The Bible Tells Me So

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I am proud that we are a Reconciling Congregation because of the Bible, not in spite of it.

In the United Methodist Church Reconciling Congregations are those that are open to lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgendered people (LGBT). We invite them to participate fully in the life of the Church. We support same sex marriage and the ordination of LGBT people.

One of my father’s professors at Yale Divinity School, Roland Bainton, used the distinction between precedence and principle in biblical interpretation. Precedence is any single event of verse which is lifted for its context and given unqualified authority. For example, one could use the words of Jesus to the rich man, “go and sell all you own and give it to the poor” as a definitive mandate for everyone to do just that. Looking at precedence the people who owned slaves have the Bible on their side. To look for principles in biblical interpretation is to see texts imbedded in a larger story – in the Old Testament it is the story of the people of Israel and their covenant with God. In the New Testament it is the story of Jesus – let us not forget that biblically Jesus is the Word of God, not the Bible.

So what do we do with the passages in the Bible that seem to be so clear about homosexuality? What we don’t do is use them as precedence. We also study the context and the larger meaning of the passage. I have been asked to give an explanation of these texts:

Leviticus 18:22

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.

At face value, read as a single verse this seems pretty clear, but it isn’t. The Law, the Holiness Code in Leviticus comprises the details for living in covenant with God – 613 of them, to be exact. An important part of that covenant was for the people of Israeli to survive and prosper. To do so they needed offspring. We forget how hard it was for a child to survive into adulthood at that time. There was always a fear that the people would die out.

As a patriarchal culture women were seen primarily as the source of those offspring; women were seen essentially as incubators. Men put their seed in a woman and she gave birth to a child, preferably a male child. The seed of men was understood as the sole source of children and to use that seed for any other purpose was seen as a violation of the covenant and thus an abomination.

Onan was condemned for “spilling his seed upon the ground” rather than impregnating his brother’s widow as was demanded in the Law. This story of Onan could be used as precedence for the condemnation of masturbation – and it has; which brings up the issue of consistency. There are a lot of things in the 613 laws of the Holiness Code that we violate constantly. Eating pork is also called an abomination.

Women were considered unclean while menstruating – and they were segregated. When a woman gives birth to a boy she is considered unclean for seven days, if it is a girl it’s two weeks. One cannot pick and choose verses from Leviticus and make then universally authoritative. It is simple an abuse of the Bible.

Genesis 19:

Sodom and Gomorrah

Because the story contains a threat for men to “know” other men it is viewed as a condemnation of all homosexual activity. But the story is not about homosexuality. It is much more about hospitality. Two “angels” come into town and Lot shows them hospitality by inviting them into his home. The people of Sodom already don’t like Lot because he is an alien. They become angry and surround Lot’s house threatening to rape the visitors. Lot will not let the visitors out. Instead he offers his two virgin daughters in their place (now that would be an awful precedence!).

More important than the gender of those to be harmed is the spirit of violence and exclusion in the people; it is this spirit that leads to the condemnation of Sodom and Gomorrah. To be true to the Bible, we have to first ask, what if the Bible trying to say. In this case the more intrinsic message is that exclusion and violence toward strangers is a violation of the covenant. Ironically, and this is where the Bible can be so confounding, that includes homosexuals.

Genesis 1:27

Male and female He created them

“God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” goes the quip. That God created men and women is often seen as reason enough to support our understanding of marriage between a man and a woman. The truth is, the Bible doesn’t have a single or clear understanding of marriage. It has many things to say about marriage that would not support our understanding of it. In the Old Testament men and numerous wives and fathered children by slaves. In the New Testament Paul instructs the nascent followers of Jesus to marry only if they cannot control themselves but it is better to stay single like him It is difficult to find a passage in the Bible that addresses men and women and marriage that would be appropriate for a wedding. The issue usually is procreation, not orientation.

Romans 1:26-27

For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received their own persons the due penalty for their error.

Wow! That seems pretty clear. As precedence it is, in its context it is less so. I have no doubt that homosexual activity was seen in a negative way, as a part of the condemnation of any sexual activity the purpose of which was to procreate. What Paul is complaining about is people giving in to their passions. “For this reason” refers to the impurity of their hearts in general. The mention of homosexuality is an example of this impurity and giving in to passions.

