So. I was raised Southern Baptist. At present (in theory, if my work schedule ever allows it again), I attend a Southern Baptist church.
But I grow ever more disillusioned with the SBC, from the denomination's first branching from the Baptist church (in part over slavery, and the word Southern in the title, taken together with the date it happened, may give you an idea of which side they were on) to the present, when crap like this seems to happen more and more frequently. Further, studying scripture has led me to conclude that Darwin was right, the first couple of chapters in Genesis are meant as metaphor and not hard reporting, and that homosexuality can be entirely compatible with Christianity, as taught by Jesus and even as taught by Paul. I'm also increasingly worried about the political alliances Evangelical Christians have been making, and have become more and more convinced that we aren't even in the ballpark, aren't even playing the same sport, when it comes to living up to Biblical teachings on social justice.
This has, of course, put me into a rather small minority in the Southern Baptist community. I suspect that in my Sunday School class, that minority consists of just me.
But after discoursing with a few Followers of the Way on different denominational paths, and reading some of this catechism, I think I haven't been turning into a defective Southern Baptist; I've become a nascent Episcopalian.
Which, if the Episcopalians I've talked to are a valid sampling of the group, means I'd finally be able to admit to drinking beer in Sunday School class.
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6 comments:
I'm not sure how many times I've changed denominations, but then I've never really kept count after the first time. As much as I can respect those who have committed themselves to one particular denomination (provided their reasoning goes beyond "that was the denomination I was raised in"), I want to be sure that I'm following Jesus, rather than Paul or Apollos, so to speak.
I'm curious as to what brought you to your conclusions regarding Darwin, Genesis, and homosexuality. I can appreciate that it might be a bit much to unpack here (seeing as this is primarily a Bible study blog), but I can't help but have trouble reconciling those concepts with Scripture as I'm aware of it.
BTW, I'm glad to see you've started up this blog again!
Re: the Creation account, the preservation of two different accounts in the text, accounts that compliment each other thematically but don't fit together factually, incline me to think that the author's intention was not to present the story as one of absolute factual accuracy. I believe it to be more of a parable, along the lines of the Book of Job. This view is reinforced somewhat by the fact that the author was not exactly a first-hand witness of the events described. Of course, the counter-argument there is that God might have dictated what happened. But looking at the prophetic writings in the Bible, it seems to me that Divine revelation of other times and places tends to take a metaphorical form in any case.
As to homosexuality, to save me some typing, here's the article that really did it for me: http://www.reallivepreacher.com/node/633
What I don't understand is why RLP doesn't just come out and say what he means. Why all the diplomacy? ;)
All said, I really have to disagree with him. I mean, I agree with the concept that homosexuality is compatible with following Christ in the sense that adultery or any other sin is "compatible," being a sin that Christ's sacrifice made forgivable. I am 100% for people who have homosexual desires to be followers of Christ; after all, I have adulterous desires which are every bit as sinful. But his arguments that homosexuality can be practiced in such a way that is not sinful has problems, I think.
To [attempt to] be brief:
- Saying "well, no one follows all the commands anyway" avoids the question of whether or not homosexuality is a sinful behavior. It's like telling the police officer who's pulled me over for speeding that everyone else was speeding, too. It doesn't make me any less guilty of speeding.
- I can agree with his statement that the idea of sexual identity is a modern concept. This means that RLP is reading modern meanings into an ancient text. There's no evidence that the Jews have ever interpreted these verses as referring to anything except what RLP would call 'sexual identity.'
- Besides, if homosexuality is an entirely naturally-occurring orientation, why wasn't the Hebrew world familiar with it?
- Also, Deuteronomy has very specific condemnations of prostitution, so why would Leviticus be vague on the topic, if that's what the condemning verses were really about?
- Leviticus is divided into categories: universal moral laws, cultural universal moral laws (those related to Israel's culture specifically, like shaving your beard, which had connotations for the ancient Israelites that it doesn't have for us today, i.e. sorcery), and ceremonial laws. Given that homosexual acts are listed in between incest and bestiality - all of which carry the death penalty - does that mean that Christians can also engage in these behaviors, as RLP suggests?
- RLP's suggestion that the code of rules and behaviors in Leviticus don't apply to Christians isn't true; the universal moral laws still do, in the sense that they convict us of our wrongdoing in God's eyes, making us aware of our sin and need for forgiveness.
- RLP's right in that there aren't many verses dealing with homosexuality, though that begs the question, "How many times does something have to be mentioned in Scripture before it becomes important?" He's ruled out every verse that mentions it on the basis of very shaky modern interpretations (and even admits not knowing what one of the verses means), and then argues that therefore homosexual relationships can be non-sinful. Even if I rule out all of these verses, where is the evidence that supports his position? He'd be arguing from absence (argumentum ad ignorantiam)...if it weren't for the fact that those verses are, indeed, there.
Okay, I seriously went longer than I had intended - sorry. Here's a link or two you might find of relevance on the topic. The site's author is a bit snarky, but he backs up his arguments with many, many sources, and I've found him pretty reliable on most topics:
http://www.tektonics.org/lp/lev18.html
http://www.tektonics.org/qt/romhom.html
I'm sorry to see you haven't updated this blog for a while. I hope it's just that things are busy for you and not anything like health problems or the like. I was enjoying going through John with you...
Anyway, I thought I'd link to an article I found of considerable interest. I've been thinking a lot lately (in part because of this conversation) about homosexuality, how the people who have those urges must feel in facing discrimination, loneliness, etc. I also have thought about the verses that advise us not to be ashamed of Jesus or of His Word (lest He be ashamed of us on Judgement Day and show us the proverbial door). It seems difficult to me at times to trust God on things where our society is so at odds with Him, where the offense seems so inoffensive ("How can it be wrong to love someone?"), even to the point that people within the church try to find a way to excuse it. But in the end, if we really mean to follow Jesus, we've got to follow Him no matter where He leads us.
So here's the article I found, by Michael Glatze, former editor-in-chief of Young Gay America Magazine. (I know it's on a conservative site; I found it linked from an apologetics and Biblical scholarship blog, www.aomin.org)
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56487
Having never felt homosexual desires, I appreciate the opportunity he gives to "get inside his head." Having experienced lustful desires, oh, almost continuously my entire life, I completely empathize with him.
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