Clobbering Time
Wesleyans believe that in Jesus Christ, God gives us a new nature. Instead of just a free ticket to heaven, salvation actually enables us to fully love God and neighbor. John Wesley taught a “holiness of heart and life,” that is, a real deliverance from active sin where the mind of Christ replaces the sinful nature, until every action is only perfect love. If we are following Christ, our lives begin to reflect his love in the world. United Methodist Baptismal Vows boldly ask, “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?” We cannot make that promise unless we believe God in Christ equips us for the difficult work of holy living.
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We turn to Scripture as our primary authority for understanding God’s desire for all creation. But Christians are very divided on how to read and interpret the Bible in order to apply it to holy living today. The Wesleyan Quadrilateral provides a toolkit for biblical interpretation, as we seek to understand Scripture through the lens of Tradition, Reason and Experience. We do not all approach the Bible with the same starting point. For some, it’s a holy textbook, designed to convey history, science, and ethics exactly as they are presented, regardless of modern discoveries. For some, it’s a devotional grab bag, filled with inspirational nuggets to build you up as you read the Verse of the Day on your Bible App. I prefer the language of the Bible Project, that “the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.” This fits with my understanding of Wesleyan teaching, especially that we should compare unclear scripture with scripture that is more clear. I want to weigh difficult passages against the love and freedom of Jesus we see in the Gospels.
We stand today in a long line of generations of the faithful who have gone before us. Tradition is one of the lenses through which we interpret Scripture, and also, Scripture is a lens through which we interpret and judge tradition. I think a lot of people hear the word “Tradition” and immediately think “orthodoxy.” The Wesley Covenant Association, which is actively gathering resources to break off and form the Global Methodist Church, makes no bones about their commitment to “orthodox Christianity.” Namely, they uphold what they believe is the correct biblical reading and the historic Christian teaching that “marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union.” This group formed in direct opposition to the election of Karen Oliveto, an openly gay woman, as bishop, within a year of the U.S. passing marriage equality laws allowing same-sex marriage in all states. They firmly believe that Scripture and Tradition are on their side, and therefore, they are most faithfully pursuing holiness of heart and life.
Now, those of us who disagree with the WCA can make all the judgments we want on their political ethics and practices. But I think all faithful Christians must have a meaningful response to their claim to orthodoxy. The fact is, Christians have historically understood faithful sexuality can only be expressed in the marriage of a man and a woman. And that belief is rooted in a valid interpretation of Scripture. So why now, can so many faithful Christians argue to the contrary, that LGBT people should be affirmed for who they are, that they cannot become straight, and therefore, the church should provide paths to holiness that include them and allow for marriage equality?
The answer comes from the very Theological Guidelines of The United Methodist Church (read them here, all quotes below are from this article in the Book of Discipline). First, we acknowledge that there is no such thing as ONE tradition. Christianity is a global movement that is shaped by many cultures and contexts across two thousand years. “The formulations and practices that grew out of specific circumstances constitute the legacy of the corporate experience of earlier Christian communities.” In other words, we seek to understand how our ancestors in the faith interpreted scripture in their time and space to live holy lives. Though much of our theology is informed by the Western Roman Catholic and Protestant Reformation, this does not define a unilateral Christian tradition. “Tradition is the history of that continuing environment of grace in and by which all Christians live, God’s self-giving love in Jesus Christ…tradition transcends the story of particular traditions.”
Second, and I quote, “the history of Christianity includes a mixture of ignorance, misguided zeal, and sin. Scripture remains the norm by which all traditions are judged.” Our tradition is not infallible. And even today, though we pursue God’s will collectively and with the leading of the Holy Spirit, the truth is, we’re not infallible either. Our commitment to orthodoxy is not infallible. Our commitment to the LGBT community is not infallible. Chances are high that all of us still have something to learn.
Third, we acknowledge that new traditions have arisen that challenge the dominant voices, “traditions from around the world that accent dimensions of Christian understanding that grow out of the sufferings and victories of the downtrodden.” Further, “A critical appreciation of these traditions can compel us to think about God in new ways, enlarge our vision of shalom, and enhance our confidence in God’s provident love.” We have much to learn from Black Theology, Liberation Theology of the Latin American church, Womanist Theology, and yes, even Queer Theology. These traditionally silenced voices are speaking up, reminding the church that God is radically for the outcast.
We use our reason and experience of the Holy Spirit’s work in the world today to discern together how we can faithfully connect our apostolic faith with “emerging forms of Christian identity.” Those of us pursuing marriage equality within the church are not just bleeding heart Liberals. We haven’t forsaken orthodoxy to win the approval of popular sinful culture. We aren’t replacing Jesus with a rainbow flag. We do take the Bible seriously, and that’s exactly why we are committed to the full inclusion of LGBT people.
We are being faithful to our theological task, which requires us to take seriously the voice of the downtrodden. And we recognize that LGBT people aren’t downtrodden because they want to get away with sin. They are downtrodden because they want to be good, holy people and yet the church has categorically and historically kicked them out. They have been either hidden away as if they don’t exist, or made examples of, as if they are the worst of sinners. We believe that there is sufficient evidence that God not only created LGBT as they are, but that God also intends for them to thrive as they are. We have seen the Holy Spirit at work in their lives. They are your closeted favorite pastor. Your barely closeted music minister. They are hidden in your churches, afraid that if you knew the truth about them, they’d suddenly not be allowed to thrive in volunteer ministry as confirmation mentors, Sunday school teachers, and board members.
I’d like to end with this. Eight years ago, I decided to start this weird comic about historical church figures, imagining them alive in the world today. While I always strive to represent their theological priorities, I have never presumed to know what they would actually do if they were alive in this cultural moment. I get push back all the time that the historical John and Charles Wesley would NEVER allow for gay marriage or gay clergy. That’s fine. Of course, no one in the 1700’s would have. They didn’t know what we know now. I present John and Charles Wesley because on the one hand, they’re heroes of the faith, and on the other hand, they were ordinary Joe’s like you and me. The question was never, “What would John and Charles do?” The question is, “What will YOU do?”