Fred Stewart, exec of the Renewal Fellowship, and I disagree on many, many things, but that’s never stopped us from enjoying each other’s company, often and preferably with a pint each to lubricate our heated loquacity. We had so much fun talking about the church we love we took to inviting others to join us—monthly at a restaurant for a meal and a lot of talk. We asked friends and asked them to ask their friends. We traded war stories, argued (discussed!) theology, worked through practical issues and laughed a lot.
As a liberal I’m very critical of the smugness of liberals. As a liberal I’m also critical of the holier-than-thou-ness of evangelicals. Both these poses drive me absolutely batty; the intractability of ideology that leaves behind love and community and grace. There is neither God, Jesus nor Christ in the belligerence of ideologues, just a ripped up Bible with verses lost from context.
Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. And that is everybody’s anxiety about our annual big tent gathering in Vancouver this month. The Record’s editorial attempt—mocked by ideologues—over the past several months has been to encourage conversation. Fred Stewart, the evangelical, in his Renewal column last month echoed much the same; and in a fashion that would be most comfortable for liberals, by providing additional reading material.
The church is not a fortress; it is a garden. The Bible is not a monolith; it is organic, living, breathing text. The life of people matters. We need to listen.
Some letter writers have asked why we haven’t published profiles of homosexual members of our denomination. Why? Because many of them do not want to be exposed to holier-than-thou, biblically-justified critique; some (many!) are equally tired of the bland liberal embrace of “otherness.” They have lived, many of them, long-serving lives within the church, supported by some, rejected by others. They love the church but they are often wary, some downright afraid, or at the very least tired and exhausted, by the gaze. Many have found a balance within their church community; they don’t want to be icons or examples. They want to be people, not things.
They don’t want to be seen as “the gay” but as a person; the way a heterosexual person is allowed to be a person.
Though—warning: attempt at humour here—I’m not totally averse to labelling if we honestly open it up. If Bob, let’s call him that, is “the gay guy,” I think Sam should be known by his prominent trait which everybody refers to behind his back, as “the bitter jerk.” Or, Joan, the ever-busy, glory-stained, micro-manager, as “the petty conscience.”
As one who has a small amount of sway over the editorial content of this magazine, I welcome your self-reflective, honest profiles under these truthful titles. If we get enough, who knows? We might even include a gay guy or gal.
I am looking forward to several days in Vancouver for the same reason I look forward to every General Assembly: I love a big party. I love hanging out with friends, old, new, and those I’ve just met. I love listening to stories and I love sharing jokes. And for 10 years in a row I’ve always been impressed by the level of spiritually rich thoughtfulness that goes into the debate and conversations on the assembly floor. The results don’t always reflect that thoughtfulness, and some of those debates get very weird (ask a GA veteran about the Moderatorial Stole). Still, we are a thoughtful people, we are a faithful people, and we do hold Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, with a sincerity that recognizes we need grace to get by.
I’m pretty sure that’s true; and I think Fred does as well. That’s why we manage to be such disagreeing friends.
