Out of my two readers, at least half of them are conservative, Christian women, which cracks me up. There’s all kinds of fun things in this community of religious conservatism that can’t be mentioned. Sex can, but enjoying sex, fellatios, cunnilingus, anal, and having enjoyed sex in high school – all that’s out. It’s dirty. And forget about that abortion when she was seventeen. She’d get kicked out of the club. A lot of it has to do with being in Puritan America. I once sat in a hotel room in Paris watching this guy in a black thong lay on a toy train track and have the train smack into his testicles. It’s not something I ever want to watch again, but I’m glad I did. The point is, not everyone views the body the way that we do. In America, it’s largely gross and something to be hidden.

I’ve been accused of all sorts of things, and religious conservatism (at least lately) isn’t one of them. I’m a dirty secret. It’s like my writing is theological porn for homeschool moms. Eh, maybe that’s only interesting to me. I’ve become another thing not to talk about.

Doubt is also one of those things we avoid, or even more importantly, our hatred of G*d. Or if you do hate G*d, and your other Christian friends allow for that, you can only hate G*d for so long. Apparently hatred comes with a time limit.

Why hate the Big Guy in the Sky? (Have you ever noticed if you call G*d a “Big Girl,” it makes G*d sound like a fat woman for some reason?) Maybe we hate G*d because we are poor and can’t pay our bills, or our kid died, or our significant other killed themselves. My own theology doesn’t allow for divine intervention, but a lot of people’s does, and if that was my do-nothing deity, I would be pissed.

Another thing that we can’t talk about is our remarkably shitty lives. Well, we can, but only in the form of a prayer request in a small group. Otherwise we smile, do the sideways Christian hug, and pretend our spouse and children didn’t add to our already low self esteem in the car on the way to church. Ahhh, life.

A cool thing about going to divinity school is that we have an opportunity to “push back” (I’m really starting to despise that phrase) against what someone else said. But most Christians haven’t had that opportunity, so theological arguments are like cussing at a priest. One just doesn’t do it.

There are certain things that can’t be talked about in Christian circles, but it depends on what the culture of your church is like. Political party affiliation is fine, as long as you belong with the herd. I wouldn’t be caught dead being a conservative Republican in a UCC congregation, or a liberal Dem with the Southern Baptists. The first will get you ideologically lynched, and the second will get you literally strung up to a tree (in remembrance of Christ). The other topic that is location dependent is evolution and creationism. Each have their own camps and G*d save the poor wretch that speaks out against the prevailing viewpoint. I think Amazing Grace must have been about dissenting Christians being saved from other Christians.

Lastly, Christians can’t talk about pride. I’m not talking about idolatrous hubris here. I’m talk about acknowledging your self-worth. You know to which I speak.

“My husband is so great, but I’m not worthy.”

“My children are so fantastic, I don’t deserve them.”

“I know I worked really hard on that project, but it wasn’t me – it was G*d.”

We can’t recognize that we might have a standing that is somewhere above a roach turd without emasculating ourselves. It makes me want to beat people in the head with a King James Version of the Bible.

The question to ask is why we feel we have to succumb to the social pressure of ignoring real life which is full of shame-tears and genital warts. We have to pretend to be some cleaned up version of who we are and then get depressed because we know we are living a lie. Could you imagine the conversations Jesus had with the corporate fat cats and two-bit hookers of his day? I would have loved to be a sand flea on the carpet back then. Of course, I would need to learn ancient Hebrew, but one thing at a time.

Use your voice, but don’t think that your experiences and opinions are the same as those around you. Quit being so homogeneous. If Christ is freedom, live that way – damn it.

We can ask G*d for what we need, but what is the point if G*d is supposed to already know everything? And if G*d isn’t omniscient, then maybe prayer is kind of like sitting on that Mall Santa’s knee, the one with the booze on his breath, making Christmas wishes. That view doesn’t sit right with me, and to a certain extent we all fashion G*d in our own image, so I look to the other two stock answers to see if they provide more clarity about prayer and G*d. Praising G*d in private could be considered a form of prayer, but if that is all that prayer is, what is the point of being in intimate contact with the Divine? Worship, worship, worship, but no petition? Bleh. The last one I will address, and the answer that is the most loathsome is “because G*d said so.” That is the answer of the weak minded who use cultish syntax and drink poisoned Kool-Aid, excuse me, “Flavor Aid” (we want to be historically accurate).

