In the Gospel According to Luke, John the Baptizer sends friends to ask Jesus, "are you the one we are looking for or is there someone else?" Jesus responds with a redirection: Go and tell what you have seen and heard.
This is second hand, but I've heard it said that there are people in opposition to GLBT full inclusion who have asked for a halt to all the stories we tell. Enough with the stories---let's keep to the theology of the matter! But where are we without stories?
Should GLBT folk serve as pastors? What have we seen? They're already doing it. Are they all good pastors? Probably not. Certainly not. Are all straight pastors good pastors? Certainly not. But are there good straight pastors? And good GLBT pastors? This is also a certainty.
I've heard stories of churches growing after becoming a Reconciling in Christ congregation. Doubtlessly, there are stories of churches shrinking because a ccongregation took that stand.
I've seen GLBT pastors serving in many different situations---parishes, campus ministries, chaplaincies---that are doing good, even transformative work among the people of God. I know of one GLBT pastor who I would not trust to take care of a potted cactus.
So what have you seen and heard? Are there hungry people getting fed or are they starving still? Is there healing happening or only woundedness?
Tell what you've seen and heard. As Jesus suggests, experience matters.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
1 comment:
Comments are welcome, opposing as well as supportive. The hour is past for anonymity, however, and I as moderator will delete any post that does not have a verifiable name attached to it. Hold your convictions and hold them in the light. This goes for supportive and non-supportive comments.
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It seems that when stories are told, the theology gets a face and that makes some people squirm1
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