Homosexuality and women in ministry

[art]

[Ed Pettibone]

[Haruo]

[pastormikejordan]

Hi all...my first post here. Haven't met anyone (that I know of) except Tim Bonney at a mtg in Valley Forge this past September.

Anyway, I was interested in this thread and at the peril of sounding like Elihu, I wanted to share a thought about the current ABC crisis that I think this thread really illuminates.

With Haruo (if I read him/her right), I believe the issue we are facing is indeed one of scriptural INTERPRETATION as opposed to Biblical authority.

However, that does not solve the issue, not by a long shot. The question still remains: What form of Scriptural interpretation (if any) is beyond the pale for belonging to the American Baptist family?

Certainly, we cannot truly mean that any interpretation of Scripture is acceptable so long as we accept Scripture as authoritative (could we?). Suppose someone came to my church preaching Ephesians 5:24 ("Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands"). Suppose this sermon suggested that wives ought to formally worship their husbands and treat them as gods--and that if a wife disobeyed, the husband had god-like power and obligation to punish the wife. Wouldn't that mark such a preacher/church as being outside the American Baptist family? No matter how authoritative a view of Scripture this preacher had, his interpretation would be so irresponsible and dangerous that we could not fairly tolerate it as a family.

One of the great achievements in our AB heritage was our ability to condemn slavery at a time when the Southern Baptists were so fragmented that they treated the issue as adiaphorous and missed a chance to prophetically witness as an association. That was clearly a case of our association saying an interpretation of Scripture is "out of bounds" for us as AB people.

Please hear me--I'm not saying that the issue of homosexuality/homosexual behavior is one of these issues where those who disagree with my more conservative stance are beyond the bounds of responsible interpretation. (Though I will admit, I fear the relationship between the Episcopal church and the Anglican communion today is the ABC and BWA in 10-20 years.) What I am saying, however, is that part of our essential function as an association is being able to check, and if necessary, expel those who do unfair things to the Biblical text--because when people do unfair things to the text, things like slavery and genocide and Zionism ensue. This presenting issue (which may not be beyond the realm of responsible interpretation) has resulted in the baby being thrown out with the bath water, to my way of thinking.

Just some thoughts...would be glad for yours.

[jerryl]

[jerryl]

[Ed Pettibone]

[pastormikejordan]

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[art]

[Hal Eaton]

[Ed Pettibone]

ED: Hal, as one of the moderators here on the ABC Family roundtable let me say you are a welcome guest although not a part of the ABC family. we are a hospitable bunch.

I appreciate your input even if I am inclined to view much of this as an example like unto the people of Israel who when there was no king, thus no one to enforce the law, " did what was right in their own eyes." as found in Judges Chapter 17 and again in chapter 25.

And no, I am not primarily a legalist but Law and Grace must be kept in tension. Like the pop song of many years ago You can't have one with out the other.

[Haruo]

[Haruo]

[Haruo]

[jerryl]

[pastormikejordan]

[art]

[Haruo]

[jerryl]

[art]

[jerryl]

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[Haruo]

[Haruo]