Storyteller's World

Another day on which the lectionary readings seemed so perfectly apt for our times. I talked about Romans 15.1-6 in the light of the Windsor Report:

I couldn't help thinking about this when I read the third passage the lectionary set for today: Romans 15.1-6. "We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please our neighbour." Now, St Paul was a genius: this is brilliantly put. For who are the strong? And who are the weak? In the present context, you have those who take what we might call a more traditional view, about the sinfulness of homosexual practice, saying: Well, we are the strong ones, because we believe in the word of God. We have the correct view about the authority of God's word, and we understand it to teach, unequivocally, what we believe. While on the other hand you have those who take what we might call a more liberal view, and they say, Well, we are the strong ones, because we believe that the balance of God's word allows us to move beyond the literal sense of those texts that you are quoting, and that it teaches what we believe.

No one who is involved in any controversy as big and damaging as this is, then, will be likely to say, Well, to tell you the truth, I am weak (in my faith, in my views, in my interpretation of scripture.) "We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please our neighbour".

So who are the strong? We are! Whatever side you take in this issue, this is meant for you, you are one of those Paul described as the strong. And what should you do? Put up with the failings of the weak (that is, the other side) not please yourselves, but please your neighbour, for the good purpose of building up your neighbour. "For Christ did not please himself, but, as it is written, 'The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.'" Wouldn't it be wonderful (astonishing, but wonderful) if what we now saw in this dispute, was both sides falling over themselves to give way to the other? For the 'traditionalists' to be saying: Please go ahead, make your churches as inclusive as they can be of all people, no matter what their sexual orientation etc., and we won't raise any question about it on the ground of our certainty about scripture. While the 'liberals' would be saying, We respect your deeply held views so much that we won't go on flaunting our freedoms, or doing anything possibly inflammatory like consecrating Gene Robinson, or publishing official liturgies for blessing same-sex unions, etc. (A man can dream, can't he?) But oh, for a Christian Church that could behave in a Christian way!

I know this doesn't address the issue of justice for those who have been marginalised and excluded and persecuted for all these years, our gay brothers and sisters. But I'm sure that would begin to become clearer, if we could only have the charity St Paul call for.

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