Difficult dialogue

Christian Century, Feb 24, 2004

THANK YOU for the articles by Richard J. Mouw and Barbara G. Wheeler ("Strange company," "Hanging in there," Jan. 13). I felt I was listening in on the kind of profound and grace-filled dialogue that is too often absent in relationships between God's people. I found myself passionately agreeing with one writer, yet I realize that the dialogue is not intended to win people to one side or the other. I miss the point entirely if I allow myself to stand behind one line and assume that those behind the other line lack insight into God's word. We must commit to this kind of intelligent yet difficult dialogue within our congregations. Mouw and Wheeler model an alternative to splitting up, one that may allow us to stay together in a healthy way as servants of our God.

Paula G. Lane

First Presbyterian Church, Minerva, Ohio

Why is it when we have an interfaith dialogue we might ask a Jew or a Muslim, "What do you believe?" bait when we have a dialogue with another Christian we ask, "What is your practice?" Even when it comes to a basic question like "Is the Bible inerrant?" we must realize this is not a question about practice. On the topic of sexuality, this is the bottom line among Christians. Some believe certain sexual practices are sinful because Jesus is the Christ; others think those same sexual practices are not sinful because Jesus is the Christ. If we listened to each other long enough to realize that all Christians believe Jesus is the Christ and we are one in Christ, much hurtful behavior would cease.

Joe Connolly

First Congregational Church (UCC), Norwich, N.Y.

Mainline Protestants have always reflected the larger culture more than they have challenged it. The essays by Barbara Wheeler and Richard Mouw on homosexuality and the Presbyterian Church show that theological and moral dysfunction in the denomination reflects intellectual and moral confusion in the larger culture.

James C. Caraher Jr.

Schiller Park, Ill.

Richard Mouw, a self-described conservative evangelical on sexual matters, says that none of us can claim to be "normal sexual beings in the eyes of God." Mouw's point is that we need to pay more attention to Jesus' admonition about the beams in our own eyes before we attack our neighbors and tear our communities apart. Sexuality is an area where most of us have many beams of anxiety and turmoil, which makes it particularly difficult to judge others with love and honesty. In addition, we do not learn easily how to live together in positive relationships, and this may be our biggest problem.

Stanley Hirtle

Dayton, Ohio

I agree with Barbara Wheeler's vision of the church, which means tolerating people like Richard Mouw who call me to the foot of the cross and there kick me in the face, telling me that I am somewhere else and that they'd be surprised ff I ever found my way there.

For me, being at the foot of the cross means endless wrestling with the meaning of a Jesus who is ultimately beyond human understanding yet who is "God with us" through our understanding--a God demanding that we seek and find even though what we find is always partial, never complete until connected with the findings of other seekers through the ages and on into the future. God-on-the-cross tells us that humanity, collectively, has complete responsibility. This God will not save anyone if we fail to cooperate in seeking the well-being of everyone in the community.

Dale L. Berry

Grants, N.M.

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