ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 25, 2026
If you were to watch any of my social media, you’d see a lot of gymnastics. As one who once competed in gymnastics and then did some coaching in college, I do love the sport. Today, I watch athletes doing skills that we never dreamed of doing. And trust me, we could dream up some pretty crazy, scary stuff. There are some skills that are becoming common today that had someone suggested them back in the 80s when I was competing, I would have laughed out loud. In Men’s Gymnastics, scoring has changed, in part, because of the growing difficulty. A perfect 10 was no longer capable of measuring the level of difficulty, along with technique and form. Things have changed, and not in some small or incremental way. For men’s gymnastics, it is the same six events, but what they are doing on those events is mind-blowing. This is one of those situations where I think some people would yearn for the good old days with compulsories and the traditional way of scoring. Though I was a mediocre gymnast and only dreamed of competing on a high level, I was passionate about the sport. But I am also thankful for the way it has changed and progressed, along with the dazzling capability of these athletes. No one likes change, but I am sort of glad they are no longer using leather helmets in football. The shoe technology for long-distance running is extraordinary. The knowledge around nutrition and strength training has grown exponentially. As much as we might like things the way they once were, the old adage is true: The only constant is change, and trying to restrain it will ultimately fail. Now change should always come with questions, with thoughtful insight from experts, and with an awareness of the implications. Remember, there was fierce opposition from carriage manufacturers and equestrian businesses when the first automobiles appeared. There was anti-car legislation that was passed in some parts of the country, and religious voices decried the evils of such technology. So how did that work for the carriage builders? I sure wish there would have been a bit more emphasis on public transportation, but change will always come. Sadly, Christianity has too often tried to restrain and condemn science for simply being science. Just because the Earth is not the center of the universe did not undermine Christianity, unless your Christianity was a house of cards to begin with. Just because biologists, neurologists, and sociologists have demonstrated that same-sex attraction is not a choice and has been around since humans first started walking upright (we might not have scientific proof that goes back quite that far), it should not undermine a person’s Christian convictions unless a person is trying to hold onto the empty ideology of inerrancy. As long as science does not disprove the power of love, kindness, and mercy, I think Christianity can weather changes that come our way, and new scientific insights and technology might just expand our Jesus-following capacity.
With change comes anxiousness. It happens to the best of us, yet we trust you to remain God even when change is happening all around us. We trust the power of your unconditional love to transform even the most desperate of situations. And God, we believe that following Jesus does not put us at odds with the world around us, but as a partner seeking the best for every aspect of your creation. Amen.
