Can the Church have a Moral Conscience?

One of the many issues that continue to surface is that of the Church speaking out on a variety of issues that go against its moral and theological grain.  Some Christians believe that the Church should speak out against social injustices such as abortion, classism, racism, sexism, and discrimination against people of same-sex orientation. Other Christians believe that the Church has no business speaking out against social issues, because the Church is called to ¨preach the Gospel,¨ and not get involved in political or social issues.  And then there are other Christians who believe that the Church should not address social issues because ¨Jesus is coming soon and will straighten out this mess.¨  We also have Christians who believe that speaking out against social injustice is part and parcel of proclaiming the Gospel.

So we ask then, is it possible for the Church to have a moral conscience, given the diversity of perspectives that different Christians have on different issues?  The ideal part of me wants to say that it would be possible if Christians could sit down and come to a consensus as to what they believe that Jesus has called us for. The realistic side of me says that it is difficult, if not outright impossible for the Church to have a moral conscience, when Christians are divided among themselves as to how the sources that determine right and wrong (the Scriptures, the traditions, the experiences, etc.) are to be understood, interpreted, and applied in the life of the community.  Some Christians, for example, would be opposed to abortion because the Scriptures prohibit the taking of a life. Other Christians would respond that we have to define what is meant by ¨life,¨ whether it is exclusively breathing and movement, or whether it involves other things such as the capacity for satisfaction.  Ironically enough, some of the Christians who are strongly against abortion on the basis of the principle of not taking a life, are the most militant when it comes to advocating for warfare. Some Christians would say that the Gospel has nothing to do with politics, but yet, if political decisions are made that impact their personal livelihood or the parameters around which the Church can operate in society, will be the first to jump on the political bandwagon of denouncing these governmental decisions.  Some Christians will say that we should advocate for the rights of undocumented people, while other Christians will claim that undocumented persons are breaking the law by being here ¨illegally.¨

In my humble, but staunch view, the only way that the Church can speak with a moral conscience is:

1. If we come to a consensus as to what are the issues that we need to be addressing.
2. What is the criteria by which we determine what are the issues that we should be addressing?
3.  How do we deal with the principles of hermeneutics (interpretation) before launching on a journey of addressing the issues?
4.  Determine if we can live with a variety of hermeneutical perspectives and still speak with one voice.

When Jesus prayed to his Father that we should all be ¨one,¨ I don't believe that he was advocating for uniformity. Unity does not require uniformity, nor does it require that we be carbon copies or clones of each other.  Unity requires that we be united in the quest for pleasing God and working hard to destroy all that which dehumanizes people.  If we can come to a consensus that we need to unite to work for the betterment of humankind, then we will be well on our way to speaking with a moral conscience.  Christ calls us as a community of faith to immerse ourselves in the struggle for human liberation.  Can the Church say Amen?

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Rev. Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona