Page 4 - Moravian Messenger September 2020

One Plus One
(A United Reformed Church Publication)
The ninth article on understanding marriage in
21st Century:
In the Image and Likeness of God?
Months after the day of Pentecost, Peter undertook an extensive journey. He was encouraging churches and individuals, equipping them for mission and no doubt collecting up to date stories and statistics to report back to headquarters in Jerusalem. While staying in Joppa he had a vision that turned his world view upside down. On the surface the vision appeared to be about Jewish food laws, although it was actually about accepting hospitality from Gentiles. (And Mark's gospel tells us that Jesus had pronounced all foods 'clean'. (Mark 7:19)
In response to the voice which urged him to kill and eat unclean food, Peter said, 'but the Bible says I mustn't. It's all there in Leviticus chapter 11.' The voice as good as says, 'You are going to have to review the way you interpret the Bible, in the light of the new things that God is doing. The death and resurrection of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit at work through the church, extends salvation to the whole of humanity, not just to the Jews, because God loves everyone equally and passionately.' Within moments Peter was receiving an invitation to step much further out of his comfort zone than even when he had stepped over the side of the boat to walk on water with Jesus. He was invited to go and stay at the home of a Gentile Roman centurion who wanted to know more about Jesus.
This story gives us a glimmer of light into the continuing debate about how we interpret the Bible in order to be faithful to God's word in our daily lives here and now. Biblical fundamentalism began in North America in the late 19th century and argues that the Bible is literally, factually and historically true and contains no errors because it is directly inspired by God. 'Modernism' or 'liberalism' argues that the way we interpret the Bible needs to be reviewed constantly in the light of a growing understanding of the way the world is, offered by history, archaeology, literary theory, new knowledge of biblical Hebrew and Greek, scientific discovery and the contemporary context in which we try to make sense of how to be faithful to God's word.
In this series of articles, we have flagged up some important issues concerning marriage, relationships and sexuality. We have taken care to explore topics and ask questions, without taking any particular position in asserting what is right or wrong, what people should believe or how they should behave. We have found it helpful to explore and summarise points raised in the United Reformed Church's document 'One Plus One'.
Correspondence published in the Messenger recently has ignited debate on the importance of open dialogue about what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God, where
matters of sexuality and relationship
are concerned. The correspondents
had radically different views which
reflect the range of opinion on this
issue. This exchange illustrates the
importance of holding conversations
which seek to disentangle fact, opinion, revelation and biblical interpretation in discerning how God is calling us to be a 'light for the world', in responding to the pastoral needs, issues and demands of the contemporary world, and remaining faithful to the Word of God.
There are likely to be around two million people in the United Kingdom who are exclusively attracted to other people of the same sex. Some of these are actively committed Christians. Many have been turned away from church, the gospel and Christ by homophobic persecution inflicted in the name of the church. Some have found companionship, security, joy and fulfilment in sharing their lives with a same-sex partner. This is not about what they do with their bodies to express affection and satisfy desire, it is about human flourishing. All of us are loved by God.
Within churches there has long been a debate about whether being homosexual is a lifestyle choice, a political statement, a sickness, the affliction of an evil spirit or a 'given', an expression of who that person truly is, made in the image and likeness of God. Some christian organisations also have a long history of failed attempts to 'cure' homosexual people, through prayer ministry, exorcism, punishment or therapy. The view is increasingly widely held now that it is part of a person's core identity and cannot be changed. Although some people have experienced deep and lasting transition from homosexual to heterosexual orientation as a consequence of the grace of God at work in their lives, this is the exception.
Few of us are likely to change our point of view by force of argument. What is important is that we learn how to respect the viewpoints of people we disagree with. If we cannot love our neighbours as ourselves, can we expect the Holy Spirit to lead us into 'yet more light and truth'?
Brn Martin Smith & Philip Cooper Ministers at Royton, Salem and Fairfield Congregations
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