\/em>means I am valuable, but it doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m more valuable than you or anyone else. It needs to be #MeToo or #SheToo, not #MeOnly or #WeBetter.<\/p>\n

From #MeToo to Jesus<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One complaint against Christianity is that it\u2019s too sexually restrictive. For five decades the broader culture declared: \u201cGod should stay out of people\u2019s bedrooms, lives, and preferences.\u201d Some of this was a natural pushback against overbearing moralism, while much of it was grounded in the oldest of human impulses \u2013 the disastrous desire to be our own god. \u201cNo Rules (that I don\u2019t like) Allowed! No Sexual Ethic!\u201d
\nThen came #MeToo. Suddenly, although often clumsily, the larger culture is saying, \u201cOK, maybe some stuff is bad. Maybe we need some rules.\u201d And then we hit another snag: who decides what those some rules<\/em> are?
\nPoliticians? (Oh goodness, I hope not.)
\nMob Mentality? (It works great as long as you are currently in the mob.)
\nMy Opinion? (I see a fight brewing.)
\nAnd here\u2019s where Christians have an opportunity to share God\u2019s love for the world. Maybe the talking points could be something like this:<\/p>\n