A KNOTTY PROBLEM IN THE CONTEMPORARY CHURCH

This question was asked of me and others on a different forum  by a minister who is considering taking training to be a military Chaplain. When he found out that the place he is going to take his training at is very liberal in it’s approach to the issue of homosexuals in ministry. I Answered as follows.  Many have seen this answer and have taken comfort from it, as well as some who have disagreed with it,  but,  those who disagreed stated that they saw it as one of the most considered replies that they had seen concerning this issue. That may be true,all I can say is  these are my feelings.  Where my family and I worship our Church has stood by the precept that homosexuals cannot engage in the practice of their prediliction, if they are in the clergy. If they become active in a relationship, or do not remain celibate, they must leave their ministry.

The pressure of the liberal elements of the hierarchy is tremendous and you can rest assured, that this stand will eventually fail.

Same sex marriages being legal in Massachusetts now almost gaurantees this will probably be overturned during the next world conference session in 2008.
It was incredibly close in 2004.

The proscriptions against sexual iniquity in scripture were to preclude the abuse of the helpless or the weak in relations of potential power based sexual encounters, as well as the simple degradation of human beings as objects, to be used to slake your thirst then once they had fullfilled their purpose to be discarded much like a used kleenex. A crappy way to treat any human being but unfortunately all too common.

The sexual slavery practiced by the Romans that St. Paul preaches against in the Roman letter to the congregation in Rome, is the stand out case in point if you are speaking of homosexual behaviour.

A personal stance in todays world supposedly must consider the “newly revealed research of the present” which you will note, I place in quotation marks.

As clergy the consideration is two fold,  personal,  and then the position of servant leadership that a minister must fulfill. Also to be considered,  is the role of the minister in authority,  as one in the line of apostolic succession and the discipline, which must in conscience be maintained, for the integrity of the church.

Now,  we must consider what it is we are being asked to do. In my opinion it is to be,  simply put,  Christians.  It is not for us to condone this behaviour,  due to scriptural proscription,  but we must not condemn out of hand those who are so inclined. We as human beings are all with fault, we all are broken in some way. Homosexuals are simply broken in a different way than I am, or you are.

This position has been reached after years of deep unrest and thought on my part and should in no way be considered to be an official position of anybodies church, but the result of soul searching and consideration of the human condition.

I support the position of the church at present, but will not, if the ministry is allowed to be degraded further due to scriptural caveats and directives being disobeyed.

As for those NOT in ministry, my feelings are best stated as follows,  what ever problems God has with homosexuals is between He and they, not they and I.

They are,  and will continue to be,  welcome in my church to worship,  as long as their deportment is commensurate with decorous behaviour.  Which, by the way,  I would demand of heterosexual couples also.  We must consider also,  who directed them to worship,  perhaps God?
No living human being has the answer to that one, least of all me.

I hope this will help you, Be well sister and best wishes to your husband and may he be found worthy. Rev. Bruce Holzrichter………Tawodi 

MOTHER TERESA

I am sure that over the last several days many of you have seen the stories that have come out. The focus of these is, whether or not, she lost her faith. For those who don’t understand theology, I felt it should be explained, in that light, for those who may be somewhat dissillusioned by all of this.

The first example we should examine, is that of Jesus on the cross.

In His extremity we know that He cried out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me!?”

This cry is exemplary of two things for us to understand, the first of which is, at that moment Jesus had assumed the sins of all human kind. It was at this moment that he was, for the first time In His existance, separated from the presence of God.

A horrifying experience of course but, once again, one for us to KNOW, in our hearts as well.

Mother Teresa knew, every day, horrors of existance we can not even concieve in the forms of, disease, poverty, starvation and, human cruelty and neglect.

The quavering of belief in these circumstances, if it did NOT occur, would be astounding. The fact that it did, is great testimony to the steadfastness of this great, humble, human being, that we, Catholic or Protestant, know as MOTHER Teresa. Indeed belief in God or the tennets of Christianity has very little to do with that understanding among all people.

The question that should be asked is how, with this question that she presents to her confidant for spiritual support, did she maintain her steadfast sense of duty and commitment to the service to those she brought comfort to and God.

Faith is the answer, faith pure and simple. People of great faith know, that in the seeming absence of God, is our greatest trial and triumph as human beings.

We realise, that to prevail in these times God MUST be present for us to succeed, or even have a chance to succeed, at all!!

Now, I have not seen anything but what you have seen on the television but, when I read the book (and I will ) I am positive this is what we will find, that in the silences of her heart she knew God and knew He was there, in her work her efforts, and her life.

How do I know this? I, like you, am a human being, and after the darkest times in my life, and I have had some pretty gloomy times, after the passing of the storm, I became aware that I NEVER would have made it with out God. I, no way, no how, had any where near the strength or fortitude or knowledge, to do so at the time. That is the plain, flat, truth of it, I can not take any credit for my success at those times, none at all. I was usually lost, frightened and alone, with no clue of what to do, or where to turn, that is the truth.

So now you have a little to chew on from two directions. How God can seem to be absent. Why He would choose to seem that way, and perhaps understand how Jesus Himself could have thought the same thing……..Being forsaken.

Be well all, take heart……Tawodi…out