SCRIPTURE!

If you had sat in church in the 1800’s it is quite likely that you would have heard from the pulpit that it was perfectly acceptable to own slaves because the Bible said so. You would have even been encouraged to bring your slaves to church with you because teachings from Ephesians and Colossians would “promote docility among enslaved workers” *. Other scripture concerning the ownership of slaves can be found in Ephesians 6:5-8, Colossians 3:22-24, 1 Timothy 6:1-2 and Titus 2:9-10. Additionally, not only were some slave ships given Biblical names, they were also sponsored by the church. Some preachers taught that since slavery was never specifically denounced in the Bible, it was likely a part of the sin curse placed on mankind after the garden, and therefore perfectly acceptable. Surely, none of us think slavery is okay!

*The Washington Post, “The Bible was Used to Justify Slavery” *www.kingscollege.net, “The Religious Defense of American Slavery Before 1830” *reasons.org “How Come the Bible Doesn’t Condemn Slavery”

If you had sat in church in the early 1900’s it is quite likely that you would have heard from the pulpit that it was perfectly acceptable to scorn people of the Jewish faith because the Bible said so. Martin Luther himself wrote an essay entitled, “The Jews and Their Lies”. Biblical verses, admittedly taken out of context, such as John 8:44 (Ye are of your father the devil), John 20:19 (the disciples were in fear of the Jews), Matthew 27:25 (the blood of Jesus be upon them and their children), were used by preachers to suggest that Jewish people were to be feared, if not hated. Dr. David P. Gushee, a Christian ethicist, gives historical accounts of Jewish children having their yamakas torn off on play grounds as other children looked for their “horns”. Surely, none of us think Antisemitism is okay!

*The Baptist Global News *Dr. David Gushee: Ending the Teaching of Contempt against the Church’s Sexual Minorities

If you had sat in church in the mid 1900’s it is quite likely that you would have heard from the pulpit that it was perfectly acceptable for churches to be segregated because the preacher said so. In 1961, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, famed Alabama preacher Henry Lyon Jr. spoke to roughly 3,000 parishioners and stated that his church had been white for 15 years and it would continue to be white a hundred years from now. He was not alone in this thinking! In the late 1700’s the first African American church was founded after white congregants forcefully removed several African Americans from the church who were praying in the whites-only section. There are even pictures of conservative churches with white cloaked KKK members in attendance! Surely none of us think the Civil Rights Movement was unnecessary and that segregation is okay!

*npr.org “White Supremacist Ideas have Historical Roots in U.S. Christianity” *eji.org “Racial Segregation in the Church” *nbcnews.com *theconversation.com *www.gradynewsource.uga.edu

I had another paragraph on how the church has treated women in the past, but I felt I was belaboring my point. What is my point you ask?? Scripture was clearly used to justify these wrongs, and the pulpit was clearly used as a powerful mouthpiece for the dissemination of these lies! We would no more promote slavery, antisemitism, or segregation today than we would tolerate child predators working in the nursery!! Yet, we stand boldly and say that a gay person is a Sodomite, an abomination, a scourge on society and expect them to acknowledge their “sin” in order to be fully welcomed into the fold. Asking a gay person to change who they were created to be is just as cruel and demeaning as it is to judge a black man for his skin color!! HOW DARE WE!! The good news?? Slavery, segregation and antisemitism are no longer acceptable Sunday morning sermon topics. The scripture, that was once used to support these issues, has now been deemed as being relevant from only an historical perspective. It is argued that the verses were taken out of context, misunderstood or misused. Certainly God didn’t mean for us to keep slaves, hate Jewish people and keep ourselves away from folks of other races…of course He didn’t!!

However, sadly, if you sit in church in the year 2021 it is quite likely that you will hear from the pulpit that it is perfectly acceptable to denounce the LGBTQ+ community as sinful and an abomination because the Bible says so. Do you see the pattern? Can we PLEASE begin to see and learn from this history of prejudice, discrimination and quite frankly hate! People are not only dying (literally), but their soul is dying, their fire is fading and their purpose on this crazy earth is being diverted because they are having to spend so much time simply justifying their existence!

Think of the irony of a Christian telling someone they should live a lie!

Hey my Christian friend, interpretation of scripture does happen! Changes in the interpretation of scripture do happen, changes in how scripture is applied as we learn to “do better” does happen, and the use of the pulpit as a forum for this much needed change is ready and waiting! It’s time!

Someone recently asked me a wonderful question! Why, during Jesus’s earthly ministry, did He not specifically speak out against slavery, antisemitism, segregation, discrimination, and homosexuality? I like to believe it was because the purpose of His mission here on earth was to teach us about His love! He knew that if our focus turned to His love, His forgiveness, His compassion, and His example then every issue of strife and pain would be secondary! His love can fix every chasm, every division, every note of discord and every hurt if we would just let it!

My dream? I picture sitting in church in 2040 hearing from the pulpit that God is the definition of love, that love is love and that ALL of His beautiful creations are valid and treasured and worthy just as they are!