There is research showing a sick or injured person that is the recipient of prayer, and who also believes in prayer (they have to go together), has a more positive mental attitude and a better chance at recovery. In my own understanding of G*d, the Divine Healer wants us to be well, and would never give us a disease or wish us ill. What kind of sick person would give their children cancer? Yes, yes, G*d is not a person, but as the embodiment of love, giving someone a life threatening disease is even more twisted. G*d works with us at every moment to be able to live and have the best available. The problem is our free will, and the free will actions of others, which can create instances where G*d is limited to the best of bad choices. When we choose to pollute our air, smoke cigarettes, and eat food that isn’t fit for human consumption, there is only so much G*d can do. Looking for a miracle that violates the laws of nature is foolhardy in these situations. Thus, and this may be shocking, G*d might not be able to heal a sick person no matter how much prayer is lifted up into the heavens.

Beyond the positive mental effect that prayer has due to the power of the mind (G*d given), prayer gets us in tune with the Divine Will. So many of us want to know what G*d wants with us, wants to do with us, but we do not take the time to pray. Time spent in prayer allows us to be more conscious and aware of the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives. We become more sensitive to those quiet whispers in our moments of (in)decision and have a better chance at walking the better path G*d would prefer us to take when we are mindful of the Creator. It is so much easier to assert our own will, speaking what we want, rather than to ask for direction and then listen. Half the time people come to me for advice they have already made up their minds as to what they are going to do – they just want confirmation. People pull the same trick with the G-O-D in the skiz-eye.

Free will is a double-edged sword. It can limit the ability of G*d to act in our lives or it can bring us into a closer relationship with the Great Influencer. Prayer may not be to fulfill a wish list or violate the laws of the nature, but for those who believe, it can lead to healing. Those praying also feel less useless, as they are doing something to help. Lastly, it opens us up to the murmurs of the Divine Reality that are constantly and consistently brushing up against our souls. So, as Paul wrote, pray without ceasing – it’s almost as good for you as an apple a day. Or, at least I think he wrote that.

The term “Xmas” has become wrapped up in America’s culture wars. Some Christians feel that Christ is being wiped out somehow. Other people feel like they are being blasphemous and they like it that way. I remember participating in an online forum a few years back for Christians. There was a section on there that invited atheist/Christian conversation, and one of the atheists would always write “xians” or “xianity” to be offensive. The reality is that both groups are wrong, and neither side should be allowed to abuse the term.

I am a big fan of accepting the changing of meanings of words as time goes by. It just happens – accept it. However, like the people above, ignorance is not bliss and it would be blasphemous for me to not say something about where “xmas” comes from.

The transliterated Greek word for Jesus is Kristos (The spelling will vary depending on how the writer wants to translate it into English). That same word in Greek is Χριστός. Note the first letter for Jesus in the Greek – “X,” which is pronounced “Chi.” Two thousand years ago Christ was often abbreviated as X.

Xmas is Christian in its origin and is still a Christian term today.

Merry Xmas everyone!

I met Christi when I was young, but we had a contentious relationship, if that was what one could call it. There were times in my life when I hated her or was completely indifferent to her. It wasn’t until my late twenties when we were reunited after having been out of touch for a long time. It was then that our relationship grew into a love.

Christi’s death has broken something in me that cannot be fixed or replaced. There is no salve for the gash in my soul. There are those who seem like they are going to be with us forever, have been with us forever, and their loss is such a jarring experience that the fabric of our reality becomes torn and frayed.

As much as Christi’s death was a shock, the warning signs were there, just as there are with most victims of suicide, if we know what to look for.

Christi became withdrawn from the world around her. She herself felt isolated. She huddled within herself, the world becoming alien, if not threatening. What other people wore, music that they listened to, words they used, all felt strange and disconnected from who she felt she was.

After her withdrawal, Christi would have bouts of rage and want revenge. She felt a retributive violence for perceived injustices against her. Even in her words of love, one could hear anger.

Was this the Christi that I had loved? The one who stood as a giant in the world, full of love, mercy, and compassion? All that she was seemed to have – disappeared.

It is at this point in the story that I must confess my own guilt, my own complicity in the loss of Christi’s life. It wasn’t all at once, but over time those who were closest to Christi withdrew from her. We became self-consumed with ourselves. I with myself. If we are, at least partially, a reflection of how others see us, it is not hard to figure out why Christi is lying in state before us today.

The Latin words Corpus Christi, when translated into English, mean “body of Christ.” So often in our modern times the Church, the body of Christ, Christi, is seen as an impersonal something, an institution, rather than a community of living people. We, who call ourselves members of this community, have forgotten this. We have forgotten the Church is not a building, but a group of people who love G*d and follow Jesus. We have looked into the mirror and stared into soulless eyes.

We love without showing mercy. Rather than reflecting the unconditional love of G*d, we give conditionally. There are degrees of acceptance. There are “Christians” and “non-Christians.” There are those we find fault in and we feel better about ourselves, because we are not like “them” – or worse yet, we feel angry because we are. Our power is derived from the weakness we perceive in others, allowing us to feel above or better than. On the surface we accept all that want to participate in the body of Christ, but in practice we reject this. The person may be too brown, too gay, too poor, too drunk, too charismatic, too conservative, too uneducated, too unrighteous, too sinful, too female – pick your adjective.

There are times when I am so angry at the Church that I feel as if my rage could quench the sun. But then there are the other times, the quiet times, when my fractured soul weeps, when I shed tears at the words and deeds that my brothers and sisters do in the name of G*d and Christ. And there is me, my own shameful acts against G*d, the children of G*d, and the rest of G*d’s creation. When we read of Peter’s denial of Christ there is a tendency to cringe, but how much more do we deny Christ is how we live today?

Often I find myself differentiating what type of Christian I am. “Well,” I say. “I am not like that type of Christian or those types of Christians. I am more educated, more compassionate, and more loving than those brothers and sisters.” But if we are of one body in Christ, then we must bear some responsibility for the words and actions of those who claim our faith, but to whom we also feel estranged. While we can’t all be a hand or foot or mouth, we cannot live without our liver, heart, or lungs. We need to be able to filter out the pollution that invades our body to survive. We need our heart to fill us with life giving blood of Jesus. We need our lungs to inhale and exhale the breath of G*d. Though in disagreement, we do not have to simply recognize our brothers and sisters that we feel are all so different from us. We must accept them as vital to our survival. We must acknowledge that without them Christi will die. But just as when a part of our own bodies get sick and we seek out medicine or therapy, we must treat the Corpus Christi in a like manner.

We have G*d damned Jesus. We can do all things through Christ, but we hold back. We in the Church have the tendency to use Jesus like a club, beating others of the head with his name, or being too embarrassed to use his name at all. The words of Jesus say that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church, but that insinuates some sort of resistance.

What effect has there been when the world continues to decline? We are like the servant who buried the talent rather than investing it. But we are not powerless. In the words of our dear brother, Willie: “Use what you got.”

The Bible teaches us that G*d hates a double minded person. We can no longer give with one hand while taking away with another. We cannot afford to be the lukewarm church that Christ vomits out of his mouth. Feeding the poor while participating in, or turning a blind eye, to the powers and principalities that ensures the prevalence of poverty. Donating money for medical supplies is a slap in the face when we ignore the fact that most people in the U.S. file bankruptcy due to medical bills, because they are uninsured or underinsured. We pretend to be post-racism or pro-woman, while we ignore their oppression as we hide them away in ghettos, as they suffer from underemployment and abuse of all kinds.

But let us not turn a blind eye to the individual as we seek to bring evil social structures into the light. These oppressed people have day to day concerns that need to be addressed. There is soul healing to be done. There are women and girls that need counseling for sexual abuse. There are men who need to be reintroduced to society after prison. There are men and women who are despised for being gay. As I say earlier, there are a lot of people who are just too brown, too poor, too addicted, too unlike us, or all around too sinful for us to want to help. But didn’t Jesus say that he came to help the least of us? That he wanted to go after the lost sheep? That he came to heal the sick and not the healthy?

Brothers and sisters, friends, in honor of Christi, stop G*d damning Jesus. Use his words and deeds to usher in the Kingdom of G*d. Let us not weep for Christi, but live for her. And as G*d gives us new life, let us give new life to Christi.

