O Holy Night

This is a special guest post from my wonderful wife, Arianna. She is a former religion major, a youth minster, and an all-world vocalist. She posted this on Facebook, but it needs a wider audience. Enjoy.

What is that special song that you long to hear each year? That song that is so holy that you dare not think of it until Thanksgiving is past? For me, it has always been "O Holy Night". It is that sweeping melody, simple and beautiful in its verses and knee-casting in its chorus, that gives me chills every time. 

I make a mental note of the first time I hear "O Holy Night" each Christmas season (as if it has some sort of implication about my year past?) My first year of college, it was in a McDonald's parking lot while devouring a 10 piece nugget meal. This year, it was at Hobby Lobby while shopping for decorations for Julian's first birthday. It was muzac. (Does that mean I was cheezy this past year?!)

Okay, I'm kind of obsessed with this song.

My favorite version? John Rutter's arrangement, always beautifully performed by the Boston Avenue United Methodist Church youth choir. The "King's College, Cambridge" rendition is exceptional as well.

Some more great versions: Celtic Woman is always amazing, and never disappoints. Celine Dion's is incredible as well.

My criteria for determining whether or not I like any given version of the song is pretty simple. It must:

1) Be sincere and heart-felt
2) Be in tune
3) Include a choir or ensemble

and MOST importantly:

Include this verse--

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our Brother
And in His name, all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

I cringe when I hear versions of the song without this verse. Mariah Carey's is one, Carrie Underwood's is another--there are many. I guess they just want to sing "Fall on Your Knees" twice. I suppose that's what the producers think people want to hear. We are all about the "feel good" part of religion, aren't we?

I know, I'm being snarky.

But seriously. That verse, that beautiful verse, IS what Christmas is all about. Christmas is about God coming to earth, making God's self human in form, and turning the tables on the Roman Empire, and on those whose religion clouded their view of the Holy. Our world indeed is broken, but we have this incredible example of a man who was so in tune with God that he had the audacity to boldly oppose the religious leaders of the day. He had the nerve to tell us that our presuppositions about God and the people in God’s world were incomplete at best.

I’ve been asking people this question lately: What example of oppression in our world makes you angry?

The interesting thing is, most people can’t answer that question.

What if we are to embody the Christ child in all we do? What if we are to be the light of the world, the hope of the world? What if there’s more to Christmas than celebrating the birth of Jesus—what if we ask God for new eyes to see what Jesus saw, and for the courage that we’ll need to propel us into action?

So this Christmas, Let all within us praise God's Holy name by identifying oppression in our world and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Jesus did.

Today's Good News About Gay Marriage

Lost in all the debate today over Phil Robertson's comments is this wonderful news:

The New Mexico Supreme Court unanimously affirmed on Thursday the right of same-sex partners to marry in the state, reasoning that the “protections and responsibilities that result from the marital relationship shall apply equally” to them and to opposite-sex couples.

Hallejuah!

How Should Christians Approach Homosexuality?

I want to expand on my earlier post about Phil Robertson, and more specifically, about how to think about homosexuality as a Christian. I personally believe very strongly that homosexuality it not a sin, and that the church should rejoice in two people who want to live monogamous, committed lives with another. This is a view grounded in how I view Scripture and my own use of logic and reason.

Let's think this through. Let's looks at the claim, as many LGBT people argue, that homosexuality is not a choice, but something one is born into. As Christians, we should take a loving and trusting view of others, and so if our LGBT brothers and sisters say it is just the way they are made, we have a duty to take their words at face value. So, assuming that is not a choice, thata they are born that way, then to call it a sin is to claim that God inherently created that person in sin. But as Christians, we don't believe God created sin, right? Sin is in fact a by product of our free will and choices. It inherently contradicts the nature of God to say he created someone wrapped in sin.

But if you still believe it is sin, then think about this. Nobody disagrees we should welcome our LGBT friends into Christ. And we should encourage them to have an honest and healthy communion with God through reflection and prayer. So, if an LGBT person is having a honest relationship with God, and is living a live they feel is completely consistent with their faith, including being homosexual, then who are we to judge? God is the only one to judge them, and the only one they have to answer to. If, as you say, homosexuality is a sin, then lets leave it to God to work with them. Because the fact is, being gay presents no outward harm to you or I, and thus really is none of our business. As Pope Francis has said recently, "If a person is gay, and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?"

Instead, as Christians, we should be welcoming and loving and inclusive to all people, regardless of anything at all. And public comments like Mr. Robertson's do not do that. His comments alienate and spread hate and disgust towards human beings. That is not the example Christ taught us to live.

There are many, many verses in the Bible, both New and Old Testament, that can be used to place rules on life. Not all of them make sense in today's cultural and societal context. Head coverings for women, prohibition of eating shell fish, stoning of adulterers, ritual shunning of the mentally handicapped: all of these things are said very explicitly in the Bible, and none of them we live by today, because they are inherently impractical, ridiculous, and were put in place for a radically different time and culture. The verse regarding homosexuality should be viewed the same way. It has more to do with a Roman cultural habit of having homosexual relations with prepubescent boys, as a way of "mentoring" them. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah has to do with in-hospitality, rather than homosexuality, by Jesus' own admission. The Bible, and the verses thrown out by many to condemn homosexuality, need to be read and understood in their proper context. And, as always, everything should be evaluated through the words and actions of Jesus Christ.

For a more thorough exegesis of the Biblical passages concerning homosexuality, check out this article from Would Jesus Discriminate? It's really enlightening, and makes a really key central point to this argument: the word translated as "homosexual" in 1 Corinthians 6, is in fact a word that we aren't exactly sure what the proper translation is. Interesting that the arguments against homosexuality are based on an uninterpreted word.

Phil Roberstson, Homosexuality, and the Christian Example

I have a confession to make: I am a Duck Dynasty fanatic. I love the show. I have a t-shirt. Although I know they are very, very different from me and my world outlook-politically, religiously, culturally-I think they are wonderful people. While I know they subscribe to a much more conservative form of Christianity than me, they seem sincere about their faith, and they love people.

So I'm very, very disappointed to see the comments from Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the family, on homosexuality.

Now, let me preface this by saying that I never had any doubt in my mind that they had traditional views on gay marriage and the gay lifestyle. No matter my strong disagreement, I never had any illusions about the Robertson's, and anybody who is acting shocked is being intellectually dishonest.

The problem here is the disgusting and unnecessarily graphic rhetoric on display here. This is the exact thing that turns so many non-Christians off about our faith. The Robertson's, as high profile Christians with a very public platform, have a elevated duty to present our faith in it's truest sense, no matter their personal feelings about homosexuality. Christianity is about love and acceptance of others, regardless of their perceived "sin." (Note that I DO NOT believe homosexuality is a sin; I am merely making a point for those who do.)

I know the Robertson's do much good work compelled by their faith. But all of that work becomes obscured when one of them makes this kind of hateful comment. It's disappointing, to say the least. And it's not how we should practice our faith in the world.

Here's how I approach this issue. While I believe homosexuality is not a choice, the idea of choice is beside the point. We need to ask two questions. One, does a person's homosexuality cause an outward harm to other people, or society as a whole? Really, is a monogamous, loving relationship between two men more damaging than multiple divorcees? And two, if a homosexual has a honest relationship with God and lives life as true to that relationship and where it leads them as possible, then who are we to judge? Even if you believe homosexuality is a sin, if that person is communing with God and leading a Christ-centered life, then whatever internal choices they make are between them and God.

It's disappointing to see this from such an outspoken Christian, and does a real disservice to spreading message of love that Jesus preached to us.