Cutting Edge
Monday, July 28, 2003
Veritas
The idea that I am a veriter was proposed to me. A veriter is someone who believes that Truth is a thing. It's a tough call. I know that I often will say that God does not dictate what is Good, He only points towards the Good, but that risks the notion that Good predates God, or that if God created Good then he created Evil, unless I follow Plato strictly and I don't think he ever mentioned a form of absolute Evil like he did with Good.
Tough call. ¶ 9:38 PM 0 comments
Thursday, July 24, 2003
Hardness of Heart
When does 'tough love' turn into 'hardness of heart'? The Episcopal Church is preparting for it's General Convention and there is a bit of a hullaballoo over this gay Bishop. I realize that he has been called to serve as Bishop by the Diocese of New Hampshire and he is a gay man. The people knew him when he and his wife forgave each other and let each other go, they know that he is in a committed relationship, and they called him to be their Bishop. Now there are some other Bishops who are crying out that they will leave the Church because of this. Why? Because they think they are showing "Tough Love" for a sinner. I think they are being cold and heartless, showing 'hardness of heart' more than anything else.
I also find it odd that most of the Schism churches from the Anglican Communion have all kept "to bring all of the world into unity under Christ" in their core values. ¶ 9:08 PM 0 comments
Thursday, July 03, 2003
Just a quick thought. There has been a lot of discussion about the text of Pauls Letter to the Romans (in the GTNG mailing list) and it's one of the places that people claim that Homosexuals will be punished by God. What about Romans 2:1-3:
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. You say "we know that God's judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with the truth." Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgemtn of God?
Is Paul only saying "It takes one to know one?" Isn't it dangerous for any of us to claim who is welcome in Church (from God's point of view) and who will be blessed or punished by God?
Remember Jesus' preaching : "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get." (Matthew 7:1-2)
If any of us can be full participants in God's Love, then every one of us belongs in God's Love and should be given full participatory rights. I believe that if any institutional church has a sacrament and denies that sacrament to any member or person, then they have not come fully into God's Love.
When people are broken the Church should be there to help them heal. People who suffer addiction need help from specialists but also from the Church. They should not be denied at the door because of their brokenness. They should be welcomed so they may heal. Is being a homosexual person part of being a broken person? I think not.
¶ 7:14 PM 0 comments
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. You say "we know that God's judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with the truth." Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgemtn of God?
Is Paul only saying "It takes one to know one?" Isn't it dangerous for any of us to claim who is welcome in Church (from God's point of view) and who will be blessed or punished by God?
Remember Jesus' preaching : "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get." (Matthew 7:1-2)
If any of us can be full participants in God's Love, then every one of us belongs in God's Love and should be given full participatory rights. I believe that if any institutional church has a sacrament and denies that sacrament to any member or person, then they have not come fully into God's Love.
When people are broken the Church should be there to help them heal. People who suffer addiction need help from specialists but also from the Church. They should not be denied at the door because of their brokenness. They should be welcomed so they may heal. Is being a homosexual person part of being a broken person? I think not.
¶ 7:14 PM 0 comments