For liberals, they want to protect the earth to make sure everyone has enough to eat and drink. Conservatives, thinking religiously here, want to protect the earth because G*d said they are to be stewards of the planet. For two different reasons conservatives and liberals can agree on the same topic.

I’ve been thinking about this in regards to Christianity lately. I used to be highly conservative, and the process to become the crazy liberal I am today was a painful soul-journey wrought with mind-numbing cognitive dissonance. But here I am, having walked in both worlds, and I ponder how Christians (and other groups that have conservative and liberal forces at odds with one another) can speak together in a productive manner.

One of the problems that arises, fogging the discourse like a fart in a car, is the “othering” effect. If one person or group of people can make their opposition less than human, strange, alien, foreign, in other words, “other,” then these sub-creature’s thoughts, values, and opinions don’t matter as much. This phenomenon is especially humorous considering the long tradition in Christianity (and Judaism) of loving the stranger, and in the Jesus tradition, of loving one’s enemy. I’ve been told I am not a Christian by so many Christians it has become cliché.

The conservative Christian friends I still keep in contact with get furious at me. Of course they disagree with my opinions, but it’s more than that. There is something about the conservative mindset, especially when it borders on fundamentalism, which must resist the contaminating thoughts of the other. I get this, because I used to be there. Let’s listen to Christian music, wear Christian clothes, and use Christian jargon. Let’s keep our “secular” friends, a.k.a. our “fun friends,” a dirty little secret, while we pretend to be holy, happy, and opposed to the world with our “Christian friends.” If the play acting were following in the tradition of Paul to be a Jew to the Jews and a Greek to the Greeks, that would be one thing. But this is self-deception. Jesus was considered a gluttonous drunkard by the good, upstanding religious people of the day. I wonder how many Christians would have not wanted to hang out with Jesus, because they would have been too embarrassed.

I am a bit envious of my conservative friends though. They are certain. They know the “truth.” They have it, no one else does, they are right, everyone else is wrong – it’s beautiful in a sick sort of way. A peace of mind can be had when one doesn’t have to think, when one can work back to the truth that is already known, without challenging the truth itself. If Jesus is the embodiment of truth, this shouldn’t be a problem. But, of course, this isn’t about Jesus. It’s about us needing to feel comfortable about our lives. To not experience doubt. To be self-assured. I know part of this sounds like slap in the face, which is true, but it is still true that I envy them. Having to deal with multiple truths, while not falling into relativism is no mean feat.

One of the great things about being a liberal is another type of peace that comes from not feeling so damned guilty about everything all the time. My conservative friends feel guilty about their dirty little sex thoughts, or that drink they had at the bar, or smoking that weed that no one knows they like. As a liberal, the guilt no longer drowns you, because, in my not-so-humble opinion, once you get past all the onerous rules we lay on ourselves, we can hang out with G*d in a relaxed manner. It’s ironic. Catholics are so well known for feeling guilty that “Catholic guilt” is a cliché. But über conservative Protestants are just as bad.

So, here is to being a conservative! And here is to being a liberal! May we understand our differences so we can actually talk together. If we can quit turning each other into enemies it will be easier to talk, because then we won’t have to follow Jesus and actually love one another.

It is often said within the hallowed walls of Christianity that we should “hate the sin and love the sinner.” But so often, what we define as sin is our biases that allow us to hate the person. Did Jesus love people conditionally? I can just hear him saying, “Well, if you stop hooking we can hang out.” “If you leave your gay partner, I will come over.” Or maybe it wouldn’t be that extreme. Maybe Jesus would hang out or come over to your place, but you would just have to deal with the look of disappointment and condemnation in his eyes while eating and drinking – because he loves you, but he hates what you’re doing.

Love is not something we can be told about. “I love you.” “G*d loves you.” “Jesus loves you.” We hear these things all the time, but if the love is not experienced, then there is no love from the perspective of the supposed recipient. If as a lesbian, you tell me that you love me, but villify the love I share with my partner of ten years, I do not experience love. If,  as a black  man, you tell me you love me, but you never invite me to hang out with your white friends, I do not experience that love. If, as a child, you abuse me, I do not experience love. If, as a wife, you yell at and/or hit me, I do not experience love. If, as a spouse, you do not follow through on your commitments, I do not experience love. The list can go on in perpetuity. The point, if I haven’t driven it home, is that words without action have no meaning.

