The pastor of the church reversed the voted-in policy when the news swept like wildfire across the national media. Not to be harsh, but that is what it took. If I read it right, it appears there was some bullying going on, some hard-headed church members who bullied the rest into submission and rammed a vote through. What’s disturbing is that they felt empowered to go public with their racism.
Before that, on November 7, 2011, bible scholars published “The Trinity Statement,” which sounded way too weighty for me. But I’m always intrigued by subtle twists on Christ’s real message for us, because we are loaded with them. The Trinity Statement was penned by Dr. William David Spencer, editor of Priscilla Papers, a journal focusing on biblical equality (the heck you say!). “The Trinity Statement” has this radical premise, that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one. Not so radical, you say? A growing trend distorts that basic building block of our faith. This trend says that God is the king and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are subordinate to God. The first time I heard it a few years ago, I did a mental head wobble and dismissed it as not worth arguing over. But Dr. Spencer and a list of other bible scholars warned that the twist leads to sexism and racism.
I got notice of the statement from the Evangelical Press Association via email. What it comes down to is this:A hierarchy in the Trinity leads to hierarchy among human beings. If the Trinity contains ranks, humans must also display a ranking as they reflect the image of God. As Spencer says, this teaching has been used to argue that "some gender (usually the female) is ranked below the other (usually the male) and some "races" may be ranked below other "races." This conclusion not only undermines monotheism but also the equality of humanity as created in God's image."
If you think this trend is dangerous, there’s a place to sign “The Trinity Statement” at www.trinitystatement.com. Think about it.Blessings on you all,
Jennie
No comments:
Post a Comment