Today Im posting David Gushees keynote address at The Reformation Projects recent conference in DC. Any intro I might have cannot do justice to the power of this speech, but I recognize that it is an hour long, so Ill try to hit a few highlights (even my highlights are long, so, really, just watch it). And please share it if you are at all moved. In the address, Dr. Gushee (Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University) points out something dramatic that few Christians seem to realize - Christianity changes. It has changed in the past, and it is changing now. Our interpretations of scripture change, our traditions change. Repentance is supposed to be central to our Faith. When you get something wrong, you say so, and you make amends. Specifically in this address, Dr. Gushee points out that just 50 - 100 years go, it was accepted standard practice in almost all corners of Christendom to teach that Jewish people were singled out by God for destruction. Jews were liars and evildoers who killed Christ, and were born of the Devil. This wasnt just fringe so-called Christians, this was accepted doctrine that very few people questioned. Yet in a matter of years, following the Holocaust, this teaching was (nearly) universally rejected and reversed. Scripture was reinterpreted and greater attention was paid to historical context. And tradition was brought back to the core message of Christ that had been ignored to great harm - Love your neighbor as yourself. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Watch the video for the nuances, but Dr. Gushee makes a compelling analogy of that time to our own, except in regard to the way the Church has mistreated its own LGBT people. But not only that, he shows the great deal of harm the Churchs doctrine of exclusion and hate has done to LGBT people and their families. This isnt just an issue of theology, it is hurting people. And not only LGBT people - its hurting everyone involved, turning families against each other, against themselves. It has to stop. It HAS to stop. But there is hope and joy here too. The Church can and IS changing again. Not only that, there is great relief in dropping hate. As Ive posted before regarding the occupation in Palestine, hate hurts both the hated and the hater. It is universally damaging: a poison that damages all hearts and people involved. The question the church should ask is not only whether certain parts of scripture need to be reinterpreted, but are we acting like Christ? Do we love our neighbor or not? All David Gushee is asking is that the Church that claims to follow Jesus act like a church that follows a gospel of love and not of contempt. This message needs to be heard. Please share this.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000
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