The Tough Issues- Week 3 of Social Principles Class

Well, this was the big week!  We tackled the 4 big issues of homosexuality, marriage, abortion, and life/death issues (suicide, euthanasia, etc) tonight, all found in the Nurturing Community section of the SP.  And yes, we actually managed to get those 4 issues in all in one class, even though it took us about 2 hours.  I prayed over how to go about tonight, I wrestled with what would be the best way to go about talking about these issues, and I was nervous...and pleasantly surprised at how it all went down.  And, I have a cool congregation!

I especially grounded this class tonight in the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. I had it on the white board so it would be in front of us for the remainder of the class as a reminder that our world views and opinions concerning faith and Scripture are all based in our traditions, our reasoning, our experiences, and our understanding of Scripture.  This was helpful for us to see it so when someone stated an opinion, they could usually point to one of the 4 points and say, "This is where this is coming from and I see that now."

I started the class with another "cross the line" exercise.  I brought the piece of tape back and had people cross the line if they agreed with the statement I read, straight from the Nurturing Community section of the SP.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that most people agreed with the statement on abortion, and disagreed with the controversial statement that says, "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching."  I really thought that people would be divided over these topics.  However, we were divided on the church's stance on euthanasia and assisted suicide.  About half the class agreed with the statement from the SP that said that the church "deplores assisted suicide and euthanasia," and about half disagreed.  We lated stated that there is more work to do on understanding this issue in theological terms and how we understand the "God given boundaries of life and death."

I then split the class up into 4 groups- one for each topic (Homosexuality, marriage, abortion, life/death issues) and gave them a few questions to discuss in groups for a good 25-30 minutes.  I had the privilege of walking around and listening to the discussions, and there were some good ones!  The smaller groups  also gave people that are normally shy in big groups a chance to speak up and voice their opinions more.

We then came together as a big group and talked about the main points that arose from the small groups.  There was a lot of discussion about language- how some didn't like the way certain statements were phrased, and some statements that could use more clarification, or how some statements seemed "arrogant, pompous," and at one point, I even heard a statement as being "Un-Christian."  (The one about how the UMC supports civil laws that define marriage between one man and one woman)- that why does the church say that people should be denied certain rights and are considered less human and less deserving than others?

Again, for the most part, the class was in agreement on a lot of things tonight (meaning that they agreed with one another, not necessarily with the SP on everything).  It was amazing to see them come together and be passionate about these issues that we see every day in our society. It gave me hope to see Christians who are forward thinking, who see that Jesus' message is one of love and inclusiveness, and that there are some things that the church needs to change in order to further God's kingdom of love and justice.

Some questions that arose from tonights discussion:
*Does the church do enough to prevent pregnancy and offer information to sexually active persons?  What can the church do better in this area?
*Why does the UMC contradict itself by stating that "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching," and goes on to say that "all persons are of sacred worth" and pledge to be in ministry "to and with all persons"?  And how can we preach "Open hearts, open minds, open doors" and make these negative statements about homosexuality?
*What really is the definition of marriage vs. same-sex union?  (Most in the class believed that marriage should be between two persons in a loving relationship, not necessarily between a man and a woman)  Semantics became and issue for some, as "marriage" in a traditional understanding is a God-created relationship between a man and a woman (Genesis 1).  Although biblical understanding of marriage is no where close to our understanding of it today if we really read Scripture!  (Jacob had how many wives?!)
*Is the beginning of life and the ending of life really God-given boundaries?  We were perplexed by this statement as a class.
*And finally, how do we begin to change some of these statements to reflect God's message of radical inclusion and our understanding of love between two persons?

I feel so blessed to be a part of a Church that is willing to talk about these issues and take stands on them.  I feel so blessed to be a part of a class where people are willing to open up and challenge themselves, their own world views, and to share their opinions with one another.

I am so glad I decided to take on this challenge!  This is part of what "being church" is all about- growing together as people of faith!

Check back next week for my reflections on the Social Community section class.