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Posted By: David On: 20 May 2009 At: 9:05am
Albert thanks for this thoughtful post. As always a helpful tone…but I also think your last paragraph in many ways gets to the nub of the issue….everyone in this debate agrees that there are inappropriate expressions of sexuality - we just don’t agree where those begin. For me I think the Genesis text in particular suggest that formative in shaping where appropriateness lies are the two ideas of commitment and complementarity. We’re whole people so we shouldn’t make ourselves physically vulnerable - in sexual activity - without making ourselves emotionally, economically,spiritually vulnerable as well. (Commitment). And within the word ‘Suitable’ in Genesis 2 is a paradoxical idea ‘Like-opposite’. We’re made for ‘like-oppositeness’ (Complementarity).
Praying on.
Posted By: italker On: 16 May 2009 At: 9:38am
Hazel,
Try not to feel too miserable. The interpretation of scripture is not an easy thing with which to grapple. Many godly people have differed over the interpretation of verses. There is no perfect community of believers. The very fact that we read a translation of a verse means that we are in the hands of the interpreters. It really is more complicated than might be een at first. however all that aside, I’m challenged by what I know everyone agrees about in scripture and that alone is enough for me to be getting on with. The rest I will struggle with but hold to what I believe to be the faith handed down to me. We journey together with all our failings and failures inviting the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth for non of us have grasped the whole truth.
Posted By: Gordon Kennedy On: 16 May 2009 At: 9:25am
Thanks Albert. We should all quote ‘Love one another’ more often than we chant ‘sola Scriptura’.
Posted By: Hazel On: 16 May 2009 At: 7:27am
Thanks, I find that helpful. Must confess to wondering for quite a long time now that if one verse, or section, in Leviticus is now not applicable why not none of them then. Where would that lead? I know the whole subject (not just of sexual orientation) makes me miserable - the root seems to be the authority of scripture being questioned by people who love Jesus- maybe, perhaps? all so vague.
Posted By: Helmut On: 20 May 2009 At: 7:43pm
It made me read again all of Leviticus: american red letter King James (for once I got almost completely lost - usually the king James version is no problem to me), German (revised, but not modern, Luther edition), German “Jeans” edition (short edition). Just reading all of Leviticus in different version (possibly equally far from what was said in various styles of Hebrew) made me think and consider. Reading all of it should humble us in respect to the argument at hand.