A Good Word
Here’s a quote from a post on the Out of Ur blog, reporting on the National Pastors Convention in San Diego this week. The author is reporting on a pre-conference session called “Emerging Critical Issues Facing the Churches.” Anyway…without going into the whole article too much, I thought this quotation from Andy Crouch was “spot on.” (Yes, you should say “spot on” with an English accent.)
“Reading from an article he wrote in 2003, Andy Crouch introduced the third critical issue facing the church: homosexuality. According to Andy, ‘Humankind is not divided into homosexual or heterosexual categories. We are all sexual beings who tend towards self-satisfaction.’ Additionally, many churches rally around these categories, ‘which leads to a double standard: chastity for those who are gay and a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy regarding sexuality for the rest of us.’”
this is a good topic b/c people probably need to hear about it, but no one wants to talk about it.
hence, i am the only one commenting on this post, but you got 7 comments on which sort of water bottle to use.
erichapman
February 27, 2008 at 8:34 pm
The problem with the issue of Homosexuality, or any sexuality for that matter is that far too many people base who they are by how they have sex. For example many wonderful people I know who are gay unfortunately feel the need to introduce their sexuality into every conversation. And when we base who we are by how were having sex it is telling us there is something far more broken going on there.
God made us sexual being to explore intimacy with our mate, but not as a marker of how we define ourselves to others. That I feel is why we have the title Christ follower.
Its 5am and I am only on the 1st cup…….But this issue is a huge struggle for me in trying to define how to love people, while walking near something I don’t agree is morally right.
I will have to think this over a while…..
Jason Schifo
February 28, 2008 at 5:59 am
eric — you’re so right…
funny how there’s just crickets on this post…and i personally think that our response to homosexuality is one of the defining issues of the church today.
it makes me wonder if people disagree and yet know better than to say so or they just don’t care about the issue at all.
but it is curious that everyone has something to say about plastic vs. metal vs. glass
charliedean
March 3, 2008 at 10:58 am
I just an essay accepted into the Midwest American Academy of Religion (a regional academic conference)
One of the quotes I use in the essay (as it completely expresses my argument in much better language than I could) is from a theologian names Gerard Loughlin.
“Indeed Paul may have come to see that Christ’s body was utterly queer. . . . Paul could imagine God acting contrary to nature in grafting Gentiles into the true vine of Israel, so we can imagine God as again acting contrary to nature . . . and grafting those who (were once thought to) act contrary to nature into the vine of Israel/Church.”
I think this issue must be discussed with true intensions of love and community.
P.S. if anyone is interested in reading (and responding) to my entire essay (which is too long to post here) than send me an email at rm-steinborn@wiu.edu or rmsteinborn@gmail.com
Ross Steinborn
March 22, 2008 at 10:08 am