For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed
Blessings to you, siblings in Christ! I cannot tell you how excited I am to start the “Giving Context to the Clobber Passages” Bible study on Sunday! I have heard so many positive things about offering this study and I hope that you are as excited as I am to learn the context behind these scriptures.
There have been a lot of questions about this study and I thought I would write a blog about why this type of study is vital and important to share. I can tell you that to me, it’s very personal. I have personally seen, and at times, felt, the harm these scriptures have caused the LGBTQ community and beyond. Many don’t know that conversion therapy programs stemmed from these scriptures, causing irreparable harm to a community of people who may not have even stepped foot into a church. I spent a great deal of time in my life trying to undo the damage caused. It is harder than you might think to go from seeing God as something to fear, to then seeing God, who has made everything good and chose to save all of creation out of love. Seeing the Bible as something other than a weapon is not easy. I am sure many can remember a time where memorizing scripture and using it to “correct” others was the way to go. I was one of those people too. Many in the LGBTQ community have left the church due to that harm, and many of their friends and family members have left because they have seen that harm too. My goal of this study is not to change your mind or your beliefs, nor am I here to judge anyone. My goal is simply to give you context to understand the underlying reason these scriptures were written. I am only a seminary student, but I used true scholars, theologians, and people with far better credentials than being a Vicar to learn from. Many of the books we read in Seminary the first two years were used to craft this study. Having the freedom and permission to look at scriptures and truly ask questions, doubt, wrestle, and interpret from another perspective is a gift that people often take for granted. Being able to share the knowledge I’ve collected over a decade of researching these scriptures is truly a highlight of my Internship at Christ the King. Thank you for allowing me to share my passion with you and lead you in a new way of thinking. I look forward to Sunday and the weeks following! Remember: We are ALL welcome, we are all loved, and we were all fearfully and wonderfully made as God’s children. What a blessed reminder that is from Psalm 139!
Comments