by Peter Walker

I gave a sermon recently about “accountability” and realized that part of what is desperately lacking in Christian living is accountability to non-Christians.  I thought of “Ordinary Attempts” because the simple act of befriending and listening to (and sometimes apologizing to) “outsiders” is the kind of doable evangelism we need to impliment in our daily lives – not only for the sake of the lost, but for the sake of our own soul-health.

I’ve come to believe that as Christians, we are just as responsible to be ”ACCOUNTABLE” (that oh-so-weighted word!) to NON-Christians as we are to Christians.  We are accountable to the world in which we have been created.  We are responsible to be real.  The danger of Christian-only accountability is homogeny – we only ever hear our own worldview expressed.

Tim, a gay friend of mine, handed me a copy of an article from The Advocate the other day entitled, “Ready to Make Nice: How to get along with your right-wing relatives.”

Mike has all sorts of scars and baggage from growing up in a fundamentalist household, as a homosexual.
His friendship is a constant reminder of how painful some beliefs and world views are, issues that many Christians take for granted. I have the unique priviledge, opportunity and RESPONSIBILITY of saying: “Mike,
I’m sorry.”

So how many gay friends do you have? No, not as a hipster popularity contest. Not to be as fashionable as Will & Grace.  Do you have cultural accountability? A friend to tell you when you’re being a real asshole? More importantly: do you have relationships that keep your perspective on PEOPLE (individuals) vs. POLITICS (impersonal bullet-points)?

I have a close friend who had two abortions in college. They were emotionally devastating to her, but she remains pro-choice. I think of her when I see picket signs.

After fourteen years, Tim’s sister won’t let him spend time with his nephew anymore – her church forbid it because “he is no better than a child molester.”  I think of him when I see picket signs.

It’s easy to fight blind culture wars when you don’t have to think about people you know… like my friend Jim Henderson says, “When people like each other, the rules change.”