West Main

The origin of the gruesome saying, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat” seems to derive from charges of animal cruelty in the 1800s when cat fur was used in making fur coats. The issue apparently centered on when and how these poor creatures were skinned. In any case, the phrase came to mean, “There is more than one way to get things done.”

Often in life we are faced with multiple ways in which to get things done. What can make some of these choices difficult is the fact that there may not be a clear black and white, good or evil choice. Take for example the issue of general education. There is absolutely nothing in Scripture that tells us to have public schools, private schools, charter schools, or home schools. There is nothing necessarily good or evil about these modes of education. Each family will decide for themselves what they think is best, better, or good in regards to their children’s general education. Each family will weigh different facts, and weigh the same facts differently in making their choices.

The Apostle Paul alludes to these complex kinds of choices when he says, “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom 14:4-5). There is nothing inherently morally good or evil about various days Christians may or may not choose to honor throughout the year.

Yet, Christians often have moral motivations for why they are choosing or not choosing certain days as special. “The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God” (Rom 14:6). Here is a strange thing. You can have two Christians sharing the same faith in Jesus where one believes it is moral to honor a certain day, and another one believes it is moral not to honor the same day. No doubt each one could marshal a set of biblical rationales justifying their choice.  A further challenge is how one who thinks it is moral to honor a certain day does not consider immoral one who does not. On the other hand, how does one who thinks it is moral not to honor a certain day not consider immoral one who does?

Paul helps us through this conundrum by illustrating the moral choices one makes in regards to meat sacrificed to idols. The issue was never the meat as good or evil, but why one can or cannot make the choice to eat it. “The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rom 14:22-23).

In other words, when dealing with things that are neither good nor evil in themselves, we have to consider our own faith and what is motivating our choices. If in faith you believe it is morally right to honor a certain day, then for you it is the morally right thing to do. On the other hand, if in faith you believe it is morally wrong to honor a certain day, then not honoring that day is the morally right thing for you. So we must ever be watchful that we do not coerce and compel any of our brothers and sisters in Christ to make choices that violate their faith and conscience. Perhaps even harder is keeping our moral judgments on such matters “between yourself and God.” We are all too quick to judge the morality of others and to let them know what that judgment is. Paul reminds us that “each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Therefore, everyone does not need to know our moral stance on every matter. Let God be the judge. Let us be silent.

As our community in Medford contends with the teachers strike, we must remember to heed Paul’s instructions. For some, not striking is immoral. For others, striking is immoral. For others still, public education is immoral, so both strikers and non-strikers are at fault. There are biblical justifications to strike and biblical justifications not to strike. Each of our members will weigh facts differently and weigh different facts. There is no one moral way through this thicket that all would be compelled to follow. We have in the teachers strike competing moral goods in a sin-fallen world. The school board is not good and the teachers evil or the teachers good and the school board evil. Neither are parents or the student body entirely innocent of sin.

Parents, teachers, school board members, and the student body are all individually a mixed bag of good and evil. All are struggling in a sin-fallen world to make the best choices they know how. There is confusion, ignorance, sin, along with good intentions, knowledge, and truth. As a Church we must support the moral choice of those who choose to strike and the moral choice of those who choose not to strike. As Paul instructs us on these types of issues, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom 14:5).

As the Church we do not choose a side, we choose the Savior: Jesus Christ. We have and will continue to have members who have moral motivations for the choices they make on these “grey matters,” but let those moral motivations remain “between yourself and God.” There is more than one way to skin a cat, and there is more than one way to look at this strike. May your choice be in faith and our Church united.

– Terry