Some people use the Bible as a club rather than a guide and try to clobber people into changing and becoming Christians only by observing a strict set of beliefs or dogma. That approach doesn’t work because it just antagonizes people. It makes the people who are quoting the Bible feel more pious that they’re preaching the Gospel, but it’s bad news not good news. Jesus said to repent, but he applied that to everyone.

Several organizations have the word “reconcile’ in some form of their title, which implies dialogue or at least compromise. The mainstream Protestant denominations are in various stages of dialogue or discernment of how to deal with the sin of homosexuality. Of course, that starts with the basic assumption that it is a sin. So does it all comes down to interpretation of a handful of verses? No, not really. Homophobia presumes an attitude of whether to be welcoming and inclusive or exclusive and judgmental. Once you have decided that, it is a question of finding means to justify your assumptions.

I grew up in the church, and it’s a big part of who I am. I’m not going to let people run me off simply because they’re judgmental and hostile to me. I can quote the Bible as well as they can. But those kinds of arguments only confirm people’s original positions and create more hostility.

Kim Davis has become the poster child for the radical right’s backlash against same-sex marriage in the US. I refuse to use the term conservative Christians because these extremists defy every tenet of Christianity. We have many Christian denominations with varying beliefs and practices, but the extremists go beyond the bounds. Other countries have been far ahead of us in granting equal civil rights.

The facts are simple: she had neither the legal or moral right for her actions. As a three-time divorcee and an adulterer, she can claim no moral high ground or religious basis for her bigotry. The oath of office that she took offers no exceptions of her duties for religion. When she issues a marriage certificate, she does not personally approve the marriage. She merely certifies to the state that it is legal and the process is in order. Whether she may choose just to quietly resign or to assume the role of a movement leader and appeal for funds and more publicity may not be a personal decision. Those who would use her to promote their cause may impose it upon her.

Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity

This morning I’m suffering somewhat from intellectual whiplash. I recently published two book reviews on Goodreads. The liberal Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity challenges all our traditional beliefs. The conservative What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality assumes a very defensive position for the evangelical literal Biblical tradition. Reading those books seemed like the authors live in two different worlds. I won’t repeat the reviews here since they also already have appeared on my Facebook and Twitter pages thanks to Goodreads.