They answered Jesus, 'We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, "You will be made free"?' Jesus answered them, 'Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word.
38 I declare what I have seen in the Father's presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.' They answered him, 'Abraham is our father.' Jesus said to them, 'If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are indeed doing what your father does.' They said to him, 'We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself.' Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.'
Diane Silver a blog contributor to The Bilerico Project wrote an outstanding piece last night entitled "My Christianity Problem." She writes many interesting points but the following paragraphs that stand out for me is:
Here's what this story has to do with my feelings about Christianity: Christians terrify me. I am strong and capable, but part of me feels like a powerless child who can't withstand the Christian onslaught. I'm a 10-pound cat facing a 120-pound pit bull and the snarling beast is frothing at the mouth.
I'm an out lesbian and a non-Christian living in nation where more than 75 percent of the people are Christian. A healthy chunk of those folks are fundamentalists, Mormons and conservative Catholics who expend enormous effort and money to limit my legal rights and hurt my family. A tiny portion of those people, like my neighbor the Rev. Fred Phelps, believe I should be put to death for no other reason than who I am.
Preachers and priests rail against me from the pulpit. Churches and Christian organizations campaign against my family. In the process, they stereotype me as a vicious sexual predator or a sex addict. (A homosexual will have 10,000 sexual partners, and they're always looking for new victims, claims the pastor of a church in suburban Kansas City. I haven't had even 5 sexual partners in my life, let along 10,000. I don't even know how you would do that. When would you buy groceries, do laundry, go to work?)
I joke about this minister's outrageous claim, but I also worry about how many of the 4,000 members of his congregation believe him. How many of them would deny me work, or beat me up because he has convinced them I'm a threat? When I'm not being pilloried by Christians for being queer, I'm being exhorted to ignore my own experiences and my own spiritual journey and accept "Jesus Christ as my Savior."
So this is my Christianity problem: some Christians have hurt me and continue to want to hurt me and the people I hold most dear. I'm having a horrible time figuring out how to handle my feelings about that fact.
Intellectually, I know every Christian isn't anti-gay or disrespectful of other people's religious beliefs, but my little girl self doesn't live in the land of logic. My little girl self wants to hurt them as much as they've hurt me. I can be the closest of friends with Christians if I know they don't seek my destruction. I can accept their theology, and support their worship. However, I also feel powerless to withstand what feels like a continuous assault from a portion of Christianity. My smallest, most frightened self is too scared to wait to determine if an individual Christian is friend or foe; I just want to verbally attack the instant I meet one.
But here's a fact about powerlessness that's surprising. I learned two lessons that day in karate. I learned that my anger is fueled by feelings of helplessness, but I also learned that my feelings distort my perception. My hapless practice partner was much smaller than I could see at first. What am I missing in my great tussle with Christians? What am I unable to see about them?
I've read that some Christians are just as frightened of me as I am of them. They think I want to destroy their way of life, take their Bibles, or close their churches. (I don't.) I think they're the pit bull, and I'm the helpless tabby. Do they think I'm the attack dog, and they're the cat?
I refuse to be governed by fear. I refuse to be fueled by hate and a thirst for revenge, and I refuse to add to the demonize-the-opposition poison that is sickening our society. I want to let go of my anger at Christians
Bravo Diane! The problem with Christians is that we forget that the reason we are Christians is not for just ourselves and nor is it because of our dogmas. If we take the name Christian seriously, it means we recognize Jesus Christ as not only our Savior but also as our neighbor. Remember Matthew 25: 31-46? Diane is writing this out of her own personal experience of what she is witnessing from Christianity towards herself as a lesbian. Sadly, it is an experience all too familiar to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, questioning and queer people. It is an ongoing story from the various corners of the world. Just here in the United States Box Turtle Bulletin blogs about The Great American Breakdown. Joe Jervis of JoeMyGod writes about Focus on the Family's new website opposing anti-gay bullying in our schools. Given examples like these why are we questioning why LGBTQ people are giving up on Christianity?
