This was our second week of the CUES sermon series on theological diversity.
The message was brought tonight by Dr. Mary Kraus, pastor at Dumbarton UMC which is located here in Washington, DC. Click on her name to listen to the sermon or download the sermon on iTunes.
Feel free to post your comments as we continue this dialogue in the Wesley community.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"The elephant in the room for the church is our uneasiness with God's gift of sexuality, the conflicting views on sexuality, and the great difficulty we have talking about it."
ReplyDeleteAmen! Whether or not you agree with the rest of Ms. Kraus's sermon, this one line speaks volumes of truth. I've been found saying to members of my congregation the reason young adults aren't in the church is because the church doesn't address the real issues in the lives of young adults. When my friends and I get together, we talk about two things money and sex. Money - our jobs, our debt, our purchases, etc. Sex - relationships, breakups, trials, and yes, sex. But I would say these two topics are what the church fails to address in a meaningful way.
The Church will never agree on issues of sexuality. Issues of premarital sex, homosexuality, transgender, nature vs. nurture, promiscuity, birth control, and so many more will always be controversies. Although we might never agree as Christians, we still need to dialog about these issues. We miss opportunities for ministry because we are so concerned with offending someone or talking about issues that are taboo, that we end up only addressing those issues with which we are comfortable. I've heard a number of sermons on marriage (heterosexual marriage), but never one on how young adults today maneuver their way though a dating world that is oversexed. I've heard people address issues of healthy heterosexual relationships, but rarely those of healthy homosexual relationships.
As a Church, is it time to stop arguing about the moral rights and wrongs and to begin to minister to the real people in our pews... regardless of where they are in their journey of life and faith? Kraus calls the church to be a place where ALL are welcomed and I believe this. We do need to be accepting of all people in our congregations regardless of where you stand on the issues of sexuality or any issue in our world today... where we stop preaching to groups of people and start ministering to individuals. Let's talk about these issues that divide our churches instead of allowing them to stay the elephants in our sanctuaries.
I'm all about being pragmatic and addressing our realities from the pulpit. I think back to the scandal in the not-so-distant past with Ted Haggard, the former leader of the National Association of Evangelicals, who was convicted of charges of the use of meth and of soliciting a male prostitute. Despite our opinions of this man or what he may have preached, my heart grieves that the church has not created a safe place for our laity, much less our leadership, to discuss these issues or how we should seek God in them. I agree, Jen, that there is a huge disconnect between what we say in church and what we say in the classroom, coffeeshop, or corporation. While not forgetting the ideal (nor denying that there will always be some controversy on what the ideal may be), we need to meet people where they are.
ReplyDeleteI have been really struck lately with how I, as a Christian, approach the topic of abortion. My tactic for the past few years has been simply to avoid the issue. Yet I would tepidly (though perhaps more boldly as time goes on) suggest that churches need to know what their laity currently struggles with and address it, rather than condemn anyone who cannot meet the ideal of completely eradicating abortions. While we should always pursue the affirmation of all life, and should not forget this goal, may we also emulate Christ's efforts to go to the "least, last, and lost" and walk alongside them in their struggles.