Saw this article online today and the tag line caught my attention. Newsweek: Bible isn’t against gay marriage.
Not sure what I think about the article. Seems as if scripture is being stretched and used out of contexts. I get pretty frustrated when reading something and its pretty obvious the author has no authority on the issue. What do you think?
Lindsay Guard 
“Discernment isn’t telling the difference between what’s right and what’s wrong; true discernment telling the difference between what’s right and what’s almost right.”
When you start with statements like, “the Bible is a living document, powerful for more than 2,000 years because its truths speak to us even as we change through history” it leads you to say, “A mature view of scriptural authority requires us, as we have in the past, to move beyond literalism. The Bible was written for a world so unlike our own, it’s impossible to apply its rules, at face value, to ours.”
The truth of Christ’s message is under attack by people who say, “In the Christian story, the message of acceptance for all is codified.” Jesus meets us where we are: sinful, abhorrent people, beyond hope, and, what we so often forget, haters of God. But, having met us, He changes us completely, and therein is the great story of the Bible. We aren’t left in our sin, but radically altered, and the world doesn’t see this as the message of the Bible anymore, and, what’s worse, neither do many in the church, all because we have forsaken true discernment.
I don’t like philosophy majors, but this girl in my class the other day said something so great I had to write it down. I don’t know if she stole it from somewhere or what, but her name is Charity Morris and she said, “Christianity is terrible and wonderful at the same time. It’s terrible because it means we’re horrible people, worse than we thought we were. But it’s wonderful because it’s good news. God is better than we thought He was. He’s the kind of God that loves sinners.”
I’m a religious skeptic, but respect my husband’s Christian faith. My lack of faith does not stop us from loving eachother, or from me being a good wife/mother/citizen. His faith does not injure or harm me, hold me back, or imprison me. If it did, we could not be together. He prays, quietly, for me to see the light, rather than forc me to stay home with the baby, or demand laws be written that require me to be sub-serviant. Christians wonder why they are villified by the media – that is why. They use their faith to control the actions of others. I can never have share a belief with a religion that oppresses. The big difference between myself and a Christian? I respect your beliefs.
Angie- I can’t imagine how you got anything out of my post that makes you believe I don’t respect people or that I oppress because I am a Christian. I simply posted it because I do believe that the author of the article used scripture out of context. I have a hard time following an argument for a case when the basis for the argument is being used incorrectly. I would reconsider calling someone out on a blog before you’ve had time to search out how they really feel about issues. As much I dislike the Bible being used incorrectly by non-believers, I probably dislike it being used incorrectly by Christians even more. I’m not about a God who oppresses but a God who came to set us free from a dead life. Please don’t generalize Christians…we don’t all fall into the little circle of people who are villified, because some of us believe in a story of hope.
Lindsay- great response. Angie must have stumbled upon your blog at random. Clearly she has no sense for who you are or what you believe.
dear wife,
please blog. you are brilliant and creative and living a remarkably godly life. the world needs to hear from you. your everyday life. the one you think is boring that i’m in love with. the little things and little decisions that make you YOU. it’s not fair that i’m the only person who gets to hear what you’re thinking every day.
Isn’t Ryan wonderful???? You are awesome Lindsay. Believe it.
Thanks…I’m trying to figure out what to write next. Sometimes, there is TOO much going on that my brain won’t slow down enough for me to put my thoughts to paper…er…keyboard