All of us have seen the ads posted on the backs of semi-trailers as they blow by us on the interstate. The ads, in one form or another, declare that the trucking company needs good drivers and is willing to pay well for each one it can find. Apparently, such drivers are valuable!

Can you imagine what the company means by "good driver?" I'll hazard a guess. No doubt they expect a driver to keep the truck on the road and between the ditches, avoid running over other vehicles, exercise good judgment when it comes to how fast to drive in various weather conditions, and deliver the truck in good condition at the end of the trip. Good driving, it seems, requires training, experience, flexibility, the ability to make decisions in a timely fashion and the like. In short, good driving is an active art or skill.

Can you imagine an experienced driver taking a rookie to the side and offering the following advice? "Let me tell you the secret to good driving. Stick to the right (or left) side of the road. In fact, keep inching that way. Don't worry if you go off the pavement. A little time in a ditch never hurt anyone! The middle of the road is for sissies, for drivers who can't make up their mind!"

Most of us surely would call such advice nonsense (at best) and dangerous (at worst). We would fear for the life of any driver who took such counsel, for the safety of any passengers or cargo, and for anyone who shared the road with the misguided driver.

We seem to understand what it takes to be a good driver. Sadly, we sometimes do not apply the same kind of common sense criteria to what often passes for advice about theology and the Christian life. Numerous voices in modern religious culture insist the only way to drive on the road of life is to bear always to the left or the right. Many of the same voices go on to insist that Christians who refuse to do so are misguided, weak, unbiblical or even evil.

I disagree. As the old saying goes, those who bear only to the right or left always put their car in the ditch. Insofar as I can discern, God expects us to drive well, which at the least means learning to be alert, wise and willing to make numerous decisions moment by moment. Good drivers make good neighbors to others who must share the road with them. And they keep their vehicles on the road, even if the road is rather narrow!

The next time you're told your life is off track simply because you refuse to veer too far right or too left, take heart. Such comments are really unintended compliments. You may just be a good driver, and the world (and the church) always needs more people like you.