Presbytery of Northeastern New Jersey Updates
Updated: 4 days ago
The Presbytery of Northeast New Jersey
I recently heard someone proclaim, "You are either for us or against us." Of course, it's not the first time I've heard that said. People love to establish clear dividing lines, then ask you to pick and declare your loyalty quickly, publicly, and without nuance. The pressure is real and it can feel relentless. If you don’t agree with me, you must oppose me. Therefore, you are the problem and you are my enemy.
But the gospel has never fit neatly into binaries. Again and again, Jesus refuses the traps of “either/or.” When religious leaders try to corner him, he doesn’t respond with slogans. Instead, he tells stories and asks powerful questions. He does this to point beyond the categories his listeners are eager to defend. Jesus is not so much interested in winning arguments as he is interested in telling the truth and loving people while doing it.
With that being said, not choosing a side is not the same thing as being indifferent. Not choosing a side involves resisting the comfort of belonging that comes from total agreement. It means sitting with tension, ambiguity, and the slow work of discernment. It means refusing to let someone else define the terms of your faith or your conscience and that is often the harder path to travel.
For the church, this matters deeply. We are called to be a people shaped by allegiance to Christ, not by the false choices offered by our current politics and culture. When we accept every binary handed to us, we shrink the gospel to fit someone else’s agenda. We turn faith into a badge instead of a way of life.
Still, there are moments when clarity is required, when injustice demands a clear “no,” and love demands a clear “yes.” But many of the loudest demands for allegiance are not about faithfulness at all, they are about power, fear, or control. In those moments, choosing neither is an act of spiritual freedom. The church has a unique vocation here. We can model a different way of being in the world, one that is rooted, thoughtful, patient, and humane. We can hold convictions without contempt. We can practice humility without surrendering truth. We can create spaces where people are not forced to perform loyalty tests before they are allowed to belong.
In a culture addicted to binaries, choosing neither may feel risky. But it is often where faith does its deepest work. It is where listening becomes possible, where grace has room to move, and where the Spirit can lead us somewhere new. We are not called to be for or against every demand placed before us. We are called to be faithful. And sometimes, faithfulness looks like stepping outside the binary and saying, quietly but firmly, “There is more to this story.”
Steve Huston
Organizing Co-Leader/ Resource Presbyter
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