[Vision2020] Move Beyond the Narrow Path

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (May 23, 2006) Moscow-Pullman Daily News with a special thanks
to The Reverend Roger Lynn.

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Move beyond the narrow path 

In his op-ed piece (May 6), Ed Iverson seems to define what is acceptable in
terms of what his grandparents understood. It may seem helpful to have a
clearly established cut-off date, beyond which we can simply reject any new
ideas or understandings which may arise. But I am convinced that such a path
does not serve us well over the long haul. And so, for anyone who may have
read Iverson's words and thought they represent what all Christians believe,
I offer an alternative perspective. 

In the Bible (Acts, chapter 10) there is a story in which Peter has a
vision. God tells him to eat a whole variety of animals which were
off-limits for Jews to eat. 

Peter objects. And correctly so. He had scripture on his side. He had
tradition on his side. He had religious authority on his side. The only
thing he didn't have on his side was God. 

In this vision God says to Peter, "What God has made clean, you must not
call profane." (Acts 10:15) The story in Acts then moves on to tell us about
Peter (a Jew) going to share a meal with Cornelius (a Gentile) - another of
the things which was beyond the bounds of acceptable practice. 

I submit that God is always calling us to move beyond our narrow, limiting
understandings of who is acceptable and who is not, no matter how
well-established and codified those understandings may be. That, I believe,
is a path which will serve us well. 

The Rev. Roger Lynn, Moscow

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To coin my old phrase:  Free to be you and me.

Seeya round town, Moscow.

t hansen-moore
Moscow, Idaho

"Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in
that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity,
their dignity and personhood,"

- Coretta Scott King (March 30, 1998)