More about Scripture, Jesus and the vote before us in November

I wanted to take some extra time responding to this comment. You can find it in full here. It's dated Sept. 22 at 12:33 a.m.

Anonymous said...
You can go on about two creation stories (I don’t see two) and do your best to disparage Christians, talk about all the evil they’ve done, talk about how the word of God can’t be trusted, etc., to try to support your beliefs.

First, I will point out that this is a blog created by me to inform, field comment, respond to comment, and yes, provide some of my own opinion.  This blog does not disparage anyone, purport to know the evil they’ve done or not done, and certainly not talk about how the Word of God can’t be trusted.  The highest expression of the Word of God is Jesus Christ!  He is the reason for this convergence of opposing viewpoints (Matthew 10: 34-36). The very fact that we as Christians struggle to define his one commandment to us is the very essence of faith. 

Secondly, if you do not see two creation stories, then perhaps we should direct our attention to the birth of Christ stories.  Or, for that matter, any number of other scriptural anomalies.  This is NOT the fallibility of God’s Word of which we speak; it is the fallibility of the members of Humankind who wrote saw/experienced these events, some of which are corroborated by historical and sociological accounts and also of those who wrote the oral traditions and stories down.  

It is the fallibility of mankind and the times in which the events reported took place.  And to clarify, the BIBLE to me, as well as the Word of God Jesus Christ, is a living, breathing, evolving event, which reveals more knowledge and understanding to us as we evolve and are able to interpret it. It is not the written version of oral tradition written down thousands of years ago not having changed its meaning and message in all those 4-6000 years ago.

Thirdly, “my beliefs” are of no consequence here.  I post and respond to the thoughts posted by OUR family members.  Would you invite your child to leave your family because he/she disagreed with you? 

Anonymous said ...
That is between you and God. But the fact still remains that the scriptures are clear with when it comes to homosexuality. That is the stance of the church.

1. The scriptures, I would argue, are not clear at all.  Homosexuality is a word/concept not explored in the Bible.  There are 7 verses by two authors that allude to same sex relationships.  That is all.  And nowhere in the 2,026 words attributed to our Lord and Savior does the issue of homosexuality or same sex relationships ever appear! 

Read those 2,026 words!  Tell me what you see and what you find.  The bottom line is L O V E.  And the commandment He gives to us is just that.  (John 13:34-35)  I would say that we as Humankind have yet to embrace that one simple Commandment.  Notice I capitalized Commandment?  Because that is what it is:  a commandment!  Jesus did not say you can love part time, or part of the people.  He said “love one another as I have loved you”.  Now that I would argue, my friend is both cut and dried!

2.  And just exactly what church would that be to which you refer?

Anonymous said ...
Again, if you disagree with this then by all means show up and vote.

I enjoy the privilege of serving young people.  That is my ministry to His service. I attended the meetings and was unable to be at the first congregational vote due to the specifics of my ministry.  Pastor Jeff informed me at that point there were no absentee ballots, but graciously reported the results to me later in the day. And, “by all means” I will be there on NOVEMBER 6-7 when the next congregational vote is to be taken.

Anonymous said ...
If the vote does not go the direction you think it should then, again, you are welcome to put that behind you and support the direction the majority have decided to go, or find a church that more closely resembles your doctrinal statement.

Thank you for advising me as to my options.  That is very gracious of you. 

Anonymous said ...
Of course hanging around and doing Satan’s work, sowing seeds of dissention, talking about how the pastoral staff are evil, don’t have the membership’s best interest at heart, and generally talk down the church in every way possible, is an option, but we would prefer you didn’t.

Specifically who is “we,” sir/madam?  You know who I am because I have told you who I am.  You have me at a disadvantage, sir/madam, because I do not know who you/we are sir/madam.  Would you care to share with me?  You have my email address, but if you have misplaced it here it is again:  many.oneof@yahoo.com.

Secondly, I do not “hang around”.  I engage and learn from each experience, constantly meeting new faces and entertaining new viewpoints. 

Thirdly, the “seeds” to which you refer have been sown. And most certainly not by me, have they been.  I encourage you to read the blog again and take note of the fact that the opinions to which you refer are posted by “anonymous” as are yours. My comments and responses are posted boldly and proudly over my signature in service to Christ. I have stated repeatedly my personal view of and respect for our pastors.  I need not do so again!  Please read more carefully sir/madam; as you are spreading the very misconceptions of which you accuse me.

And lastly, this is an attempt at open honest all inclusive discussion.  If you do not like what you see and hear here, perhaps it is because you do not know our church as well as you think you do.  These are our family members speaking here, and whether you agree with them or not, I would suggest dignity and respect be reciprocal! 

Anonymous said ...
Again, there should not be absentee ballots. There is no way to control them. The process has been clear from the beginning. If you are concerned about this issue and direction of La Casa in general, then show up and vote.

Even if absentee ballots were a good idea, why would we want to trust the direction of the church to people who haven’t attended in months, if not years? If they don’t feel that attending regularly is important, how can we take their opinion on this matter seriously?

I've researched this, and I understand now that the rules for the vote are set and can't be changed. Fair enough. This also safeguards against changing the ratio needed to ratify leaving the ELCA, so it's good to have the rules spelled out in advance, as our constitution and bylaws do.

To your second point, I would respond by asking what criteria exist as to what voting membership is.  I concur that folks who haven’t been inside the church in months/years probably do not have the concerns of our family at heart.  But if they are recognized as members, then certainly they should be allowed to vote as are we all.  Perhaps if the vote goes one way rather than the other, more of these people would feel engaged with their church and return to full-time attendance.  We simply do not know, now do we?

Anonymous said ...
The people who are concerned showed up for all the discussion on the subject and then showed up to vote and will be there for the final vote.

I see. Only those who attend the meeting can vote, and I know those are the rules. What of those whose work or personal situation precludes them from being at the meeting? What about the sick, or the disabled? The rules preclude them, and I accept them, but it seems we should revisit this issue at a future time.

Anonymous said ...
We invite you to show up and vote also, provided you are a member. Or is limiting the vote to membership also ludicrous?
You know my name sir/madam.  You choose not to share yours.  You have my contact information.  You choose not to share yours. To discover that I am in fact a long time member of La Casa de Cristo, you are free to check the church records should you desire to do so. 

The main purpose of this blog is to inform, field comment and respond, but above all to encourage people to vote in the NOVEMBER 6-7 election. I want to encourage people not to approve withdrawal from the ELCA at this time. I want a fuller discussion of the issues, and I want to hear the other side presented by an advocate for that side, not an opponent. Read my first entry again if you wish to review why I am offering this blog to our membership.