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February 15, 2007
A Pink Reformation
by Jesus Politics
Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, responds to an article by Theo Hobson published in The Guardian. Mohler recognizes Hobson's fresh perspective, but is unwilling to fully go down the road Hobson is suggesting at the end of his article.
From Hobson's article:
[ ] it seems to me that the debate about homosexuality poses such a serious threat to organised religion in this country that it is not absurd to compare it to the reformation of the 16th century. [ ]
The public change in attitudes towards homosexuality is not just the waning of a taboo. It is not just a case of a practice losing its aura of immorality (as with premarital sex or illegitimacy). Instead, the case for homosexual equality takes the form of a moral crusade. Those who want to uphold the old attitude are not just dated moralists (as is the case with those who want to uphold the old attitude to premarital sex or illegitimacy). They are accused of moral deficiency. The old taboo surrounding this practice does not disappear but "bounces back" at those who seek to uphold it. Such a sharp turn-around is, I think, without parallel in moral history.
These factors have combined to make the gay issue the church's perfect storm, perhaps even its nemesis. Because previous shifts in public morality have been slower, and more amenable to compromise, thecChurch has been able to move its clunky stone feet, and keep standing. This shift has floored it. By resisting the new moral orthodoxy on homosexuality, and hardening against it, the church is fast losing the aura of moral authority it has more or less retained all this time. When a bishop defends discrimination against homosexuals he is, in the eyes of most of the population, displaying a lamentable moral deficiency.
So the issue of homosexuality has the strange power to turn the moral tables. The traditional moralist is subject to accusations of immorality. And this inversion is doing terrible damage to the Christian churches.
But it might not be so bad for Christianity. For it revives the huge question of whether Christianity is meant to uphold a moral law at all. The original answer was no: Jesus and Paul wanted to sever the link between religion and the idea of a divine moral law. (It is therefore amazingly ironic that Paul is used as a "legal" authority for Christian homophobia.) But in practice Christianity became an organised religion, and therefore laid down the moral law - at first this law applied to a subculture, and later it merged with official public law. This was semi-challenged by the reformers of the 16th century, who wanted to revive the notion of "freedom from the law". But actually most forms of Protestantism returned to, and even intensified, the association of God and the moral law.
The crisis over homosexuality is reawakening us to the question that inspired Paul and Luther. The real question is not whether homosexuality is against "Christian morality" but whether moralism is against the Christian gospel. It seems to be - but how can a church adapt to this insight? All religious groups seem to unite around a holy moral code. Can Christianity jettison the whole idea of the moral law - and remain an organised religion? The debate about homosexuality is ushering us into strange new religious territory; making us contemporary with Paul. God works in truly mysterious ways.
Posted by Jesus Politics at February 15, 2007 04:42 PM
Comments
Matthew 18: 19 "I also tell you this: If two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three gather together because they are mine, [d] I am there among them."
Remember that you need no church to tell you how to live and it seems that they need you. If you church is asking you to quit forgiving people for their sins quit that church quick [Exodus 23: 2 "Do not join a crowd that intends to do evil.] Remember the daily prayer forgive us for our sins as we for give other for their sins. Being gay is a sin just like telling a lie.
Posted by: Monte Schlarman at February 16, 2007 08:20 PM
Saturday Rant
"Terrible Indictment of the World": 18,000 Kids Die of Hunger Each Day [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/]
Could this show that Religious charities is not working and why; all politician love it, it is one way they can lay the blame on some one else; while not doing their jobs. But the Religious Leaders like it because all the tax free dollars they get collect and spend; the way they want, with no over sight. The Religious cults spend this money on stirring up HATE & FEAR, such as Gay’s and abortion; even though Jesus Christ in all his teachings Jesus, never mention either abortion, or being gay.
Matthew 10: 9 “Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins. 10 Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed. Matthew 19: 21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
HATE why do Americans hate, Follow close; Maybe it is taught by our church’s and our government as an example; look at our congress on the Iraq hearings, every republican tried to make a point that terrorist, or Muslim extremist is going to kill us; More HATE & FEAR; the religious cults preach hate Gay’s and abortions or you will rot in hell. And we must protect the stem cell; think how many stem cells goes down the sewer each day during a women period cycle; trillions of eggs goes down the drain and men do masturbate and trillions of sperm go down the drain. But to you Republican cults that thrive on HATE That trillion is the same as the trillion of dollars of debt ran up by the Republicans to make the rich richer and the poor, poorer.
Jesus Christ on the important commandment in the law of Moses?” Matthew 22; 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[e] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[f] 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” [Can you feature Jesus leaving out HATE]
Clinical Trials Begin For "Bionic Eyes" To Restore Sight to Blind;[ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/] just the cost of one jet plane could buy enough research; so the blind could see. Hey republican cults; what one would Jesus chose; Jet fighter, or blind get to see?
Posted by: Monte Schlarman at February 17, 2007 11:05 PM
Nice article.
Monte, I agree with this:
"Remember that you need no church to tell you how to live and it seems that they need you."
But not this:
"Being gay is a sin just like telling a lie."
Difference is, being gay doesn't hurt anybody. It's LOVE thing!
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