Monday, July 12, 2004 AD And on a Related Note... The January/February issue of Every Thought Captive isn't online yet, but the issue title was "Neither Greek Nor Jew" and the theme was race. When the issue hit the mailboxes, the shrieks from certain readers I will neither name nor link, though some of you know of whom I speak, could be heard for thousands of miles. The fine folks at HSC of course took the stance that race doesn't count for diddly-squat in the church of Jesus Christ. It has no bearing on whom we baptize, ordain, fellowship with, adopt or marry. Zero, zip, nada. I of course most heartily agree.
One of the shriekers' objections has been that the ETC authors used Galatians 3:28 to defend color-blindness. They argued that pro-homosexuality folks use the verse in the same way to defend gender-blindness, so HSC must be pro-homosexuality, too. There are probably lots of arguments to refute their thinking, but I wandered across one yesterday that works for me (though I'm sure it would never convince them). I was reading 1 Corinthians 12 and wrote this (in part) in my journal:
You simply cannot have a uni-member body. You cannot have an un-integrated body. Such a thing cannot exist. This isn't so much a command to re-integrate what's been put asunder as to acknowledge that what is a whole cannot be sundered. To think otherwise is a vain imagining, a wicked denial of a plain truth. This is not to say, though, that there are no distinctions in the body. There are indeed many members, but we must look at the diversity through the lens of unity. The only diversity we may look at, however, is the diversity of gifts and roles. That is the only diversity that signifies. The differences between the sexes are on this order of diversity -- a clear and soul-deep demarcation between roles -- and never the twain shall be conflated. The role differences between masters and servants, while also clearly defined in Scripture, are neither innate (as with the sexes) nor supernatural (as with the spiritual gifts). The differences among the races are never in Scripture a matter of roles. Even in the old covenant, non-Jews were to be included in the covenant if they were circumcised. The Jew/Gentile distinction with regard to the covenant is clearly obliterated in the new covenant. Therefore racial differences are of no significance whatsoever in the Church. In Christ we are a new race, distinct only from those who remain in rebellion against Him.
P.S. If any shriekers happen to surf by, feel free to read, but not to comment. Your arguments are not welcome here. Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 7/12/2004 09:54:00 PM
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