Dear Friends,
This week at Christ Church we are commemorating both Pride and Trinity. You might think that’s a strange combination, two things pushed together by a quirk of the calendar and not much more. But aside from the importance of both feasts, I think that there is a connection that has something to say to us about faith, about Christianity as a religion, and about the way that we live in the world.
Many people know the doctrine of the Trinity as being absolutely fundamental to Christianity. We are the ones who believe in a God who is three in one. We don’t always understand it, but we believe. It’s a defining characteristic, and part of what sets us apart from other religions. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.
But here’s a funny thing. The doctrine of the Trinity is not in the Bible. Oh, there is a lot there that could lead us to think of the Trinity – lots of stuff that describes Jesus as divine, that outlines the work of the Holy Spirit – but the doctrine as we know it is not biblical. It is something that Christian thinkers developed later, based on the Bible and their experiences. That’s not to say that it’s not true, or not worthy of believing in, but it is a reminder that not everything that is true is outlined in detail in the Bible.
In a similar way, same sex marriage, or really even being gay the way that we understand it, is not outlined in the Bible. Oh, there are a few verses dealing with homosexual activity, but those verses are deeply contextual, and not really relevant.
Many folks condemn acceptance of 2SLGBTQ+ people on the grounds that it is not biblical. I would say rather that, like the Trinity, this is a truth that we have come to realize later, as Christians. Just because it’s not outlined in the Bible does not mean that we cannot believe it, and just because it took us nearly 2000 years to realize that discriminating against someone because of their gender or sexuality is wrong, doesn’t mean that we can’t change, and start being right.
So this week let’s contemplate the mystery of the Trinity while we participate in Pride celebrations!
Have a great week!
Will