If Jesus had not followed through on his commitments, I do not see how Christianity would have survived for the past two millenia. I certainly would not consider myself one. Jesus did not stop at wishing people would get better or saying that they should get to know G*d. Jesus healed. Jesus pointed the way. We, as Christ followers, must follow in the footpath of Jesus, exampling his life, and doing greater works of love than Jesus did.

For some, the idea of sex-ed is repulsive, for they think that these classes will lead to kids having sex. Others are against sex-ed, because they are advocates of the abstinence only movement, and so sex-ed is not necessary, because they teach that waiting to have sex until marriage is the best (only) option.

Let me go on record with my own opinions: I am not against abstinence (I fully support and respect those who choose, or have chosen, to go that route). That being said, I am against the abstinence only movement. Even if one chooses to not engage in sexual intercourse until marriage, once you get married it would be a good idea to undertand what sex is about, how to be comfortable with your own body, and to have knowledge about sexual pleasure. If G*d is the causal agent of human development, and if sex feels so great, then G*d must’ve made sex to be a physically and psychologically stimulating experience. Unless, of course, the devil makes it feel good – but that’s another topic.

So, for your viewing pleasure, I hope you take the time to read this most excellent article via the New York Times: Teaching Good Sex.

This paraphrase is theologically skewed, for the passage reads (using the New International Version, the most used by Evangelicals), “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” Put into context in the rest of the fourth chapter, this could refer to age, but could just as easily refer to a newly founded congregation or newly converted Christians. Even if “youth” here refers to age, the word “waits” is nowhere to be found, nor are there any references to sex. Purity could just as easily refer to any number of things such as idols, food, blood, etc.

The pictures of the ring above come from the Christian-based retailer C2:8. Their description of the product describes another phrase on the ring that says, “Woman of G*D,” which is the “purity ring” movement’s theological summarization of Proverbs 31. There is a third verse on the ring, Matthew 5:8, which is associated with the single word “purity.” The actual verse reads, again using the New International Version, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see G*d.” Putting the three verses together within the context of virginity being equated to purity and pre-marital sex being linked to pollution and contamination, girls and women that remain abstinent are pure and belong to G*d. Additionally, those who are abstinent also experience “true love,” though we are unable to know what that term means. Lastly, if we are to take the whole of Matthew 5:8 (and not simply condense the verse into one word), by remaining virgins until marriage these women stay “pure in heart” and are able to “see G*d.” By implication, those girls and women who do engage in pre-marital sexual relations are not pure, not women of G*d, do not experience true love, and are not able to see G*d. One must wonder if these rings are to serve as a reminder for the individual, an evangelical tool for the abstinence only movement, or as a (sub)conscious attempt at “othering” those who do not share the same views about sex, purity, and G*d, as the ring wearer.

Some of these questions can be, if not fully answered, then partially so, by reading the comments about this particular ring on the C2:8 webpage, from consumers. Beyond what was questioned above, one cannot help but note the merging of capitalism and Christianity with comments like:

I will bring in the new year with my new ring. I am glad that I can continue to celebrate my purity and relationship w/ God with the classy ring!

One consumer expresses a desire to make a cultural impact:

But I think [my daughter] will like that [the ring is] fashion forward while making a statement. Also, that it is stackable – the look can be changed when wanted.

And yet another consumer sees the ring as a conversational tool for evangelism:

Although people think I’m engaged, I’m excited to tell them about the joy of the Lord and how my Heart only belongs to Him until He blesses me with an anoited [sic]man to rent it out. It represents my covenant with God and it reminds others also.

In what could be construed as a patriarchal statement, one woman describes the ring as “a great outward sign of an inward statement and/or change. Perfect for women in christ [sic] who want to stay pure for the husband God has chosen for her.”Theologically this woman has expressed a reduction of free will, since she has no choice in who her husband shall be, as G*d has already foreordained who her mate is to be. Additionally, her goal is to stay pure for the future husband. The contaminating effect of sex thus moves beyond the relationship between an individual girl/woman and G*d into a person-to-person purity/defilement paradigm.

