I wrote this on Valentine's Day, but have had a chance to post it until now...
Last night [2/13] the youth asked me to talk about what the UMC says/believes about homosexuality as part of their journey thru the Good Sex curriculum this semester.
I prepared my Discipline research and my own heart for talking about this subject, but I never really felt ready to teach the lesson. The Holy Spirit helped me to understand that all I needed to to was present te truth and then let them wrestle with their questions.
They asked thoughtful questions about the UMC stance (there are other places where the BOD references homosexuality - this is just one of them) and their confusion about the seemingly contradictory nature of our stance. I told them it confused me at times too. We talked thru their concerns and they appreciated my willingness to address the issue head-on.
After the study ended, three of them came up to me to ask deeper questions that related to someone they know who is gay. I realized once again that theoretical issues might be able to be resolved on paper, but putting flesh and a face on those issues raises the stakes. Raises the importance of handling our feelings with care. Raises the necessity for admitting our shortfalls and realizing our need for grace.
Where have you offered a simple answer to a complex question? What was the outcome?
Grace&Peace
2 comments:
Dean,
As I go deeper into scripture, I think about situations where a person may ask me about a controversial issue. Or really, any question about "What does the Bible say about such and such?"
And even though no one is really asking me questions yet, I ask myself, "How am I going to answer this question or that question in the future?" And it can be frustrating to me because on the one hand I want to give "The Answer". Yet on the other hand, I feel like "The Answer" that they are looking for is actually not a reflection of truth because it would be too simple.
And like you said, once we start putting things in the context of real people, it just gets all the more complex.
As far as giving simple answers to complex questions, I think I've treaded this some in teaching Sunday school lessons. I think it's hard because my particular class is mostly social, and I think a lot of people may not want to wrestle with tough issues. And that's tough because I don't want to alienate anyone, yet I want to push people too.
It is definitely a fine line to walk, Andrew. The best part about the balancing is that we have the Holy Spirit to guide our conversations with those who are asking the questions.
I always hope that my presentations help people to desire to push themseleves to new levels of faith, but we can't hit homeruns everytime.
Post a Comment