If one reads on there is a longer list: they are filled with every kind of wickedness, evil covetousness, malice; full of envy, they are gossips, slanderers, heartless and ruthless. Then at the beginning of chapter two Paul says, ironically: Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others, for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. When using precedence one often doesn’t read on. What Paul is addressing is rebellion against God, in any of its forms. One way in which to rebel against God is expressed sexually. Men were in the habit of visiting temple prostitutes, many of whom were boys. This is likely the kind of behavior Paul had on his mind.

To rebel against God is more about “hypersexuality” than it is specifically homosexuality. It is about prostitution, sexual abuse, friends with benefits, pornography, etc. It is when sexuality becomes a selfish act, regardless of love and care and outside of covenant. Speaking of precedence, there was no precedence for a loving and committed same sex covenant relationship. They simply could not have conceived of such a thing. To suggest that this passage in Romans is a blanket condemnation of this kind of relationship misses the point and becomes a judgment, which Paul more clearly condemned.

An overarching principle in the Old Testament is covenant: God’s covenant with the people of Israel. It is clear that it is in and through covenant that the Spirit of God works – the covenants we make in our communities, in marriage and with our children. To extend this covenant to all people seems to me to be biblical. In the New Testament love is an essential principle. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels but do not have love… what am I? To take the Bible seriously we have to think more broadly and deeply, and more lovingly.

Pastor Jim

What’s Next For Cedar Cross?

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One of the questions for Questions Sunday was, “We’ve become a Reconciling Congregation, what’s next?” I love this question because it’s one I ask myself, and I want to ask all of you.

Becoming a Reconciling Congregation has energized our Church. It has honed our sense of identity and purpose, excited us about our ministry in the world and given us a message to share with others in our community. There are people who have come to our Church because of our becoming Reconciling. I am very proud of Cedar Cross UMC; special thanks to the members of the Open Hearts committee who helped us to be transformed. But that cannot be the end of it.

In the sermon I preached on the day we celebrated becoming Reconciling I said that I do not see this as an end, but as a beginning. It is about making sure a certain group of people are loved, accepted and invited to fully participate in the life of the church, but underneath that is the spirit of love and acceptance for all. Where does that spirit lead us now? What shall we do with the spiritual momentum we have acquired? We are growing in all ways – spiritually, as a community, with new faces and stories. What do we do with this energy? I really mean to ask everyone these questions and welcome feedback.

The Beta-Vitality Task Force is working on these questions – we have met now for one year and have one year to go. We have talked about small groups, hospitality and spiritual disciplines; our last module was on marketing. The motivation for my choosing the book I did for Adult Sunday School (Thirsty for God a Brief History of Christian Spirituality) is because of our focus on small groups and spiritual disciplines. (When we started this last fall we took a number of tests/surveys which indicated that this was an area in which we need to grow.) We have had at least 30 in class each Sunday and over 50 participating! This is one place where we must continue to give our spiritual energy. To continue to develop relationships and grow as a community is vital to our future.

And then I think about reaching out. Becoming Reconciling drew us together as a community but it also was reaching out – it was a political statement to our Church and to the culture at large. We have also been spiritually invigorated because we were doing something that was larger than ourselves, that we felt was a witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need this too. Where will that underlying spirit, that value of love and acceptance take us outside of our community? Are there other issues in our society that we feel passionate about? The plight of the poor, healthcare, the environment, etc? At Fairwood UMC we became a Greening Congregation, a designation that is offered by Earth Ministry here in Seattle. In addition to highlighting environmental issues the Greening Committee took out all the ivy and blackberries from their small patch of wetland and planted native plants – they made bat houses, sold trees and worked on trails.

Another group that we could enter into relationship with is Faith Action Network which is doing the same kind of work that used to be done by the Washington Association of Churches – mostly political lobbying. Currently they are working for the passage of Initiative 594 which would close the loophole allowing for guns to be sold without a background check. Is this a path we would like to take?

I feel the Spirit alive at Cedar Cross UMC. But where will it take us now? I would love to hear from you. Pastor Jim

Opportunities to Serve

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Here are some of the opportunities to participate or serve in the Cedar Cross community:

Caring Committee

The Caring Committee meets every Monday at 10:00 am. We review the joys and concerns voiced on Sunday; we manage the Prayer Chain; we send cards; we provide meals to people in our congregation who are in need; and we pray. Anyone who would like to give energy to the care of our Church family is welcome to attend. Contact Pastor Jim (pastorjimc@frontier.com).

