Revisiting a Vision

The suspension of Phil Robertson of "Duck Dynasty" for espousing his biblical beliefs has caused quite the stir, and the dust hasn't yet begun to settle. When it does, I'm afraid it'll once more reveal a line in the moral sand of our nation that many will choose to gingerly tiptoe around in silence; while the more ardent and vocal from either side of this divisive line will begin to unfurl the banners of a moral war whose roots are more ancient than Christianity itself.

You may choose to believe that Robertson's suspension is a free-speech issue, but the truth lies in the  1200-pound gorilla in the room so many wish to ignore: homosexuality. More specifically, the biblical condemnation of homosexuality that wrenches the gut of loving believers and non-believers the world over - myself included.  I believe this issue divides us just as much -if not more- than slavery did prior to the Civil War - and for the very same reasons written in black and white.

Like it or not, the Confederacy had biblical justification for wanting to keep slavery alive, and pro-slavery advocates preached that message with the same fervor and righteousness -and from the same book- that abolitionists used to decry the evils of bondage. It took the blood of 618,000 souls to finally eradicate the stain of slavery from this country, yet the biblical precepts accepting and condoning its existence still remain - no one chopped those verses from the bible, they simply aren't preached from the pulpit any longer.

The Confederate soldier who went off to battle may have felt justified in giving his life for a righteous cause - because the bible told him slavery was an acceptable institution.  Was he not justified in his faith and belief?  Or was he simply misguided in attempting to embrace antiquated thought and culture?  What did the Holy Spirit say to the hearts of those fighting on both sides of that vicious conflict?

In my youth I accepted the bible as truth. Period. Relationships altered that belief, but not without immense moral struggle and tears. I befriended many homosexual men and women over the years, and my question to them was always the same. Were you born this way or is your sexual preference a choice? My own struggles with alcohol had led me to believe that it was my choosing to drink that resulted in sin, and if I could justify their sexual desires as an equally forbidden pursuit, then the scriptures would remain justified in their condemnation. After decades of friendships that still persist - the resounding conclusion was that my friends were born with their desires, their leanings weren't fueled by a switch that could simply be turned on or off like my craving for the next drink.  God made them that way - and commanded me to love all of His creation.

This morning I was reading through Acts and revisited Peter's vision in chapters 10 and 11, the account of the sheet bound up with unclean animals that descended on him three times with Christ commanding him to "Rise Peter, kill and eat."  For a stalwart Jew, this appalled Peter to no end, and the meaning of the vision wasn't clear until he was summoned to the Roman Gentile Cornelius. We've been taught that this vision opened up the love of Christ to all peoples, and not just the Jews.  Christ told him in Acts 10:15 "...What God has cleansed you must not call common."  The church was blown to silence in chapter 11:18, and they glorified God when they interpreted the vision as God equally granting to Gentiles "repentance to life."  I see more here, friends.  Firstly, change is acceptable and was accepted in the first century church.  What was once unclean was no longer so.  Do you think this was an easy pill for all the membership to swallow?  Likewise, racial divides still permeate our society and there remain groups within the South who still smell the powder burning.  Change does not come easy, nor is it embraced openly. 

Secondly, is it such a far stretch of the imagination to think our society hasn't evolved into a more accepting and loving group in 2000 years?  Slavery has been abolished.  Women's roles in our society have transformed.  Superstition lingers, but knowledge wipes away ignorance every day.  If we cannot grow, then we will die.

Look into your hearts, pray and ask for guidance and understanding from the Holy Spirit on this issue.  Don't go to war over a cultural taboo that I feel should have died the same time slavery did. Love unconditionally and work to unify our entire community with that belief.  Hate and prejudice have no place in any heart, and it's time we embrace change and accept everyone for who they are, as God made them.