{"id":4922,"date":"2013-10-27T13:00:32","date_gmt":"2013-10-27T17:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/?p=4922"},"modified":"2014-07-21T10:07:05","modified_gmt":"2014-07-21T14:07:05","slug":"an-ethical-dilemma-for-progressives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/an-ethical-dilemma-for-progressives\/","title":{"rendered":"An Ethical Dilemma for Progressives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Free Speech and the Definition of Marriage<\/h2>\n

Lowell Kane, the director of the Purdue Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Center was proud to bring Gene Robinson, the “openly gay retired bishop<\/a>” to speak to Purdue this past weekend.\u00a0 Supported by several organizations including Rev. Peter Bunder’s Church of the Good Shepherd, Kane said the purpose was to “engage the campus in conversation around all sorts of identity issues and develop the university as what we call the marketplace of ideas.”<\/p>\n

I fully support free speech in our community.\u00a0 Healthy discussion and deliberation is always a good thing, especially in a university town.\u00a0 And I was not surprised to hear Robinson say that “undoubtedly, we’ll talk about gay marriage.”\u00a0 Here in Indiana, like it or not, that topic is going to be frequently discussed in the coming months as our legislators and possibly even voters determine what we believe should constitute legal marriage in our state.<\/p>\n

My question for folks like Kane, Robinson, and Bunder is; why are they being so narrow in their focus?\u00a0 Isn’t limiting their efforts to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer rather intolerant of others who wish to have their relationships celebrated and defined as marriage as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Polyamory and the Issue of Diversity<\/h2>\n

Consider last Saturday’s article by CNN’s Emanuella Grinberg, “Polyamory: When Three Isn’t a Crowd<\/a>.”\u00a0 She says, “Revelers in the rainbow-washed crowd smiled and cheered this month as the little blond girl in the parade float pageant waved to the B-52’s ‘Love Shack.’\u00a0 Next to the float, the girl’s father, Billy Holder, handed out fliers to the Atlanta Pride Parade crowd.\u00a0 His wife, Melissa, carried a banner along with Jeremy Mullins, the couple’s partner.”<\/p>\n

Seriously–you can’t make this stuff up.\u00a0 Lest anyone wonder what polyamory is, the “family’s” banner actually provided the definition; “Polyamory: having simultaneous close emotional relationships with two or more other individuals.”\u00a0 Grinberg makes an important observation about the group when she says; “It’s not just a fling or a phrase for them.\u00a0 It’s an identity.”<\/p>\n

Robinson made the same point when he said “I really felt like God was calling me to be true to myself — to come out and be an example.”\u00a0 There’s an ethical standard for the ages — just be true to yourself.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

But that is precisely where we are as a culture.\u00a0 One person in Grinberg’s article said, “We want to promote the idea that any relationship is valid as long as it is made by consenting adults.\u00a0 In this regard, as in most things, promoting public acceptance is the first step.”\u00a0 Exactly, because after all, don’t we have to celebrate all forms of diversity?<\/p>\n

So here’s my question for Lowell, Gene, and Peter; Is polyamory right or wrong?\u00a0 If a group of five polyamorists wanted to have a family because that is their perceived identity, should that desire be celebrated?\u00a0 And if they wanted to be married, should Indiana law allow them to be?\u00a0 Progressives used to say I was baiting them when I posed that question, chiding me that such a possibility would never occur.\u00a0 Welcome to the chicken has come home to roost.<\/p>\n

Setting a Standard<\/h2>\n

The ultimate question here is one of epistemology.\u00a0 How does a person or a culture or anything in-between determine what is right and wrong?<\/strong>\u00a0 Clearly pastors like Robinson and Bunder have abandoned Scripture as their source of moral authority.\u00a0 Robinson, described as “the world’s leading religious spokesperson for gay rights” \u00a0says that “religion should not be forcing its values on the secular culture.” Bunder in his capacity as a West Lafayette city councilman has openly condemned me and our church’s biblical view of human sexuality in city council meetings.<\/p>\n

In his talk Sunday evening at Purdue, Robinson explained that “the so-called simple reading of Scripture is an illusion” and that “I believe the Bible is the word of God, but I don\u2019t believe the Bible is the words of God.”\u00a0 That’s liberal-speak for, it’s OK to make it up as we go along so that every man can do what is right in his own eyes.<\/p>\n

Pastors and churches have the freedom in our country to ignore or change whatever Scripture they no longer wish to believe and practice.\u00a0 As a Baptist, I believe strongly in the principles of religious liberty and the separation of church and state.\u00a0 But then people like Lowell, Gene, and Peter need to explain to the community how individuals or a state are ever supposed to determine moral standards.\u00a0 Is every idea any human being could possibly conjure up one that must be celebrated and applauded?\u00a0 Do they support polyamory?\u00a0 Why or why not?\u00a0 By what objective standard?<\/p>\n

If the best these community leaders have to offer is, “just be true to yourself,” they need to face an important sociological trend.<\/strong>\u00a0 That is exactly what the polyamorists say– as they ride on the parade float with the little blonde girl.\u00a0 God help us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Free Speech and the Definition of Marriage Lowell Kane, the director of the Purdue Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Center was proud to bring Gene Robinson, the “openly gay retired bishop” to speak to Purdue this past weekend.\u00a0 Supported by several organizations including Rev. Peter Bunder’s Church of the Good Shepherd, Kane said the… read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":4925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[4291,175,11810,182,14541,4348,4430],"yoast_head":"\nAn Ethical Dilemma for Progressives - Faith Church Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/an-ethical-dilemma-for-progressives\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An Ethical Dilemma for Progressives - Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Free Speech and the Definition of Marriage Lowell Kane, the director of the Purdue Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Center was proud to bring Gene Robinson, the “openly gay retired bishop” to speak to Purdue this past weekend.\u00a0 Supported by several organizations including Rev. 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