See that good looking dude on the left? He's got FAR BETTER THINGS to do than conduct Freepathons! Come on, let's get this thing over with.
Posted on 07/17/2003 7:54:20 AM PDT by dead
Excluding homosexuals does not reflect God's way, that of compassion, writes Dorothy McRae McMahon.
The Bible is an amazing testimony to the wonder of the grace and faithfulness of God as people journeyed down the ages. It gives clues to the way we are to live with that God, but only clues. It takes little reading to discover that understandings on many issues, and particularly on human relationships, changed over the centuries, even in biblical times.
We do not now have slaves and masters. We do not in our church believe that men are morally superior to women and thus are the only ones suitable for leadership. We do not believe that women are unclean when they menstruate.
The Bible is about a living God who goes on revealing truth in our day as well as in the lives of the ancient tribes of Israel and New Testament times.
My father graduated from the University of Melbourne 70 years ago and entered the ministry of the Methodist Church. He was trained to search for the truth in the Bible, rather than assume that every word came from the mouth of God. Fifty years later, I was trained in the same way for ministry in the Uniting Church.
The debate on homosexuality may be a wearing and costly struggle for the church, but it should never be seen as a distraction from our real task. To call it that is to betray those whose lives are profoundly affected by what we decide.
Jesus knew that it would not always be easy to decide who were his true followers. He said, "By their fruits you will know them."
While I do not accuse those who disagree with me on this issue of directly causing the rejection and even death of vulnerable people, the truth is that many people do commit suicide or live in abject despair as the attitudes of parts of the church are used as a reference point for hate and vilification.
When I relate to young people at risk who have often been faithful members of the church and have been rejected by their parents and their church, I know I would rather err on the side of loving the wrong person than judging and rejecting the wrong person.
Since I retired from my position as national director for mission of our church after advising the church at our Perth assembly that I was a lesbian, I have had an amazing experience.
It is as though the community rushed to embrace me on multitudes of fronts as if it was trying to heal me from the wounding of the church.
I have never been one to "follow the polls" of popular opinion but when the church appears to be less inclusive, less compassionate than the community, then I believe that we must at least stop and reflect on that.
We often discuss homosexuality as though it is primarily about sex. I want to say that is primarily about love - the freedom of two people who happen to be of the same sex to love each other, body, mind, heart and soul, with delight and tenderness. It is about a God whose imagination and variety may well extend far beyond our understanding.
One of my most memorable moments in my life came when I asked one of my daughters how she was handling the ending of my marriage with her father due to my sexuality.
She said, "Of course, it has not always been easy, Mum, but we watched you come to life and that is what really matters."
It had taken me nearly 50 years of my life to understand and claim that life, but when I did, it was like finding my right tribe, an experience of peace, integration and joy - no matter how hard the ongoing journey would be.
The truth is that the churches in many parts of the world are working on this issue and while they do that they are often still relating to people like myself who have declared their sexuality.
Even though it knows who I am, my books of liturgy are published by the oldest Anglican publishing house in Britain and are translated into other languages by European churches. I work for many churches in New Zealand and around Australia. The heavens do not fall in as we travel together and explore new possibilities. The church has always had within its life creative and competent priests and ministers who are other than heterosexual. It has sung our hymns, prayed our prayers and received our ministries down the ages and I don't believe that we have done other than exercise ministries which are as faithful as our heterosexual sisters and brothers.
I believe that this may well be the century when the Holy Spirit calls the churches to a new truth and a vision of a much grander God.
The Reverend Dorothy McRae McMahon is a retired Uniting Church minister.
See that good looking dude on the left? He's got FAR BETTER THINGS to do than conduct Freepathons! Come on, let's get this thing over with.
Must not have read the Bible.
Uh, I don't think he meant those fruits.
The wages of sin are death.
One does not need to be a rocket scientist to figutre out that homosexual behavior, apart from being totally "unproductive' (literally) leads to sickness, societal corruption, and degraded conditions.
Just look at them. You don't need to ask "authorities" for their views!
Indeed. And this person's fruits are speaking loud and clear.
Matthew 7
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
She evidenty forgot that liberals are in FAVOR of suicide.
Major sex abuse uncovered in Anglican Church Australia
As the good reverend points out - "by their fruits you shall know them".
It takes little reading to discover that understandings on many issues, and particularly on human relationships, changed over the centuries, even in biblical times. We do not now have slaves and masters. We do not in our church believe that men are morally superior to women and thus are the only ones suitable for leadership. We do not believe that women are unclean when they menstruate.It is an unchanged natural fact that it takes a man and woman to propagate.
We often discuss homosexuality as though it is primarily about sex. I want to say that is primarily about love - the freedom of two people who happen to be of the same sex to love each other, body, mind, heart and soul, with delight and tenderness.Get a grip, Dorothy. It's primarily about disordered affection.
I guess that her "Gay and Lesbian Friendly Compassionate Condensed New Version" of the Bible does not contain Leviticus Chapter 18.
For the other side, see:
Gospel truths lost amid the malaise (church in decline because “liberals have taken control”)
Ok, let me get this straight. He was trained to search for truth in a source that comes from someplace other than the author of all truth?
Something's out of whack, and this isn't the only indication, but it sure is a hum-dinger.
Shalom.
That's the first mistake.
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