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Thermometer Or Thermostat?




 An article written by a local clergyman appeared in our local newspaper. His focus appeared to be the defense of accepting practicing homosexuals in the pulpit. It wasn't so much the topic that bothered me as the apparent disdain for the authority of Scripture. I say that because no scripture was cited even though the writer was dealing with a very controversial issue. Instead, the article appealed to our sensitivity and personal experience and awareness that times have changed and so must we.

The article brought to mind a note I had just received from a friend which included a brief selection he had found in a magazine. In a short paragraph, the writer asked if Christians were more like thermometers or thermostats. Are we to rise and fall on the basis of the environment we live in or are we to temper the environment around us?

Whatever we are (and I'm afraid thermometer is often the answer), Scripture itself must certainly be a thermostat or we as Christians are doomed to being lifeless refl of whatever whim is popular. If we don't believe in a Holy Spirit-inspired Bible that is capable of tempering all of life, we will be impotent in our efforts to stand for anything that is solid and long lasting. Scripture can never be held in the check of depending on me or anyone else to validate what it says. It is valid. It validates me.

Had our local clergyman presented a clear treatise, based on scriptural authority that validated the presence of practicing homosexuals in the pulpit, I would've listened seriously. His clear absence of scriptural backing left me no choice but to ignore his plea for understanding, and if I ever commit the same error of basing my pleas for justice on wordly wisdom and experience, I hope he and others would ignore me.

As a struggling Christian, I have plenty of trouble trying to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. Thank God that I have the Holy Bible, a constant source of truth that isn't dependent on human thought and experience but instead comes from the never-changing heart of God.



About the Author:


 Steve Graner is a Christian educator and familyman employed by the Minot, ND Public School District. A licensed laypastor, he is passionate about Christian writing and Christian drama. Along with family and friends, Steve has performed numerous self-written dramas and musicals for area church audiences.