My New Take on Matthew 25

Before classes really get going, I decided it would be a good idea to squeeze in something I've been meaning to do for a while. I took the Safe Zone Ally training to become qualified as an ally to LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered) people, and soon I'll get a rainbow sticker to put outside my dorm room to let anyone who comes by know that they can talk to me openly about their sexuality.

I've never taken a definitive stance on sexuality issues before. I wrote about debating the apostle Paul's views on homosexuality in Professor Ehrman's class last year, but often there's a distinct line between looking at a topic scholastically and looking at a topic morally. It's one thing to get into a mildly heated classroom discussion. It's another thing to closely examine your own fundamental biases. I always believed abstractly in the cause of gay rights thanks to a fairly liberal upbringing, but I've historically felt ambivalent about it all, watching with only mild interest as the issue tore apart my church and the Right Reverend Gene Robinson emerged as the spokesperson for gay-friendly Episcopalians. I've realized recently, however, that a central tenet of Christianity--and perhaps the liberal tradition of America too--is moving outside yourself. Sure, in a small, close-minded sense, the issue doesn't "affect me." But I'd like to live a larger life than that. Time to get off the fence.

We can debate cultural definitions of homosexuality and translations of the word "abomination" all day long, but when it comes down to it, I now realize the question needs to come from our hearts, not from our heads. For me, it's not a theological question anymore. It's personal: as a member of the majority, how am I going to treat a stigmatized minority?

For a while, my home parish printed "Matthew 25 and all that jazz!" on our service leaflets. (I think someone thought of this shortly after the movie Chicago was released.) At Christ Episcopal, we decided our mission as Christians is tucked at the end of that chapter, verse 35: "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Politics aside, doctrine aside, I hope the sticker on my door will let a stranger know there is someone who cares.

By Erin Becker  |  January 24, 2009; 3:05 PM ET  | Category:  Tar Heel Testament Save & Share:                 
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