Gay Marriage, Some Thoughts

I'm not terribly sure about many things, one of them being: should the Church condone, acknowledge, and bless gay marriages?

Although the Bible contains half a dozen verses that seem to forbid homosexuality, it also has verses that state women should have long hair and keep quiet in church. I don't believe God cares that much about the length of a woman's hair and I don't believe that He wants women to be silent in church. These seem to me to be cultural issues and not the divine will of God. So is there a chance that gay marriage prohibitions are under the old covenant or that they are cultural issues? I can't say with any absolute certainty what God thinks about gay marriage.

I am CERTAIN of some things:

1. God loves all people, including homosexuals.
2. God wants ME to love all people, including homosexuals.
3. Church SHOULD be a place where everyone can come and meet God and participate in a personal relationship with God and fellow believers, including homosexuals.
4. God can speak to people individually about their lives. He doesn't need me or anyone else to point out people's flaws (either actual or supposed). He is fully capable of taking care of His own business with his children. We all need to learn to hear God better. Church is a place where this should happen.
5. The Church should stand for justice and equality for ALL people, including homosexuals.
6. Forbidding gays to marry is a matter of religious belief, not a political issue. It therefore should be allowed by the government (separation of church and state) and individual church bodies should be free to decide for themselves if they are going to participate or not.
7. Definitions change, driven by cultural use of words. Just because a word means one thing today, doesn't mean the meaning will never change. The word marriage, like all other words, means what our society collectively decides that it means
8. Condemning, lording-it-over people and name-calling are not Christian values and should be avoided (but that's between you and God).
9. The Church in general is not doing a very good job of loving and welcoming homosexuals. We have made them an adversary. This isn't right.
   
10. (This is unrelated to this topic) George Bush needs our prayers. He is the worst President ever and he's destroying American values and American reputation in the world on a large scale. If we don't pray for him, America could take a very long time to recover from his presidency.

Some follow-up questions.

• If the Church decides not to participate in gay marriage, how welcome will gays feel?
• Does the church have less responsibility to welcome gays than straights?
• Are certain "types" of sinners welcome, while others are not?
• Should there be a list on the front door to let people know who is welcome and who isn't?
• Is it better to stare, whisper, point and intimidate the people we don't feel are worthy?
• Are any of us worthy?

Avoid the Pain!

The Cry of the Soul: How Our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions About God

By Dan B. Allender & tramper Longman III / Nav Press

Anger, fear, jealousy, despair. These are bad emotions, right? These are emotions to be avoided at all costs, right?

I discovered a few years ago that I was a really angry person and that I hurt people when I was angry. Solution? Avoid anger no matter what.

Not so fast! Allender and Longman point out that emotions are God-given, a gift from our Creator. And while it is true that our emotions have been corrupted by our sinful nature, they actually have a divine purpose. Cutting ourselves off completely from our emotions will hinder our spiritual growth and short-circuit our relationship to God.

Well that wasn't exactly news I was overjoyed to hear. I have spent considerable time and effort teaching myself to be unemotional. Now I learn that, not only have I been wasting my time, I have been at cross-purposes with God. At least Allender and Longman have provided me with some tools to get myself straightened-out. (I really didn't think I was doing all that great anyway.)

But now I can do better, and so can you. I can let these emotions draw me closer to the Lord and my fellow humans. We have the technology and it's in this book!

Faith and Practice... they belong together

Mudhouse Sabbath: Eight Spiritual Practices I Learned from Judaism

By Lauren F. Winner / Paraclete Press

This book is a pretty quick, easy read... but it could end up taking a big bite out of your current allotment of "free time." That is if you decide that you want to implement any of Winner's suggestions, especially in relation to Sabbath or Lord's Day observances. I admit I am intrigued by her description of Jewish Sabbath practices.

I appreciated her observation on the liturgy:

"Even my friend Meg, who left the too-liturgical Episcopal Church for a praise-song-singing, spontaneous-prayer-praying charismatic church, will, I suspect, discover that she is doing liturgy: After enough time, the rhythm of the praise songs and the (seemingly) spontaneous prayers will become familiar and even routine, a liturgy of its own."

