It'sTimetoMeltTheAbominableSnowball

ByJohnPawloski

EachofyouwouldbeanabominationtotheJewsofJesusday.ThosesameJewswere
anabominationtotheEgyptians.EvenJoseph,whohadsavedtheEgyptianEmpirefrom
starvationthroughprudentstewardshipwasconsidereduncleanandnotaworthydinner
companion.Totakethingsfullcircle,itappearsnowadaysthattosome,anypersonfromthe
MiddleEastisanabomination.Sowhathavewegainedbyapplyingthelabelabomination?
MahatmaGandhifamouslysaid,Aneye,foraneye,foraneye,onlyendsupmakingthewhole
worldblind.Ithinkwhathemeantisneverendingcyclesofhatredoftheothergetusnowhere
spiritually.
AsOldTestamentscholarWalterBrueggemannrecentlynoted,1Thefirstuseofthe
wordabominationintheBibleisnotinLeviticus,butinGenesis.Andspoileralert,itprobably
doesnotmeanwhatyouthinkitmeans.Genesis43:32statesthatJosephcouldnoteatwiththe
EgyptiansofhisstewardshousebecauseitwasanabominationtotheEgyptianstoeatwith
Hebrews.TheHebrewsinturn,copiedthispractice,consideringitanabominationtoeatwith
Gentiles.ThereisasecondreferenceinGenesistoabominationwhichreferstoshepherdsas
beinganabomination.Ifyouraisedcattle,youwereok,butheavenforbidifyouraisedthose
Godawfulsheep!!!!(Genesis46:34).TheuseofabominationintheseandotherOldTestament
contextsshowedafixationforreligiouspurityrituals.Theseritualsandbeliefsdidnoteven
originatewithJewishpeople,butratherwereborrowedfromEgyptianpracticeswhichwere
paganinorigin.HaveyouheardtheexpressionEveryoneneedsadogyoucankick,wellthat

WalterBrueggemann,Pharaoh'sLastRace,EdenTheologicalSeminary,SpringConvocation2016,
March29,2016.

iswhatthesepurityritualsweredesignedtodo:toreinforcefeelingsofsuperiorityofonegroup
againstanother.Notexactlythestuffmoralvirtueispredicatedupon.
Thetermthenbegantosnowballwithitsusetodescribealotofdifferentthings,
includingthefleshofpigsandratsinIsaiah(66:17),idols(Jeremiah32:34),thingsoffilthand
adultery(Revelations17:4)andthingsthatcausedesolation(Da12:11)(Mt24:15)(Mk13:14).
TheyevenusedthetermtorefertotheJewishLeadershipsrevulsiontowardstheRomans,even
PontiusPilateastheywerehandinghimovertobecrucified(John18:28)astheydidnotwantto
berituallyuncleanandtherebydeprivedoftherighttoeatthePassovermeal.Afterawhile,itis
alabelwhichcouldmeanalmostanything.Andlikemostlabels,aftertheyhavesnowballedtoo
fartheyceasetoinformusastowhattheyreallymean.
OfcourseweareallfamiliarwiththeuseofabominationinLeviticusasasupposed
prohibitionofhomosexuality.WhatmostpeopledontknowaboutLeviticusisthatitisabook
writtenforthePriestlyClass,thosewhoperformtheworshipservices.Thereisnoevidencethat
thebookwaseverintendedtoapplytothereligiouspracticesofbelievers,justthoseselectfew
whowereperformingreligiousservicesintheTemple.Andwhythefixationonpurityrituals?
LeviticuscameaboutinthecontextofwidespreaddestructionofIsraelandJudahbythe
Babylonians.TheTemplehadbeendestroyed.Thesocietalleadershiphadbeenexiled.What
wasonceaproud,unitedmonarchylayindisarray.Andthebeliefformedthatperhapsthe
Jewishpeoplewerebeingpunishedforbeingtoolaxintheirreligiousobservances.Funnything
is,evenafterLeviticus,theJewishpeoplecontinuedtosufferadditionallossesuntiltheyhadno
country,noTemple,nothingbutdisplacedpeoplewithasharedfaith.Thesereligiouspurity
ritualsobviouslydidnotwork.

