Mennonites dialogue on same-sex
In the latest MB Herald is a review by Kevin Moore (pastor of Jamestown Church, Toronto) of a book called Mennonites dialogue on same-sex - STUMBLING TOWARD A GENUINE CONVERSATION ON HOMOSEXUALITY, a compilation of articles by Michael A. King. One of several comments on the back of this book, which can be viewed at amazon.com (here), says “God saves some of us to embrace our sexuality. God saves others to seek a different sexuality. For some of us, attempts to change can lead to hell, separating us from God. For others, change can bring a deeper relationship with God.”
Mentioned in the MB Herald book review is the following quote from Meister Eckhart by a pastor (named Nisly) whose credentials were suspended by the Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference when he decided to perform a same-sex wedding ceremony:
“True followers of Jesus are absurdly happy, totally fearless, and almost always in trouble.”!
While it is true that Christians can expect persecution and trials, is this the sort of trouble that the Bible tells us to expect? Is Mr. Nisly’s situation a godly example of being in trouble for fearlessness while defending the truth in the Bible?
Before we move on, let’s take a look at who pastor Nisly quoted:
Who is Meister Eckhart?
Meister Eckhart
Eckhart, a Dominican monk who lived in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, ranks among the great Roman Catholic mystics such as Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, and Julian of Norwich. Toward the end of his life Eckhart was charged (and found guilty after his death in 1327), with heresy for his mystical assertions which the Catholic Church determined had bled over into pantheism. Eckhart “believed that in every human soul there is something of the very nature of God. Here it is that the human soul meets God…. [His] doctrine of the human soul has lasted to the present, and is reaffirmed whenever one speaks of a Divine Spark within each of us.”[1] Eckhart made statements such as these, “Henceforth I shall not speak about the soul, for she has lost her name yonder in the oneness of divine essence. There she is no more called soul: she is called infinite being.” And, “She plunges into the bottomless well of the divine nature and becomes one with God that she herself would say that she is God.” Such statements not only bothered the Medieval Church but some more modern researchers have found agreements in Eckhart’s philosophy with all the major points of Hindu mystics.[2] Other scholars are not so certain about Eckhart’s pantheism but his statements certainly leave the door open for such interpretations. Yet Eckhart is considered to be one of the most important Christian mystics of the Middle Ages and both ancient and modern mysticism reflect his views. Eckhart’s Divine Spark corresponds almost directly with the teachings of Eastern Mysticism, with the difference that the Divine Spark in Christian Mysticism is defined as God who resides in every human being. –Gary Gilley, Mysticism Part 2
(http://www.svchapel.org/Resources/Articles/read_articles.asp?ID=107)
Moving on, the MB Herald article also brings to light the following questions (although readers of the book will be left in the dark):
“No definitive answers are reached, no grand proclamations emanate from its pages. It truly is a dialogue, a dialogue that needs to happen in the church in general, and among Mennonites in particular. Listen to the wonderfully provocative questions…
What if the presence of gays and lesbians in the church is neither a symptom of the church’s apostasy nor a right based on an unchangeable orientation but rather a gift of God to be received with gratitude? What if the Mennonite church sought to be faithful rather than effective? What if it discovered with joy the gifts that it has been rejecting? What if this book helped the church remember the dialogue it has said again and again we are all called to have, helped the church remember the people with whom we are called to be in dialogue, or helped us all discover the gifts of God, the grace of God, which we in the Mennonite church have all too often excluded? What if God requires mercy, not sacrifice?”
Here are some other questions to bring to light regarding this book and the MB Herald’s review:
Are the Mennonites opening Pandora’s box by getting involved in this dialogue?
Exactly why does this dialogue need to happen among Mennonites in particular?
Regardless of the issue, is there ever an option to ‘dialogue’ when it comes to truth that is found in God’s Word?
Would the truth in God’s Word shed light on the outcome of this dialogue? (For example, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Leviticus 18:22, or Romans 1:18-32)
Is Menno Simons rolling over in his grave?
Recommended ROM reading:
Reinventing the World
Part 2 of 3:
The Mind-Changing Dialectic Process
Training the masses to think collectively and serve a Greater Whole
by Berit Kjos
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/Reinventing2.htmDeceived by the Dialectic Process
http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/brainwashing/dialectic.htmBiblical Truth versus Consensus Thinking
http://www.crossroad.to/charts/consensus.htm
Related reading:
How same-sex marriage points to the end of the world by Janet Folger
Religion is, like, all made up, yeah? But homosexuality is real, right? It’s, like, a real thing, not just some ppl talking about made up stuff, right?
I mean, correct me if i’m wrong.
Yes, religion is man’s way of reaching up to deity. Many religious traditions are inventions of men, just as many gods that are worshipped are also inventions of man. But there is a real God, and He made a way for us to know Him. He created us, but we disobeyed, which separated us from Him. The good news is that God loves us so much that He made a way for us to be brought back into relationship with Him.
Many of the things we want to do are harmful for us. Yes, they are very real issues. We can live our lives indulging in the things we want to do, or we can live our lives for God, who has a better way for us.
If you want to know more, here is a very good link:
How to Know God
http://www.harvest.org/knowgod/