Questions That Need Asked

Caveat: yes, I think too much. Just nodding and smiling and passing the Communion juice would make me a whole lot more fun.

But...I went to church yesterday, and since no one answered my texts as the sermon was starting, I listened to our minister talk. (Another caveat: I like him. He's a very good guy, and would undoubtably be willing to have a conversation with me about these issues.) In the process of talking about the scripture du jour, he listed some questions that concerned religious people in Jesus' time: how far can you walk on the Sabbath and still be "good?" "Do you have to follow religious laws to be faithful? And...of course...can an uncircumcised man be religious? As a throwaway leading into a transition, he said, "Well, of course those aren't the questions the church should be concerned about now." (Or something close to that.)

So I spent the rest of the sermon contemplating some questions the church should be concerned about now. I was fired up enough about them that I nearly postponed taking Beth to church camp so I could capture my full vitriol. Instead, this is the watered down, more rambling, less pissed off version.

Let's start with this: according to what I've heard from several people, the Methodist conference turned a simple election for district treasurer into a referendum into whether a gay man should be elected to official position in the church. I can cite things St. Paul said about homosexuality, and the Old Testament--but Jesus was a whole lot more into the "judge not, lest you be judged" business than that as I remember the red words in my Bible.

So here's my short, intro list to questions the church might ask now:

• Should gluttons be regarded the same as homosexuals? It's a whole lot easier to identify gluttons than gays, well, unless each church has a designated queen with impeccable gaydar.
• If we're concerned about "sexual sin" (which could be a whole other discussion...one that probably should not be on a blog that minors can read), then should we screen for people who were not virgins on their wedding night? Or people who have had a threesome? Or people who have read "The Story of O?" Or people who have flirted with a coworker? I'm not sure they are any more holy and righteous than that gay minister. Shouldn't the church be considering these issues?
• Are divorced ministers still religious? Again, St Paul and the OT have some strict words about all that.
• What about ministers who have widowed sister inlaws? Aren't they supposed to be taking them in and insuring the family line continues (yes, that means what you think)? Are we holding to that like we're supposed to?

I'm even ignoring questions about whether Christians should invest their money in businesses that exploit labor, or whether Christians should only drive hybrids---or bikes! Or even whether Christians should only watch "Christian" media--or no media at all. Because I'm appalled by the level of rhetoric in the church about homosexuality, I guess I'm focused on sex questions right now--stay tuned!