Tuesday, November 01, 2005

I Have An Idea!

It is too late for this year, but I have a great costume idea for next halloween. I am going to go as a homosexual United Methodist, since the prospect of the existence of such a creature seems to be so terrifying for people. I bet I get lots of candy!

Seriously, what is so scary? I have real, honest questions about the "threat" to the institution of marriage allegedly posed by gay couples. Can anyone tell me how my relationship with Erin is threatened because of gay marriages?

And thinking about ordination and membership in the church: Can anyone tell me what greater threat to the body of Christ is posed by people who are gay than say, by people who enter into lawsuits, or maybe by women speaking in church, or perhaps by people who do not sell all their possessions and give them to the poor? All of these issues are specifically addressed in the New Testament, aren't they?

The Judicial Council decisions about Beth Stroud and Ed Johnson (click their names to read the stories) are further evidence of how far from the core Christian values of love and grace our denomination has come. It is a really hard time to be Methodist.

Only by the grace of God will we be able to discern if the Via Media will eventually become reality. In the meantime, we will have to deal with the fear and with the oppression and injustice that result.

For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry.

7 comments:

Adam said...

Hey Andy! Great blog, i've enjoyed it quite a bit. Question: Where does sarcasm fit into the Connie & Id dialogue?

John said...

Seriously, what is so scary? I have real, honest questions about the "threat" to the institution of marriage allegedly posed by gay couples. Can anyone tell me how my relationship with Erin is threatened because of gay marriages?

I feel the same way about those ugly, ranting prophets always complaining about the idols in the Temple. They're so full of hate and bile! They certainly don't have the love of Christ in them. So what if I also sacrifice at an Asherah pole? Does it somehow harm the institution of the Temple? Not a bit!

If these people were true Christians, then they would be more tolerant and welcoming of people with different orientations.

Andy B. said...

John,
I am confused about your motivation for comparing sexual orientation to idolatry. Are you trying to point out that the scriptural references to same-gender sexual activity were almost all related to Canaanite cultic worship practices rather than sexual orientation? If that's the case, I'm with you. If not, I'm afraid I'm not following your allusion here.
- Andy B.

John said...

Andy, my point is that we should not accept certain practices as Christian because they are popular or that restrictions of them are old-fashioned.

There are genuinely hateful, anti-gay people out there, like Fred Phelps. But they're not dominating the conservative side of the debate. There is nothing hateful about the church enforcing Christian moral standards, and nothing loving about yielding to popular demands.

At the core of this debate is that one side sees homosexual conduct as sinful and the other does not. We've been talking about it for a generation now. "Can we talk?" you ask. My response is "For how long?"

Anonymous said...

How about just until people stop trying to make others feel inferior, evil, and worthless just because the are DIFFERENT BY BIRTH. The people who worship idols have a choice, Bub.

--Anonymous Homosexual from Previous Post

John said...

Anonymous, your argument could also be used to justify child molestation become some people have inborn inclinations toward pedophilia.

Everyone has impulses. That does not mean that people should always yield to them.

Adam Caldwell said...

AAHHH!!! Where were you people when Andy was talking about how we can find ways to communicate better. Yes, we can talk!!! "How long?" you ask, AS LONG AS IT TAKES!

I don't particularly agree with all that Andy has said, but in the same breath if I choose to close lines of communication then I have taken an Elitist, I am better than you, stance. That's not love.