Social media has a way of connecting us with people and parts of the country that would otherwise be relegated to newspaper stories or family Christmas letters. For better or worse we are now connected to others in ways we previously were not. And that means that sometimes we get sucked into debates that our common sense tells us to otherwise avoid.
And last night I got sucked in and I couldn't remain silent anymore.
With all the posts lately about the shooting in Charleston, the burning of churches and the recent SCOTUS ruling on "Gay Marriage" my facebook feed has been full of pain, fear, anger, and joy. On Friday my feed blew up with people celebrating the fact that people in same gender relationships can now be legally married and recognized as a family and afforded the rights they deserve as human beings in this country. But this week the tables have turned as the news has caught up and I have begun to see posts arguing the "sanctity of marriage" and the fact that our country is now encouraging people to continue in their "sinful" lives.
I have until this point remained silent. I have not celebrated or condemned, I have not stood for or against. I have remained a bystander on this stage where so much is happening so fast and so many with voices louder than mine are booming forth. I have stayed silent, telling myself that I have not yet made a decision, telling myself that this topic has little place in our concervative community, telling myself that I have little to offer on the subject and little ground to stand on as a white, married, woman.
But those were lies I told myself. The truth is that I was afraid. I was afraid to take a stand. Afraid because I do not feel qualified. Afraid of what my family might think or say. Afraid because I grew up in a church full of loving people who think that homosexuality is a sin. Afraid of what my conservative NW MN congregation might think. Afraid that in taking a stand that I might inadvertantly use my position as pastor in a way that might hurt someone.
But last night I got sucked in and could stay silent no more. The more I typed on this facebook argument, the more I realized that I had in fact made my choice and taken my stand. I had chosen to stand boldly with my brothers and sisters in the LGBTQ community. I could stay silent no more as I read hurtful, hateful things under the name of "Christianity" that do nothing other than turn people away from our loving God. Sins are not mine to judge, and to be honest I'm not sure I can even claim homosexuality as a sin. You can quote Bible verses at me all you like and I can quote them back with historical context, show you studies and introduce you to failful loving people who happen to be a member of the LGBTQ community. You will not sway my opinion any more than I will sway yours. My hope is in a God that loves us deeper than we will ever know and that calls us to radical hospitality and love of the neighbor. So I will do that. I will stand here and refuse to be silent anymore. I will claim love for my neighbor whether they are homosexual or black or any number of other thing that makes them one of the least and the last.
And so as my husband wrote in his much more eloquent blog post: http://pawntoking4.blogspot.com/2015/07/why-this-pastor-is-for-same-sex-marriage.html?spref=fb
"I am a sinner; I may be at fault here. I may be interpreting the word of
God wrongly. Lord knows, I can make mistakes. I submit this humbly, but
at least if I make a mistake here it will be out of love for my
neighbor, especially the one who is persecuted. And I will err that way
all day long."
