How My Mind has Evolved

A Personal Reflection on
Faith, Biblical Interpretation, and Homosexuality

Stephen R. Montgomery
Idlewild Presbyterian Church
September 21, 2005

(continued from here)

And it asks one question that I hope each of us will take very, very seriously. It doesn’t give the answer, but it raises the question: “How does God’s gracious drama of creation, reconciliation, and redemption work itself out in the lives of baptized gay and lesbian persons who are committed to exclusive, covenanted relationships?” The working out of that answer will involve bible study with integrity, theological discernment, and pastoral sensitivity, as well as a willingness for us to hear the stories of those who are different from us.

Some of you know that both in Atlanta and here in Memphis I was involved in a group of clergy that would get together because we disagreed on this issue. There were 5 on one side and 5 on the other. We’d eat together, talk, study, pray, laugh, and on at least on occasion, cry together. We never changed anybody’s mind, but we began to see things through each other’s eyes.  Liberals came to see that not all people opposing ordination for gays and lesbians were narrow-minded, judgmental homophobes. And conservatives came to see that liberals could actually take the bible seriously and authoritatively. We needed each other.

Fourth, and finally, for me these issues boil down to the kind of church that I want my children, one of whom is Hispanic, and one of whom is Asian, to grow up in. A church that believes in a BIG God, a church which can show and tell the world that submitting body and soul to the Lordship of Jesus Christ means giving up all pretense of power and privilege, and that walking with Jesus means listening to and walking with the poor, the marginalized, the voiceless, the grieving, the sick.  A church which is composed of manifestly Bible-believing Christians, yielding priority to no one in our fidelity to this book. A church which is joyfully evangelical, big enough and diverse enough to include us all—conservative and liberal and every point in between, gays and straights, single, divorced, and partnered, young and old, certain believers and confused seekers, abled and disabled—all the varied children of God who can help us change and grow and become more together than we can ever be apart.

My mind is far from settled with answers to the questions I have raised. But my journey, thankfully, is an ongoing one. Thankfully, I have a faith community here at Idlewild that encourages me, challenges me, supports me, and loves me, even though we might disagree from time to time on various issues.

But most thankfully, I have the Word that I attempt to follow. Not only the word on the page but also, (and far more crucially) the Word made flesh. Sometimes Jesus, actually had to deviate from the word on the page in order to risk bringing the Word to life, and then he had to face the dreadful consequences of loving the wrong people even after he had been warned time and again to stop.

I’m the first to admit I don’t always know what is right. All I know is whom I love, and how far I have to go before there is no one whom I do not love. If I err, then I am going to err on the side of grace. And then I figure that the Word of God will know what to do with me.

I’m betting my life on that.

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