Searching for a Wider Theological Middle Ground

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A Foot in Two Worlds

I’ve been working on this post for years now. How does one gracefully put into words where they feel God is calling them in the midst of an ugly theological battle within their denomination? On the one hand, I have many friends who identify as Traditionalist. They are theologically conservative in how they read the Bible and understand the history of the church and its stance on human sexuality. And I love them dearly. On the other hand, I have many friends who would claim a more progressive view. They are liberal in how they interpret Scripture and who advocate for change in the church’s stance on human sexuality. I love those friends too.

For years now, I have been struggling to articulate my place in this theological tug-of-war. I currently serve in a more Traditionalist annual conference (South Georgia) where I’m viewed by many as way too progressive. But, as I was reminded at the recent UMCNext Gathering in Kansas, I’m no more comfortable in more progressive circles where I tend to be more conservative. I now lead a Reconciling Congregation (RMN). And I was, once upon a time, the President of the Candler Evangelical Society while in seminary. It’s really strange to consider sometimes.

It’s hard to live with a foot in two worlds, especially when those two worlds grow farther and father apart. But this much I know (for today)…

I am unabashedly orthodox BECAUSE I support full inclusion

I strive to be as orthodox as possible in my understanding of faith. My seminary experience taught me to love and appreciate my faith in radical ways. The Church continues to shape and form me. I am a Wesleyan Christian and, as such, the Bible, Tradition, Reason, and Experience all play a role in helping me interpret life with God. All of this leads me to affirm that the issue of full inclusion in the church strikes at the heart of the very evangelistic mission Christ calls us to undertake. The very mission of the Church hinges on how we welcome the stranger, outcast, and left behind. Culture wars don’t get to determine who we welcome into the church. That’s Jesus’ job. Being inclusive in the life of the church doesn’t make me less orthodox, it hopefully makes me more faithful to the mission Jesus embodied. Here’s the crux of why same-sex marriage works with orthodox faith for me: It’s not about who you marry as much as your faithfulness to that person (please don’t start the beastiality argument, trolls). Monogamy reflects the faithfulness God has toward us. It’s the embodiment of what faithfulness to God looks like. And it’s the holiness a marriage is built upon no matter the gender of the couple. Understanding marriage as a reflection of faithfulness to God is very orthodox to me. And understanding calling and ordination to ministry as a living out of one’s baptism is equally orthodox.

Progressive Theology is great, but it’s not enough for me

Progressive theology is great but, in the end, a lot of it falls short for me. There is a lot of progressive theology that calls us back into a faithful understanding of inclusion, liberation, and empowerment in the life of forming disciples. But there’s also a lot of it that goes too far for me. I still believe in the divine inspiration of Scripture. I believe God is the Creator of all there was, is, and will be. And this God is actively at work redeeming the world. I still believe in Jesus Christ – God’s human, yet divine, Son who lived briefly, died violently, and rose (physically) unexpectedly. And I believe in the Holy Spirit as the divine presence whereby we are given power in the name of Jesus Christ. None of that is wishful thinking for me. It’s not an inspirational myth. It’s Truth that serves as the ground of my hope and salvation. I believe the Church is called to a unique mission whereby we uniquely partake in God’s mission of redemption. When a progressive theology calls these basic tenets of faith into question, it falls dreadfully short for me.So I probably have different motivations to work for full inclusion in the church than some who subscribe to a more progressive theology than me.

The Bible leads me to affirm these things

This is the part where critics will skip to the bottom to begin rebutting me in the comment section. Hang with me though…for me, the fullness of Scripture points us to a number of truths: God is the supreme, power, and authority in creation; God calls a people into being and loves nothing more than to be in close relationship with them; grace is real because, if nothing else, humans mostly stink at faithfulness and the continuance of that relationship is a gift of grace from God who loves us first; the Church is the body of Christ called to embody what redemption looks like. And the ultimate truth of all is that Jesus Christ is Lord above all. The Bible is the word of God that points us to the Word of God – Jesus, God in flesh (John 1). Marriage is a sticky issue in Scripture. And for centuries the Church has struggled with what the ideal of marriage should look like. Sure, man and woman have always been understood as mates in marriage. But women were treated as property to be exchanged in marriage. Polygamy was an accepted practice among the most faithful leaders of the Old Testament. Marriage, understood as a covenant between two seemingly equal partners is a relatively new development in human history. So, yes, I know what the bible says about same-sex marriage. But I also know what the Bible says about the sacred worth of all people (Gal. 3, Jas. 2, Eph 2, Col. 1, etc.). And Jesus had a way during his ministry of going right after the ones who are cast out by religious authorities (Luke 14, Matt. 25, etc.).

Before You Troll Me, Here’s What I Promise

I promise not to hate you for struggling with how you feel about this issue.Certainty is not a guarantee, and I hope you at least struggle a little with it. I know I have.

  1. I promise to do my best to build bridges with those who disagree with me. This isn’t east in the social media, clickbait age where demonizing each other is the norm.
  2. I promise to lead my church to affirm the historic Christian truths found in the Bible and creeds and our Wesleyan tradition. And I promise that I will work to create a culture where ALL people, gay or straight or somewhere else, can become a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.
  3. I will not break our United Methodist Book of Discipline when it comes to same-sex weddings. If things change or we move into a different space where the rules change, only then will I do it. My ordination vows are my oath to God and the Church. I may struggle with the reasoning behind a couple of lines in the Discipline. But I’ll be faithful until it’s time for change.

Conclusion: Wandering in the Fog of Mystery

This is a strange middle ground I’m trying to plot. But it’s a ground where grace and law meet in a mysterious way leading us to consider again what it means to be faithful disciples. I am not afraid of that mystery. And I am convinced there are a number of people like me who feel like they are wandering in the fog of that mystery some days. But, the good news is that some days while we wander, we accidentally bump into fellow sojourners. And together we seek to find the Way that leads to life, faithfulness, and welcome for ALL people.

The Rev. Ben Gosden serves as senior pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Savannah, Ga. This post is republished with permission from his blog, Covered in the Master's Dust.