Isthisreallythebestuseofourscripture?Theproblemwiththeseantiquatedpurity
ritualsisthattheycutoffentirepopulationsfromparticipationinthelifeoftheChurch.Ifthese
ritualscontinued,virtuallyallofusheretodaycouldnotworshipunderthisrooftogether.Most
ofuswouldnothaveeverheardthewordofGod.OnlyahandfulwouldreceivetheGood
News.Sowhathappened?
TheEarlyChurchwasatadecisionpoint.Itcouldeithercontinueonasanewsectof
Judaism,oritcouldembraceoutsiderstotheJewishfaith.GodswillwasrevealedtotheEarly
Church:donotjudgeasuncleanthatwhichGodhasmade!Thislessoncomestousfromtodays
readingfromthe10thChapterofActs.ItisastoryaboutPeterandaRomanSoldier,Cornelius,
averydevout,religiousman,butobviouslyaGentile.Corneliusreceivesavisionthathis
worshiphasbeenfoundpleasingtoGod.HeisinstructedtogofindPeter.Peter,atthistime,
fallsintoatranceandseesavisionwherevariousanimalsarebroughtdownfromHeavenand
GodtellsPetertoeatthem,butherefusesashebelievesthemtobeunclean.GodsetsPeter
straight:heforbidsPetertocallwhatGodhasmadecleanasprofane.
Thankfullyforusheretoday,theApostleswereabletogetpassedtheirantiquatednotion
ofpurityandseethatGodsCreationshouldnotbeviewedasdefiledbypoorlyconceived
humannotionsbasedmostlyonsuperstitionandpaganidolatry.PeterlearnedthatGoddoesnot
playfavorites.Notionsofpartialityhavenoplaceinourtheology.Weareallacceptableinthe
eyesofGod,andwhoarewetoargueotherwise.
Theentireweightofthescriptureshasbeenastoryofongoingrelationship.Ithasnever
beenaboutreligiousformalities,ritualpurity,orotherconstructions.Godwantstobeinreal
relationshipwitheachofusaswereallyare.ThevillainsoftheOldTestamentweretheKings

andeliteswhosoughttoputthemselvesabovethepeople,andfailedtocareforthewidowor
orphans,thosewhodespisedtheforeignerandimmigrantsasunclean.ThevillainsoftheNew
Testamentwerenotthetaxcollectors,thesinners,thewretched,butratherthehighlyeducated
religiouseliteswhosatinjudgmentofthosewhomChristatewithandcaredfordeeply.They
soughttodelegitimizeChristasunclean.
Thefollyofthisisdrivenhomeintodaysmessage.
WeshouldnotpresumetolabeluncleanthatwhichGodhasmade.Wedarenotlabelasprofane,
thatwhichGodmadeclean.Thesinisours.
Whenyougettotheverycoreoftheissue,abominationisaxenophobic(andnow
homophobic)labeldesignedtodelegitimizeentiresegmentsoftheChurch.Ifitisintolerableto
Godtoprofanewhathehasmadeclean,andiflabelsofuncleandidnotdissuadeChristfrom
hiswork,whoarewetosayotherwise?Isntittimewemeltawaytheabominablesnowball
thathasbeencrushingthemarrowofourchurches,dividingcongregationsunnecessarily,and
inflictinggrievousharmintheprocess?
SowhydoesitmatterifweviewLGBTQpeopleassinners?First,ifwehavelearned
anythingfromJesuscontemptforthePhariseesandSadducees,itisthatthegreatestsinis
judgingthemoralityofothers.Thejudgingbecomesacancerinourselvesandinourcommunity
offaith.Andwheredoesitend?IfwecanjudgeLGBTQfolks,thensurelywecanjudgethe
divorced?Andthenwho?Thesociallyawkward?Thelessthanperfect?Thedisabled?Theseus
andthembeliefsystemsaredrivingawedgerightthroughthebodyofChrist.Wecannotbea
community(acommunion)ifweacceptthenotionofvaryingclassesofworthinesstoreceive
thewordofGod.Iftheconceptofgraceteachesusanything,itisthatnoneofusareworthy,and
thesoonerweallcometogethertoexpressthisviewinunison,thebettertheChurchwillbe.

Sowhydoesitmattertobeopenandaffirming?ItmattersevenifnotasingleLGBTQ
personevercrossesourthreshold.BecausetheLGBTQarenotblessedbyourwelcomingthem
becausethatistheleastwecando.No,webecomerightinourrelationshipwithGodwherewe
reachthecriticalpointinourspiritualdevelopmentthatwecancelebrateeachmosaicofthe
beautifultapestryofexpressionofhumanitycreatedbyGod.Whenwestopseeingotherand
startseeingthefaceofGodrevealedoneachofuswhateverourwalk,thesoonerwecanbegin
buildingtheKingdomofGodhereonEarth.