In summary, there is quite a bit of work being done to the texts used on the ring to express the theological views of the purity/abstinence movement. However, both religiously based and secular retailers are willing to capitalize on the opportunity for Christians that adhere to this theology and ideology. For the Christians themselves, though using only a few examples, it can be postulated these rings serve as symbols of pride, tools for evangelism, and as signifiers of belonging, while those who are not participating are considered “other.”

Those of us who continue to dialogue about homosexual relationships should know why. I do so, because I wish to provide a biblical basis for doubt and love. The doubt is in our own certainty. Absolute truth claims can lead to violence of the spirit and of the flesh. Love, well, that is what it is all about. Despising any person or group of people is not a part of love. Furthermore, in our crystal-clear clarity we can find ourselves worshipping the false idol of dogma, rather than living out our belief system(s) with integrity.

Choosing to use the Levitical code against homosexuality is untenable if one isn’t willing to burn witches or kill children.  A person can’t, or rather should not, pick and choose which parts they want to use. One must deal with the whole text. Additionally, nowhere does “G*d say” that marriage is between one man and one woman, in Genesis. Adam and Eve never get married. Furthermore, if one takes a literalist stance on the text, which many opponents of homosexuals (homosexuality) do, then Adam and Eve were getting it on with their children. So, we can then say, that incest is also okay. Therefore, G*d set up male-female relations only, but that includes having sex with your son or daughter.

The use of Ephesians as a defense against homosexual marriages is illogical. True, it does discuss heterosexual marriage, but the discussion of that form of relationship does not automatically preclude other types of relationships. If a person wants to operate from what the Bible explicitly says, then many would have to throw away their belief in the Trinity and the Rapture, because the Bible never uses those terms, therefore they are extrapolating. One can either, using logic, have a positivist view of the Bible (a “one to one meaning”), or a multi-layered view of biblical interpretation, but the two are incongruent and cannot be utilized at the same time, if we are to maintain our integrity and rationality. (And let’s keep in mind the Bible never uses the terms “homosexual” or “homosexuality.”)

Rather than continue to debate the interpretation of the texts (which can go on forever), let us look at the ethics behind what we say the scriptures mean. G*d being love, surely wants us to be convicted of unrighteous behavior, so that there is repentance and a shift toward doing what is good. Therefore, if our interpretation of the Bible undermines G*d’s creation, we need to rethink our understanding. For example, our Christian forbears utilized the biblical text to “irrefutably” support slavery. The Bible has also been used in the oppression of women. Romans 13 was used to support Nazism in Germany and apartheid in Africa. The Hebrew Bible is filled with stories of G*d followers who failed. Our Christian history is no less filled with shortcomings while attempting to follow Christ.

Dealing particularly with homosexuality, the main argument against it comes from the Catholic doctrine of “natural law,” which states that sexuality exists for a particular purpose, typically procreation of the species. The result was, that in order to enjoy sex, the purpose of propagation must be fulfilled. If however, we think of G*d as wanting to maximize our enjoyment of life, as opposed to suffering (not all theologies do this), then sex for enjoyment is permitted (without a prerequisite). This does not open the door to immediate gratification that could result in rape, STDs, or unwanted pregnancy. There are still moral boundaries.

Heternormative Christians, after they get past the whole “gay thing,” typically think of marriage in terms of a long-term, committed relationship of mutual love and respect. Even in a fundamentalist or super-conservative theology of marriage, the man is required to love, while the woman is required to respect – the argument still works. From this view, gay men and women can still live out these types of quality marriages. [The majority of Christians support gay marriage]

After centuries, it is difficult to move beyond a negative view of sex. Sure, we can deny this is taking place, but when we read the studies of religiously conservative marriages, we often find sexual dysfunction taking place – typically because of the stigma against sex that the partners were raised with.

I will end with stating that the Bible is a clearly human document, though inspired by G*d, for G*d lived in and dwelt with the writers of each of the books. In those pages we have seen the changing of theology and tradition. What was once abnormal or incorrect behavior became acceptable. The opposite is true as well. G*d is not some unchanging (don’t mistake completeness for immutability) despot that has a detailed set of rules for humanity to follow from the beginning until the end of time. While I am empathetic to wanting to understand G*d in this rigid way, for it provides comfort in a variable world (especially with the rapid changes we are experiencing in this liminal period of human development), the view of G*d as an old codger in the sky with a big ‘ol rule book is not supported by the text that we hold so dear within the Christian community.

