ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 11, 2022
Just so you know, your pastor is the devil incarnate in the minds of some people. In a recent post for Pride Week in which we shared our church’s love for all people, with an emphasis on the word ALL, I was asked: What Gospel does this church teach?
I responded: You ask an excellent question! Like most churches, we would claim to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our starting place is with the Jesus of scripture. As someone approaches the Bible, I would suggest the Bible cannot be taken literally if it is to be taken seriously. Literalism is an invention of the church in the last 150 years or so. The Bible, as a whole, is a library, a great mixture of people trying to communicate their encounters with God. Some used poetry and song, others stories and hyperbole, some prophetic oratory, symbolism and metaphor. None of that should ever be taken literally. Jesus is, for me, the visible expression of the invisible God, and it begins with the radical and redemptive love he put on display – from the meals he shared to the people he included to the self-giving love revealed on the cross. Throughout its history, the church has tried to control and limit God’s love. In part, this is because the church (most every church) is more interested in power and self-preservation than it is in enfleshing Jesus for the sake of the world. The church has become incredibly creative in its capacity to use fear and guilt as tools, while all the time giving lip service to Jesus taking away all fear and guilt. This is a beautifully played game of manipulation until you begin to see the horrific damage it has caused. I do not believe the handful of passages that have been used to talk about same-sex relationships have anything to do with healthy and faithful love shared between two individuals who find themselves among the LGBTQ community. Throughout the centuries, those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer have been scapegoated by religion because they are a small marginalized group. It was easy to use this group of human beings to stir up fear among the majority. The great redirection among Christians is, “They are the cause of all your problems.” I have known so many amazing and beautiful people who would self-describe as LGBTQ, and many of them show Jesus better than most of those I know who claim to be Christian. The Jesus I know and follow is overflowing with a love beyond anything we could imagine. In my heart of hearts, I claim the conviction that there is simply no way such a love would join society in the work of hate, marginalization and violence. People are not problems to be fixed, but precious gifts to be celebrated. That is, in my opinion, the liberating Gospel of Jesus Christ. I could go on, but I’ll leave it there…
Continue to provide me glimpses of your limitless and liberating love, O God. I cannot imagine or receive the fullness of this gift, but I pray for growth in my ability to communicate your Gospel. You have called me to declare how all of us are among your beloved, but I will need your help as I seek to perceive the world as you perceive it. Amen.
