A missional response to the presenting issue
Ok- even though the wife had really good point about the whole missional thing (scroll down to the Feb. 15th post), I’m going to continue using the term b/c its out there in the culture. But that isn’t the point of this post.
A friend of mine, fellow pastor and colleague, attended the recent One by One conference in Orlando. He had a great time. Told me, he cried his eyes out (ok, had a lump in his throat- but if you knew Michael, its the same thing). The transforming power of Christ was testified to. Bad grammar in that last sentence, good theology. People telling their stories, stories that are all too often ignored or denied by the prevailing culture. Stories that bring hope, even in the midst of not being full written yet. Complex stories because people are complex. But stories that are significant, because God doesn’t tell, or listen, to insignificant stories.
I kept looking for a report on this conference from the usual suspects but found nothing, nada, zilcho. No conspiracy theories here, I just figure we’re all so busy talking about new things that unfortunately we missed testimonies to the real deal, New Wine.
One story, but its not my story, so I feel a bit like I’m plagiarizing someone else’s stuff, a link, and a question.
Seems one of the speakers at the conference told how he came out to his mom when he was 19, he assumed she would a) accept him or b) sweep it under the rug- his first theology lesson ensued- when instead of a or b, he got c) “God hates homosexuals, and if you don’t repent, you’ll go to hell. You have one hour to get out of the house.”
Devastated with nowhere to live or stay, rejected from his own home, by his own mother- He found himself knocking on the door of an acquaintance who also happened to be a drag queen. The door was thrown open, and his friend was there, with makeup on hair pulled back, getting ready to go out for a night on the town- with these words on his lips (word had gotten out in the gay community regarding this guys predicament) - “Welcome in the name of Jesus Christ, you can stay as long as you need to, there’s food in the fridge- the house is yours, I’m going out.” Theology lesson number two. Two lessons that would stick with this guy for 20 yrs.
The brother testified that, now, 20yrs later, he knows neither of those lessons were true in the true sense. Both were off. I suspect he found a loving community, that modeled healthy boundaries and continued to point to Jesus. And he encountered the transforming acceptance and redemptive discipline of his love. I don’t know, I suspect thats the way it happened.
What I DO know though, is the question he asked at the conference, that my buddy Michael brought back is a haunting one: “Twenty yrs ago, I perceived that I was rejected in Jesus name by the church and embraced in his name by the gay community. That was then, would it be different today?”
Like I said... haunting.
The link is to a remarkable Godbeat journalist, Julie Lyons, a.k.a. “The Bible Girl” at the alternative weekly, The Dallas Observer. She writes about the mystery of sexual orientation, and the transformative encounter she had with Jesus. This gal rocks, blog 137 readers (all 4 of you, Hi Mom!). Bookmark her stuff, it’ll make you think, some of it’ll preach straight off the page. Hat tip to the great gang over at GetReligion for the Julie Lyons link. Bookmark them as well.
I’d really like to hear what you all think of that question- progressive and classical alike.
grace & peace
dm
blog 137
Monday, 26 February 2007