In summary, the biblical text has been used and abused throughout history. It is a narrative of humanity’s relationship with Yahweh, arelationship that has grown over time. But human beings, even if indwelt by the Divine, still maintain their strongholds of “–isms” that have been ingrained in us by history, tradition, and socio-political context. Just because a thing is or has been for a long time, does not make it right. It is for these reasons that I affirm homosexual relationships.

After a few hundred years, the earliest Christian leaders, typically referred to as the Christian Fathers (women were denied a voice early on), settled on Jesus being fully inhabited by G*d, while being fully human at the same time. From a scientific perspective this seems like a bunch of b.s. We know, according to what is known as “The Pauli Principle,” that no two objects can occupy the same space at the same time. So, either Jesus (and us for that matter [like the pun on the word?]) are not inhabited by G*d, or there is some other way to think this through.

I have said for years that “we are the culmination of our experiences.” That is an intuitive thought for most of us. Our childhood affects how we act and view the world as adults. Growing up with or without religion colors our worldview. If we have never experienced being in love, or went through losing someone who we thought was the love our life, how we react to people in the present changes. All of our experiences in the past impacts our present moment. This applies to G*d’s presence in our lives as well.

Some of my friends teach/preach/speak/believe that without converting to Christianity, without “accepting Jesus Christ as their personal lord and savior” that a person is g*dless, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Additionally, that belief creates a fundamental breakdown in their understanding of the nature of G*d. If G*d is omnipresent (Jeremiah 23:24), that is to say, if G*d is everywhere all the time, then G*d must surely be in those and with those, who do not even believe in G*d’s existence. Otherwise, one would have to concede that G*d is not omnipresent, and that would be a whole different G*d we would need to think about. Therefore, G*d is with us in a matter of degrees – always.

There is a poem from an anonymous writer titled “Footprints.” In the poem the man walked with G*d seeing two sets of footprints in the sand. At the worst points in his life, the man would only see one set. Later, inquiring about this apparent abandonment, G*d replied, “The times when you have seen only one set of footprints is when I have carried you.” Sometimes we are so consumed with ourselves that we do not seek G*d’s influence in our lives. We forget that G*d wants only the best for us, but the best may be the lesser of two evils. We think G*d is punishing us or has abandoned us, when G*d is trying to carry us – if we let happen (free will). Even ignoring G*d, G*d works toward our best interest in the limited options that are available. Remember, Jesus called us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27-31, 32-36; Matthew 5:43-44). Therefore, it stands to reason, that G*d, as the embodiment of love, cares deeply and works always toward the best possible outcomes of all people, including those who have animosity towards or do not believe in G*d (Matthew 5:45b).

G*d is the source of goodness, justice, freedom, love, and responsibility. The more fully we allow the presence of G*d in our lives, the more human we become. The definition of sin is to literally “miss the mark.” Therefore, to seek out G*d’s will in our lives is to sin-less. Perfectly seeing out and following G*d’s perfect love for us would make us sinless. This is what made Jesus distinctive.

Jesus was fully human; not too many Christians would disagree on that point. G*d was fully realized in Jesus, and Jesus provided this wonderful new way of thinking about G*d. Jesus showed us that G*d is incarnate in the whole world. G*d is not “up” or “out” there only. Sure, G*d is above all things, but G*d also dwells with us, works with us, laughs as well as cries with us (Ephesians 2:22). Jesus taught us this truth of incarnation.

Jesus said we could do greater things than he could. This would not be possible if Jesus were not fully human as we are fully human. Our wills can seek out G*d and allow G*d to be more fully present in each moment of our lives. From this point on we can move forward with G*d’s perfect love and will directing our paths. We become attuned to the words of Jesus. We get that “call” or “conviction.” Next, after being informed, we are united with Christ and become conformed. Last, we are slowly (yes, slowly) transformed into a new being. We reach a point in our lives where our past experiences crash into a new, transformative moment, and we become more fully aware of G*d’s presence, thus moving into a richer and more joyful life. That, my friends, is salvation.