Personal Thoughts on why some of the questions made me angry

After going through the questions, and really having to think about what I believe, I started to start asking myself what it was about some of the questions that got me angry. The one about family especially set me off, but it wasn't the only one.

I think that what really was occurring was a reaction to the negative experiences that I have had with church folk when these issues come out of the realm of theory, and into reality. Believe it or not I know all the pat, Christianese answers to the questions that were asked. I also have seen those pat answers' complete breakdown in the face of reality.

In the question about homosexuality, I was angry not because I am for or against, but because there are human-beings that are not being treated with the love that God has treated us. Every time I hear the more fractious arguments being beaten like the dead horses they are, I can't help but think of the parable of the merciless debtor.

Matt 18:23-35
23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26 "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

29 "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

30 "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
NIV

I think that we suffer a lot from what's called in the hood I grew up in: forgettin' where ya came from. Before any of us come down hard on someone else, I think we need to first remember where we came from, and how Jesus came to meet us. I don't think that where you are currently at in your spiritual journey is as important as the direction that journey is headed in, and how far on that journey you are willing to go.

I think that we are missing a lot of opportunities to grow in our faith, and to grow our faith, because we are afraid of the differences that we are going to encounter. It is much easier to insulate ourselves from the world around us than it is to engage the culture and look for the glory and presence of God outside of the walls of our church culture.

OK, time for bed and an end to the rant.

Grace and Peace,

Gil