As a Lutheran who is a former "charismatic" I am often amused and sometimes annoyed by people who look down their noses at the liturgy because everything is written down and repeats itself week after week. My own experience has taught me that the free-flowing-move-of-the-Spirit churches can be just as repetitive and more so. After singing the same twelve word praise chorus for the thirteenth consecutive time, I start pulling out my beard.

Thank God for diversity! I have shed buckets of tears in both kinds of services and God has met me and ministered to me in both places. There are positive aspects to each; and there is always danger of spiritual stagnation no matter where you choose to go to church. What you take away from worship will depend in large part by what you take with you going in.

Okay, enough from me... back to the book. I am giving this book four stars. It was enjoyable and it was interesting. It held my attention through its brief pages, but I don't think it changed my life. That is probably more of a statement about where I am spiritually than it is about the content of the book. I agreed with much of Winner's commentary on Christian life and practice and perhaps that's why I held back one star. I pretty much believe what she believes so I wasn't forced to examine my beliefs or practices. We're already on the same page. That doesn't mean that this book couldn't be life changing for someone and I would definitely recommend it.

Do yourself a favor... Read this book!

Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith

By Anne Lamott / Random House, Inc

I guess this book could also have been called The Road Less Traveled, but that name was already taken. I am always amazed at the individual care God uses when bringing us to faith. Never the same path for any two of us, even when we have similar backgrounds.

I will be honest with you, reviews are split on this book, primarily along liberal/conservative lines. I can only say that I found this book to be life changing... in a good way! I'm not going to be condescending and mock those who don't feel it's their cup of tea. I can understand that. But I have to say that I'm a better person because I read it. God met me in the pages of this book and used it to open my heart.

I read it after church last Sunday and I loved it. It's interesting to me that in reading many of the reviews people had a sense that Lamott was now their friend. I can certainly appreciate that. The writing is so honest that when I finished the book I felt like I wanted to call Lamott and catch up on old times... and to thank her for being such a good friend.

God is awesome. Lamott's life and work is certainly a testament to that. I thank them both for sharing.

I've been scandalized!

A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel

By Steve Brown / Howard Books

This book was profoundly disturbing to me. Not because of the subject matter. Steve Brown often speaks and writes about Christian freedom. But never before have I heard him admit to being a stinking Republican. Okay to be honest, I added the "stinking" adjective.

I have read several of Brown's previous books and consider them to be outstanding resources for living the life God wants me to live. This book is no exception. I have to ask however, was it really necessary to make such a confession? How can I recover from such disconcerting news?

Brown recounts for us in this book, the moment when he admitted to his fellow seminary students that he was a conservative. His decription is so vivid that I can actually imagine their horror.

One of many valid points that Brown makes is that we do harm to ourselves and a great disservice when we marginalize, catagorize and avoid those whose views differ from our own. He encorages us to participate in open, honest dialogue with these... people. This is easier said than done owing to the passion with which we hold these views.

He does more than simply offer platitudes about how we should live. He actually practices what he preaches. He counts among his friends, Tony Campolo and Ann Lamott, two wonderful Democrats. If I someday get to meet Brown, I hope he will count me among his friends as well. I consider him to be a man of God and an excellent teacher. I mean, you gotta love the guy. Something must just happen to his mind when he walks into a voting booth.

I give this book 5 stars because it speaks to a truth that is often ignored and seldom taught. Christ has made us free, but we usually don't live like it.

I have really covered just a small part of the book. Brown writes very little about politics, but I was so stunned, that I was distracted from writing about anything else.

With his admission of conservative tendencies, Brown has helped me avoid one of the pitfalls he cites in chapter six, Hero Worship. (I was going to buy him a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but this book has changed my mind about that!)

This is another great book from Steve Brown. I believe you will benefit from reading and applying the truths taught in this book. It has been a real blessing to me.