Generous Spaciousness by Wendy VanderWal-Gritter

Author:Wendy VanderWal-Gritter [VanderWal-Gritter, Wendy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL012000, REL067070, REL105000
ISBN: 9781441245854
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2020-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

10

The Challenge of Interpretation

Interpretation is the vehicle through which we engage Scripture. It doesn’t take long to find great diversity in the way different Christians tackle the interpretive task. For the gay Christian it can be a challenging journey spiritually and emotionally to evaluate the system of interpretation inherited from their family and church of origin.

Many gay Christians may experience not only fear but a voice of accusation as they struggle to make sense of their experience of same-sex attraction and the authoritative text of Scripture. For example, if a gay Christian starts to wonder if the Bible really does say that same-sex relationships are sinful, others can accuse them of acting like the serpent in the creation story who questions God’s commands. In the book of Genesis, the serpent says to Eve, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”1

This text can be used to manipulate, shame, instill fear, and control. It is like playing the ultimate power card: “If you question, then you obviously do not love God as much as I do; you obviously don’t care about the Scriptures as I do; you obviously just want to do what you want to do.”

While there may be Christians who twist Scripture to justify how they want to live, assuming this about someone at the beginning of a discussion leads to a no-win situation.

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