Went up to Vermont for a few days to see one of my former Greek teachers. A brilliant and disciplined scholar, we discussed a bit about the Episcopal Church. He'd met many Episcopalians in his journeys as a Classics scholar. He is a humanist, and religious only in the broad classical way. He loves mythology, and considers Jesus as being one powerful, worthwhile sort of myth.
I asked him about homosexuality in scripture. "I don't know how the church can defend homosexuality. If it believes that scripture has certain rules, it's pretty clear homosexuality wasn't a part of the church. It just looks like scripture isn't important to Episcopalians."
"Really, I mean, do you think it could be permissible? [that gay people shouldn't become priests]"
"No. but that's because there aren't any priests in the New Testament anyway. There's no ordination rite. If the church can invent the priesthood, when it's clearly based, not upon the teachings of Jesus, but upon the Old testament, then perhaps it can invent other things.
Christians shouldn't have priests to begin with" he said, matter of factly. "Paul wasn't a priest. Nor were any of the apostles. The New Testament didn't hold priests in particularly high regard."
[sigh]
Comments