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JennieBoydBull:DANCINGONTHEWATERWITHJESUS:
OurTheologicalTaskforthe80's
INSIDEThreeassessmentsofreligiousexpenenceTheRobertSpikestoryReviewed:Boswell,PagelsNews
.G~All[Y,
FOURTHQUARTER1980-FIRSTQUARTER1981
 
Aletterfromtheeditor
INTHISISSUE'SLetterssection,there'smoreonthecurrentchristologicaldiscussioninUFMCC-aswellassomefeedbackonourlastissue.Ithinkasummarystate- mentofthecentralconcernIfindinthelettersthatexpressdissatisfactionwithsomeoftheviewswe'vepublishedaboutJesus'relationshiptodeityisthis,fromoneofthem:
Withouttheunique...fulldivinityofJesusChrist,thereisnoSavior
THEGAYCHRISTIANisatheo-logicaljournaloftheUniversal FellowshipofMetropolitanCom-munityChurches.Itspurposeistobuildcommunityamongpeopleoffaithwhohappenalsotobegay,women,ormembersofothersexual minoritiesbyprovidingatheolog-icalsoundingboardandrelevantecumenicalnews.TGCwritersspeakforthemselves;theirview-pointsdononecessarilyrepresentanyofficialpolicy,position,ordoctrineofUFMCC.
Materialinthismagazineisoriginal unlessotherwisenoted.PleasecreditTHEGAYCHRISTIANwhenquotingfromus.Contentsarecopyrightedandmaynotbereproducedorextensivelyquotedwithoutpermission.
F.JayDeacon,Editor EditrrrialOffices:615WestWellingtonAvenueChicago60657(312)472-8708CirculationandAdvertising: DepartmentofPublications, UFMCC5300SantaMonicaBlvd.j304LosAngeles,CA90029 (213)464-5100
ContributingEditors:NewYork:
KarenZiegler,SteveCarson.
Boston:
Edward T.Hougen.
Washington:
LarryJ.Uhrig.
Detroit:
JeanGralley.
LosAngeles:
KennethT.Martin,DonnaWade.
SanFrancisco:
MichaelEngland,JeffPulling.
LongBeach:
DustyPruitt.
Milwaukee:
ValerieBouchard.
St.Louis:
RoyBirchard.
Tee:2
andnosalvation.
Letmecontinuethe conversation. WithintheChristianfaith-tradition, surely,aremanywhowouldarguethus; whowouldholdoutforthestatementthat JesusisGod,andthat'sthat.Inrecent issues,readershavebeenaskedtoconsideranotherunderstandingoftheChrist-event,anditunderliesmuchofwhatis nowbeingsaidinUFMCCandinthe theologicalworld.I'dliketogetatitby quotingacontemporaryProcess-theologian, RussellPregeant,inhis
ChristologyBeyondDogma
(Fortress,1978,frompp.158- 168).Hearguesfromthestandpointof auniversalisticundercurrentthroughout theNewTestamentandespeciallyin Matthew'sparables:
Whatemergesfromaprocessanalysis ofthechristologicalformulationsof theNewTestamentisachristology beyonddogma-onethatmightaptly betermed"paradigmatic"or"cata- lytic"christology.TheNewTesta- mentfocusesupontheimageof JesusastheChrist.Itdoesso,how- ever,notreallyinordertoelicita doctrinalaffirmationaboutJesusas theexclusiveirruptionofgraceinto humanhistory,butratherultimately tolureitsreadersintoanencounter withthatrealitywhichcomesto expressionthroughhim...And insofarasthecalltofaithinauni- versallyactiveGodisconceivedin termsofaproclamationofJesusastheChrist,thisJesus
is
acknowledged asakindofcatalyticagent=i.e.,as onewhoataparticularmomentin historybringsto
full
anddefiniteexpressionapossibilityofexistence beforeGodalwaysgiveninthehuman experience....Aprocessanalysis... exposes,allthemoreclearly,the objectiveofthe[NewTestament] witness:the
experience
ofgrace,the
act
oftrust,the
deed
ofmercy.
ThatGodwasinChristreconcilingtheworlddoesnotrequiretheliteral appropriationofeveryaffirmationmade aboutJesusinthebiblicalliteratureor inhistory.Whatliesbeyondthesespecific,diverse,andsometimesantitheticalclaims isthis:Jesus
did
infactopentothemanewexperienceofGodthatreshapedtheir self-understandingandtheirunderstanding ofGodandofhumanexistence,andthe forceofthatrebirthisdramatizedbytheaffirmationstheymade.Theaffirmations mustbeunderstoodintheirhistoricaland existentialcontext. Tosome,thoseexclamations-turned- to-doctrinestillmeansomething.I'mnow contenttoleaveoldwordsandoldideasto oldtimes,respected,known,builton, butleftintheirplaceandtime.Iprefer tofindnewwordsofmyowntoexpress howJesuschallengesme,todescribethe rebirthandhealingandwonderJesusopenstome.AsthegreatpreacherHarryEmerson Fosdickoncesaid,intheirattemptto disposeofJesus'challengetotheirliving, first,theytriedcrucifyinghim.Whenthat didn'twork,theytriedworshippinghim.Muchofmylifewasspentapartofachurch- lyinstitutionthathascomfortablysup-portedslavery,suppressedwomenandlife andsexuality,anddrivengayandlesbian peopletotheirdeaths,andhasotherwise provenwidelyirrelevanttolifeinthisworldwhilecryingLord,Lordinthemost orthodoxofterms.Ican'tanylonger disposeofJesusandhischallengeby simplydeifyinghim.NowI'vegottopush thefrontiersofmyliving,beginningtoabandonmyselftotheSpiritofGodthat
••••••••••••••••••SUBSCRIDETOTHEGAY
CHRISTIAN·················••
AdonationtotheworkandministryoftheUniversalFellowshipprovidesayear's subscriptiontoTheGayChristian.Thismagazineispublishedquarterly.
Oneyear'ssubscriptionmailedfirstclassinUSA,Canada
&
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...........•....................................................................
 