I want to be very clear in writing that I am not giving up on Christianity. I believe that our God does not give up on us, so we should not give up on God and God's prefect revelation in Jesus Christ. If Christianity is going to have any impact on the world, than I must agree with much of what Bishop John Shelby Spong wrote in his book: "A New Christianity for A New World". Bishop Spong is also the author of another book I will read someday entitled: "Why Christianity Must Change or Die." Christianity needs more than a major face lift but needs a "new reformation." (Read A New Christianity for a New World for an explanation). We are not reaching the masses of people with stories of miracles or age old dogmas and creeds. Quoting Bible verses to shame women about abortion or birth control and homosexual, bisexual and transgendered people is just pushing them further and further away. Among the many reasons why Christianity has been loosing it's attraction to people is the massive spiritual abuses of the Catholic church and the conservative and fundamentalist Christians with in protestantism. Mainline churches loose out because we are so determined to maintain our institutions. Change is a much liked term, but not much enjoyed in practice. While the Church goes through all of these crisis' the hungry hearts of women and men of all races, religions, sexual orientations and/or gender expressions/identities, cultures, challenges and the like suffer terribly.
In today's Gospel Jesus is talking about how we evidence who we are listening to. Christians do not show that we are being attentive to God, when fundamentalist Christians are publicly distorting the truth about the religion of Islam. When Christians support the idea of burning down Muslim places of worship or the stabbing of a cab driver in New York City, it be easy to say that we have been listening or keeping the words of Jesus, and that we are truly set free, but our actions show otherwise. The violence that has been being heaped upon the Islamic believers is the same ignorance that has given way to fear that causes homophobia because of heterosexism. The only way we are going to deal appropriately with that fear is to be open to learning some things about Islam. At the web site Gain Peace, we read the answer to the question, what is Islam?
Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all His prophets to every people. For a fifth of the world's population, Islam is both a religion and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which have come to be associated with their faith.
Muslims believe in One, Unique, Incomparable God; in the Angels created by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in the Day of Judgement and individual accountability for actions; in God's complete authority over human destiny and in life after death. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them. But God's final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) through Gabriel.
This past weekend while Jason and I were coming back the Minnesota State Fair, we were greeted by an Islamic man who passed us a card with the information to Gain Peace. I told him that I stand with him against the prejudice and violence that his people are experiencing. I told him that I am an Episcopalian and that I do not condone any violence against any person, for any reason. He thanked me and asked if he could take a picture of Jason and I, which we let him do.
As Christians it is our business to be peace makers. Among our many important duties as Christians is to be people of radical hospitality and be about the ministry of reconciliation. We cannot do radical hospitality or the ministry of reconciliation if we are condoning injustice, cruelty and violence upon people for reasons that are so unimportant as religion, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, gender, challenge, race etc. In this regard as Bishop Spong wrote Christianity must change or it will die. It will die not because Jesus Christ the resurrection and the life will have died, but because Christians will have done so much damage to his Name and what Jesus is about, that very few will want believe in him.
Today the Episcopal Church commemorates two Bishops of Northern England, Aiden and Cuthbert. Aidan died in 651 and Cuthbert in 687. Both of these men did extraordinary work while Christians were working to evangelize Northern England. In both of these men are examples of heart felt devotion and committed Christian witness. Like all people, their work was not without it's casualties to Church history. Such is the Church in the 21st Century.
Wouldn't the Church be telling a whole different story if we could make use of our Faith, our Creeds, our worship, and our Bibles to enthusiastically preach and share peace, inclusion and salvation through radical hospitality and reconciliation? Christianity would indeed be a living tradition if instead of looking at how we can use the Bible as a weapon of mass destruction to spread discrimination, we could seek to help people get along with each other and let each other be who we are. If Christians joined Muslims in seeking peace with the rest of the world, Christianity would be known as a friend of other religions and not foes. If Christians would support marriage equality for all people including but not limited to same-sex couples, then Christianity would not appear to be a Faith that condones spiritual and religious violence. I believe that this is the Christianity that is real, because it is the real message of Jesus Christ's words and actions. When will the words and actions of Jesus, welcoming the stranger, healing the wounds that bleed and helping to restore broken relationships become a priority in the ministry and mission of Christ's Church?
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 17, Book of Common Prayer, Page 233).
Everliving God, you called your servants Aidan and Cuthbert to proclaim the Gospel in northern England and gave them loving hearts and gentle spirits. Grant us grace to live as they did, in simplicity, humility, and love for the poor; through Jesus Christ, who came among us as one who serves, and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Aidan and Cuthbert, Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, Page 553).
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, Page 815).
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen. (Prayer Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, Book of Common Prayer, Page 833).
Thanks for noticing my post, Philip. I appreciate your thoughts. Keep up the good fight.
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