A Place at the Table

This book is neither memoir nor handbook. It is not “the story of my success” in ministry, nor the story of events by which I was transformed or reborn, nor a “how-to” manual. It is not the story of individuals you will meet along the way, although their part in it is significant. It is, if you will pardon the expression, “pastoral theology.” As such, it deals with three inter-related topics, all of them of current and urgent interest in the church: the Bible, sexuality (especially non-heterosexuality), and the church’s mission. It is a book about how the Bible is understood, preached, and taught in congregations. Bible Studies in many congregational and “independent” settings have the goal of confirming participants in the faith. An unintended consequence is that the Bible comes to be regarded as an answer book, reinforcing what the participants have already been taught to think and believe; which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes not. In other settings, the Bible (if it is read at all) may be viewed as a book of myths and legends promoting violence and prejudice, with the result that the baby goes out with the bath-water. Probably worst of all, many with long backgrounds in the church will recall the plethora of “fill in the blanks” Bible Study materials of an earlier generation, leaving the overwhelming impression that the Bible is dull. But the Bible is not dull, and though it contains many disquieting passages, I remain convinced that it is not a promoter of violence or prejudice. And it is not an “answer book” to confirm us in old attitudes and guide us in following old ruts. The chapters of this book dealing with our approach to Scripture are based on a lifetime of taking this book seriously, including 45 years of parish ministry. If there has been one consistent response to my preaching and teaching, it is that I somehow make the Bible “come alive.” To me, that means only that I don’t get in the way, but that I know the biblical story and let the energy and the humor and the lively conversation within the Bible be seen. I hope that approach will also be apparent to the readers of this book. So, it is a book about the Bible. It is also a book about sexuality and the varieties of sexual orientation and gender identity existing within the membership of congregations. Sexuality is a powerful reality in our lives, and a pervasive influence in our society. Homosexuality has been one of the dominant topics of conversation in the ELCA and other denominations for decades, a cause of frustration, separation, and disagreements both covert and overt. The portions of this book focused on sexuality have a clear and firm perspective, but above all the presentation is intended to remind you of what you already know and lead you to think about people you already know – to draw attention to the things that are known to us in our family circles, our civic communities, as well as from the social sciences. At some points in the text, the designation “LGBT” (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered) or “LGBTQ” (Q = “Queer” - the self-designation preferred by some in the non-heterosexual community) appears, at other points I simply trust you to remember this wider application as you read. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and “queer” are not strangers, members of some frightening and perverse race. Research reveals that sexual orientation exists on a continuum – that degrees of same-sex and other-sex attraction are to be found in each of us. In other words, sexual orientation is not a strictly black-and-white, either-or phenomenon. And, although the text makes clear that varieties of non-heterosexual orientation are included, most of the public discussion and controversy is framed as an issue of “homosexuality,” a term which, therefore, appears frequently. The mission of inclusion seen in the title of the final chapter raises an immediate question. How can “welcome” be said to be our mission? The mission of the church is to proclaim Christ crucified. The mission is to tell the good news of Christ’s resurrection. The mission is to spread the gospel. The mission is to proclaim the forgiveness of sins. But welcome? The question is appropriate. One could imagine varieties of welcome taking place apart from the proclamation of Christ, apart from the declaration of sin forgiven, apart from any specific witness to Christ and the church. Many people are hospitable without faith in or reference to God. Certainly, welcome is not a stand-alone expression of our mission. But I would argue that no other statement of the church’s mission is adequate or authentic apart from welcome. Welcome can undoubtedly exist apart from the mission. But the mission cannot take place apart from welcome. The case could be argued in great detail, but brief comments will serve to illustrate. In Jesus’ familiar parable of the Last Judgment, the first charge leveled by the king against those on the left hand is, “I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me.” (Matthew 25:43) The gospel message proclaimed by Paul is one of reconciliation. “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.” (2 Corinthians 5:19) And, again, “…we even boast in God trough our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:11) Reconciliation is illustrated by an embrace, a handshake, some gesture of welcome. Jesus’ summary of the law in the two great commandments is expressed in terms of love for God and for neighbor. And love can hardly be genuine where there is no welcome, no embrace.