Nashville manifesto

A few weeks ago some 150 Evangelical leaders posted their Manifesto on Human Sexuality. While it got a little press, as a news item, its importance faded pretty quickly. After all, what they said was pretty much what you would expect that group to say. Also, their timing was a tad off coming as it did during a major hurricane and North Korea firing off missiles, and Neo - Nazi groups marching in our streets.  They affirmed their opposition to same sex marriages and transgender folk. No surprises there. I noted the usual cast of characters signed the document along with one of our local pastors at First Baptist Jacksonville.

Of interest to me was Article 5 which "denies that physical anomalies or psychological conditions nullify the God appointed link between biological sex and self conception as male or female." There are two choices, folks. You are either Adam or Eve and it is simple as that. I don't imagine the Evangelical Leaders have had a chance to talk to anyone with  "Anomalies" or persons with "Psychological Conditions"relating to their sexuality. (I have a met a few who have dealt with such psychological  conditions related to their homosexuality and in several cases their psychological condition was caused by the treatment they received from Evangelical Leaders.) It is just too bad for them. God didn't mess up but they sure are in a mess when it comes to Evangelical Leaders. To be fair, the Evangelical Leaders do affirm "that those born with physical disorders of sexual development are created in the image of God and have dignity and worth equal to all other image bearers." It's just that as the Manifesto says later, "we deny that sexual attraction for the same sex is part of the natural goodness of God's original creation." And that, it is a sin to approve of homosexual immorality or transgenderism and it is even a matter about which faithful Christians should NOT agree to disagree (article 10). Sound a bit harsh? Find out what that believer thinks about homosexuality before you invite him, or her to the church potluck!

James Bryan Smith in his book, The Magnificent Story, writes, "instead of starting with original sin, we ought to start with our original goodness." God created and then saw everything was very good. Smith points out that we are essentially beautiful, good and true. The original image of God cannot be distorted or marred or vandalized by our sin. Sin however separates us from God, from others, and from ourselves. Some Evangelicals see sin as an abnormality, or abnormal psychological condition some people need to get over before they can be accepted by God or God's people. I have seen sin as the reaction some people created in the image of God have experienced in the abusive ways they have been treated by Christian leaders and other church people. If they are not normal like Adam and Eve, they have called abominations to the Lord, coerced to change their sexual attraction, forced to leave churches unless they change. I have met many persons who have wandered from church to church looking for a church home that welcomes them until they have given up.

I attend a church where we all have different kinds of "anomalies" and we have a healthy mix of all sorts of psychological conditions. Some of the people in my church have been "lost sheep" like the ones excluded from the synagogues in Jesus day whom he reached out to, especially. Funny thing though is each and every one is created in God's image and while we take seriously the damaging effects of sin, we also take seriously that  Jesus dwells within us by faith and that Jesus is our hope of glory as Paul says, and that our life is already hidden with Christ in God. Ray Anderson wrote some years ago, "this means there is something of us already abiding in the very presence of God through Christ."

I have learned a lot from this church. Most importantly, as humhan beings we all have abnormalities and are beset from time to time with a wide variety of psychological conditions. What we need is the Gospel, the Good News of God in Jesus Christ. We don't need more bad news that only leads us further into despair.

James Torrance said. "Christ does not heal us by standing over us against us, diagnosing our sickness, prescribing medicine for us to take, and then going away, to leave us to get better by obeying his instructions, - No, he becomes the patient. He assumes the very humanity which is in need of redemption, ...and by his life, death and resurrection, our humanity is healed in him. We are not healed through Christ, because of the work of Christ, but in and through Christ."

Jesus has opened up to us a life of selfless love. That's a tough one but it's what we all need and if we are going to follow Jesus, that is where the journey leads.

Hurricane Irma

Hurricanes are major life disrupters. We just had one which scored pretty much a direct hit on Florida. That's right - on the whole state. The Keys were wiped out along with both the southern east and west coasts. Then the eye came over the center of the state so most inland areas felt the effects of Irma, as well. Jacksonville in the far northeast corner of the state experienced devastating winds and flooding from rain and storm surge. Where I live, about 25 miles west of Jacksonville, in a rural county, it was a mess of downed trees and power lines. We were without power for about a week. Although we saw lots of water our house did not flood like some others near us did. We spent a few days camping out at home and then moved over to our son's house only a few miles away where there was power.

The first couple of days were ok and my wife and I felt like survivalists living off the grid. Then, it got hot and we were sweaty, stinky survivalists and the pride we had taken in surviving was wearing off. We have a septic system so we had to stop flushing too or risk a backup. More stink. While I could relieve myself out in the wilds my wife was not going to use a cup inside. So by the third day, we were making daily treks to our son's house and then just moved in.

Hurricanes disrupt as I said. The routines of life are out the window and mostly what you do is figure out the next meal, the night's sleep, and where the nearest bathroom is. There are no lights so you make do with a flashlight and you make coffee with a camp stove. We had those and the power company was working hard to get people up and running. Many people down south of us and in the Caribbean Islands were really suffering with much less.

I was going to write about lessons learned but I did not learn much. What I experienced was the helpfulness of neighbors, the concern of family, and the community of church. Getting through this monster storm and its aftermath reminded me of what really matters and helped me make connections with people who cared. I saw the storm bring out the best and worst in people. At times, I felt my best and my worst.

One of the best descriptions of a Florida hurricane I've read comes from Zora Neale Hurston's, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Here is a small portion of it.

"The wind came back with triple fury, and put out the light for the last time. They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God."

If I learned anything, that might be it.