One Sunday years ago – before integration – some black folks were visiting at Koinonia Farm and Clarence Jordan took them to a certain church in town. The deacons refused to let the black people in, saying it was unbiblical to mix the races. So Clarence Jordan reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his ever-present New Testament. He handed it to one of the deacons and said, “You show me one place in there where it says you can reject these people because of the color of their skin.” Well, the deacon took the Bible, thumbed through it, and then passed it on to the next deacon…who passed it on to the next deacon… and finally to a deacon who said, “Look, let’s just leave the Bible out of this!”
Funny how you can’t find in the Bible many things religious people object to these days.
Reminds me of years ago when I was invited to do a Communications Workshop for a group of very conservative Christians who don’t believe that women should be pastors. When we arrived, the male clergymen spoke with my husband, ignoring me altogether even when they found out that I was the presenter and also a pastor. One of the guys challenged Dave with this question: “How has your marriage changed since your wife became a pastor?” Dave said that it hadn’t. The man then became quite agitated, pointing his finger in Dave’s face and said, “Ok, ok, then; when you both get home at the end of the day, who gets to talk first?” This really stunned Dave who struggled for an answer and finally said, “I guess whoever has something to say.” Didn’t that person demonstrate with his questions just how theological his concern about women really is.
Wonderful sharing, Ellie! Thanks!