Children’s Council

The Children’s Council is responsible for Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and family events throughout the year. They usually meet on Sunday evenings at the same time as Youth Group because a number of the members are parents of youth. They always have coffee and something to eat. They also claim to have the most fun. If you would like to support the children of the Church please join us. Contact Jen Hoerber (jenrenee1209@gmail.com).

Youth Council

As one would figure, this group supports the youth ministry. They plan youth events and support our Youth Leaders, Geoff and Katie Albright. The Council is made up of youth and youth parents, but it would be nice to have people who don’t have youth children but are committed to supporting our youth. Contact Diane Cunningham Diane (206-799-9339).

Stewardship

The Stewardship Committee runs the Stewardship campaign every fall, but they do more than that. They work on making the congregation aware of the needs of the Church and our obligations to support it. Obviously, stewardship is a vital ministry of the Church and it needs some committed people to join them. Contact Larry States (larstates@comcast.net).

Finance

The work of the Finance Committee is the nuts and blots of the finances of our Church. It is important and necessary work and they always need new people to join them. Contact Larry States (larstates@comcast.net).

Missions Committee

The Missions Committee organizes and supports the various outreach programs of our Church including Teen Feed, the Food Bank, and the Interfaith Shelter. It you are interested in outreach ministry please join this committee. Contact Dianne Bjorn with questions (425) 501-0155.

Worship Committee

The Worship Committee has six members: Charlotte Cordner, Linda Irving, Diane Van Dorn, Jennifer Hobson, Linda States and Elaine Salisbury. The strive to provide a sacred space for worship. In addition, we work closely with Pastor Jim to enhance worship each week and throughout the liturgical year. All are welcome to provide us with ideas and suggestions, or join us on the Committee.

Welcoming Committee

This Committee’s focus is visitors and reaching out to new people (used to be called evangelism). By whatever name, it works at both extending our visibility and being hospitable to new people. If you are interested in making our church more welcoming please join us. Contact Camille Williams camille.williams@frontier.com.

United Methodist Women

There are two groups of the United Methodist Women, a daytime group and an evening group. The UMW has focused on mission since its inception. It is also an opportunity for fellowship with other women in the Church. Join us. For morning UMW contact Elise Makemson (425-210-5021). For evening UMW Elaine Salisbury (es.dance@frontier.com).

Men’s Club

The Men’s Club meets on the first Saturday morning of each month for breakfast and fellowship. They also work on and support various projects around the Church. Join us.! Contact George Hobson (ghobson04@frontier.com).

The Church Has a Story, Too

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I have a memory of a seminary professor making a comment, after a long discussion about a book in the Bible, considering it’s context, literary style, form and structure he said, “well, in the end we have stories.”

We all have stories; I would also say that our lives are stories, stories that carry meaning. The lives of each of us tells a faith story, are a kind of “word of God.” And each time we are able to share some of our story the Holy Spirit is with us. I have often said that when a new person comes to our community we are blessed with a new story, and new “word of God.” An important part of being the church is sharing those stories. We create smaller groups for people to be able to share. Please think about joining Saints and Sinners, the Adult Sunday School class, the Wednesday study, the Men’s group, UMW, choir, even in committees we spend time sharing. We ask, “How is your heart today?” Each time we meet is an opportunity to share our stories.

The Church has a story too. In our Adult Sunday School class we will be using a book by Bradley Holt entitled, Thirsty for God: A Brief History of Christian Spirituality. It tells the story of Christianity – in brief, as the title implies. I have found that most people don’t know this story. To be frank, not that many people are interested in history – who wants their child to be a history major? But much of who we are is inherited – and I’m not talking about genetics. I believe that in a spiritual sense, stories are also inherited. Family stories – think of how much of whom we are comes from our families! I think faith stories live in us too, and whether we are aware of it or not, the story of the Church is our story and it lives in us.

At first glance this book may seem academic. There are lists of famous theologians, church and spiritual leaders, and we may be reminded of high school history where we had to memorize the presidents (just kidding, I know they don’t do that anymore). But the point of becoming acquainted with historical figures is not to memorize but to imagine how they experienced God – and to further imagine how that way of experiencing God relates to how we experience God. The book is not the text, in the end, we are the text. Our understanding of the story of the Church is quite limited – we see only a narrow spectrum of it; what we see in the churches around us represents just a little of the story. To see the larger story of God’s work in the world provides an opportunity for us to see our own lives with God differently, more expansively.

In the end we have stories. Come and share with us on Sunday mornings.

Pastor Jim