In this matter may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your servant in this matter.” He said to him, “Go in peace.” 2 Kings 5:18-19
As a physician, it’s not uncommon to meet patients who prefer to be addressed with pronouns that are opposite of their biologic sex. A he wants to be addressed as she, or vice versa. To purposefully refuse to use a person’s preferred pronoun then, is considered by many to be offensive. Still, I’ve read stories about Christians who insist that God created us male and female and so, they’ve gotten into trouble with their employer for refusing to use a person’s preferred pronouns. Honestly, using a person’s preferred pronouns doesn’t bother me. If a she wants to be known as he, I don’t feel that it costs me anything to be respectful. There are other Christians though, who would insist that I’m conforming to the world (Romans 12:2). I don’t feel strongly about this issue, but it does raise a good question. What are Christians to do when an employer asks them to behave in a manner that they feel is contrary to their faith?
Today’s passage sheds some light on this. In the story, a Syrian man named Naaman was healed from leprosy by the prophet Elisha. Afterwards, Naaman confessed faith in God and indicated that from then on, he would worship only God. He had a problem though. He understood that God didn’t want him to worship idols but in his political position with the Syrian king, he would sometimes be required to bow, with the king, before Rimmon, a god of the Syrians. So, he asked Elisha to pardon this future “sin”. Elisha told him to go in peace, indicating that God knew his heart and therefore, didn’t condemn him for bowing before Rimmon with his king.
As Christians, we are to be in the world, not of it. And sometimes, we are called to stand for our faith, opposing a culture that doesn’t follow Jesus. Does that mean that we must always be belligerent, offending everyone with whom we disagree? This is a tough one and I think that today’s passage gives some leeway, suggesting that God sees our heart, which may be more important than superficial actions.
In the case of pronouns, I’m not sure what to do, as I’m honestly not sure exactly what I think. I do believe that God wants me to be kind and loving and so, I tend to err on that side. God sees my heart to serve him and love others. Still, other Christians feel that God wants them to stand for truth, which is also important. So, I don’t condemn them when they make a stand for their faith. As long as they are truly trying to do right before God, he sees their heart. It’s a tough cultural issue, which God understands and, as long as we’re genuinely trying to serve him, he sees past our superficial actions, knowing our hearts.