Wednesday, September 11, 2013

A Letter to Eddie Fox

Dear Reverend Fox,

You will be hearing soon about students at Candler School of Theology who are protesting your reception of an alumni award.  And yes, it's because of your stance on homosexuality.  You've been a voice strongly in opposition of those of us who aren't straight but have been called to ordained ministry. You've helped to ensure that many of us who felt called while members of the United Methodist Church leave the denomination.  In my own case, I know that I could have stayed and been well supported by people in my conference who know me and know my call.  But in the end, I would have to stand against the Book of Discipline, and I couldn't bring myself to break the rules.  I don't self-identify as homosexual, but that's not really the heart of the rule, is it?  The point of the rule is to weed out those who aren't straight, and the good Lord knows I am not a heterosexual.
I left for a church where my sexual orientation was about as relevant to the ordination process as my skin color.  I must say, I am a more complete individual becuase I made that decision. I don't have to worry about the gender of the person I'm dating, because in the end, it's not relevant to how I live out my call.  I understand that we are all first and foremost Children of God, given full membership in the church through our baptisms, and sent out to do God's mission through our confirmations.  If it is God's will that one should seek ordination, why should one's sexual orientation be a barrier?
There are two groups of people I wish you could meet.  And I mean truly meet, without your biases leading you to judge those around you at the table.
The first are the people like me who left the United Methodist Church because of the statements in the Book of Discipline.  And it's not just gay people - there are plenty of allies too, who could not serve in a church that denies ordination to certain people based on their sexual orientation and does not allow pastors to perform same sex marriages.  Many have turned away from the homophobia that is inherent in the statements found in the Book of Discipline.  We're all doing ministry as God has called us to.  Some of us are ordained or seeking ordination in different denominations and some are lay leaders.  We're all serving the body of Christ, prayerfully working to help others deepen their discipleship.
The second group are the people who stay and fight.  You know some of these people already - they are the people you work against.  But I think if you sat at the table with them, you would find people who are just as passionate about the United Methodist Church as you are.  People who care about the global mission of the church and don't want to impede its growth in Africa, but cannot with good conscious allow their church to endorse homophobia. They are working for a better United Methodist Church, just like you are.
I think you could learn much from these groups.  I know if you sat at a table with me, you might be surprised at how much we agree on.  I want to ensure that people have a clear understanding of the Bible and the tenants found within it. That's why I don't hang my hat on seven prooftexts that can easily fall when you look at the cultural context and the language in which they were written.  The ancient authors of the text didn't have words for homosexuality, and the way the texts are used to endorse discrimination against homosexuals is a modern creation, brought about in the 20th century.  Instead, I chose to focus on what Jesus told us to do.  I agree full heartedly that we are to follow the Ten Commandments which point to the greatest commandments as given to us by Christ: Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.  I believe that in order to fully love God, one must be disciplined, ardent in prayer, and serious about Scripture, constantly searching for God's Word in the world today. I don't think that the church can be boiled down into humanist ideology either.  There are certain things that the church should take a stand on, things the church shouldn't endorse.  These are things that devalue God's children and make them feel less human than others.  This is also why I cannot be a part of a church that does not give full inclusion to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
I know you're worried about division and the idea that your denomination could split over the issue of homosexuality. You are trying your best to keep your church together in the way you think is best.  But you are clinging to a statement that devalues the callings of many children of God and claims that they are less able to live out their callings to ministry because of the gender of the people they are attracted to. How can you truly love these children of God as your neighbor if you hold such a stance?
I have to stand in opposition to your being awarded an alumni award because of these views.  Candler School of Theology admits many children of God such as myself who have been hurt by these kinds of statements, who have been told by some denomination or denominational statement that they are less than others because of their sexual orientation. I cannot support someone who upholds those doctrines.

Sincerely,
Zebulun Treloar
2nd Year MDiv Student
Candler School of Theology

5 comments:

  1. amen, Amen, and AMEN!

    John Blevins, ThD2005
    Associate Research Professor, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University

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  2. thank you, zeb, for your courageous words. may god continue to bless you as you live out your call in service to ALL of god's children; lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer, and heterosexual.

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