movedhiminitsownfreedomandpower. That,Ithink,iswhatourlastissue's writersaredrivingat.Historyproves,does itnot,thatworshippingJesusisn'tthe pointandcanbediversionaryfromtheradicalgrace,challenge,andpossibility oftheGospel.
***
Thisissue,morereflectionsonthat grace,challenge,andpossibility.Jennie BoydBull,RoyBirchard,andIhave differentstoriestotell-andforJennie andRoy,responsetothechallengeof Jesusinvolvesamoretraditionalunder- standingofthestoryaboutJesus.There's thestoryofRobertSpike'sdiscipleship andmartyrdom.Ihopeitwillmoveyouasithasmovedme.Andthere'sSteve Carson'sreviewofElainePagels'important studyofhowtheChristianscalledGnostic respondedtoJesus.Stimulatingreading, wethink,andwehopeitprovidessome usefulroadmarkson
your
way.
Withthisissue,JENNIEBOYDBULL joinstheTGCteamasaContributing Editor.A
1981
graduateofWesleyTheo- logicalSeminaryinWashington,DC,she isaministeronstaffatMCCDG.
INTHISISSUE:
UFMCC:OURTHEOLOGICALTASKFORTHE80s
JennieBoydBull
"WHATDOYOUMEAN,'I'MNOTBEINGSPIRITUALLYFED'
?"
RoyBirchard
THUNDERONTHE MOUNTAIN/HEALING INAFARCOUNTRY
F.JayDeacon
GAYCHRISTIANMARTYR:ROBERTSPIKE
TheEditor REVIEWS:
SteveCarson onPagels'The
GnosticGospels
TheEditoron Boswell's
Christianity,Social Tolerance,and Homosexuality
NEWSLETTERS
3912
14
17
21
23
24
(wWlM\l~~g
©(W[f
1clJ=uOOn@®ll~®n
®~
oO~
OR,ONECHRISTIAN'SPERSPECTIVE
JEN\JIEBOYDBUll
IAMONa"NewYear'sretreat"bymyself intheWesternMarylandmountains,and forthesepastthreedaysIhavebeenhiking inthesnow,makingfiresintheFranklin stove,watchingred-crestedwoodpeckerspeckforinsectsintreetrunksandgetting intosomemeditativereadingneglectedintheflurryofacademicsthatiscalleda seminaryeducation. Andonthisthirdday,lateinthe afternoon,Ifinallysettledowntooneof myreasonsforbeinghere-tosetdownin wordsthebubblingsofmymindandheart overthisFellowshipIloveandlivewith andamcommittedtoservinginfortherest ofmylife.Whoareweandwherearewe headed?Tworecenteventshavehelped metofocusonthisquestion:Oneisthe Rev.KarenZiegler'srecentarticle"Jesus AccordingtoaLesbian,"
(TheGayChris- tian,
3rdquarter,1980),inwhichshesays "ourspiritualsurvivalmaydependupon ourrejectionoftraditionaltheology."(p.8)TheotherisTheRev.RichardWeather- ly'srecentstatementinalettertotheTask ForceonInclusiveLanguage:"Ibelieve oneofourcentralstrengthsisthefactthat ouronly'scandal'isouropennesstoall people,especiallygaywomenandmen.If wearelabelledsimplyanothernon-ortho- dox"newrevelation,"weareeasily(and quiteproperly)dismissed.Ourorthodoxy isaprimarytoolinourwork.Ifearwe willloseitifwearenotverycareful.One iseither'IntheMainstreamofChristianity' oroneisnot."
Tee:3
of 00

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