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+Sharks, jellyfish, and the bad news
+###################################
+
+:status: draft
+:date: ""
+:category: faith
+:tags: LGBT, homosexuality, blue ocean, centered faith
+
+Couple of comments while reading `this blogpost`_ by Dave Schmelzer and
+linked `position paper of Vineyard USA on LGBT issues`_.
+
+.. _`this blogpost`:
+    http://theblueoceanblog.org/jesus-good-hijacked-todays-controversies/
+.. _`position paper of Vineyard USA on LGBT issues`:
+    http://vineyardusa.org/site/files/PositionPaper-VineyardUSA-Pastoring_LGBT_Persons.pdf
+
+First completely nonsensical nitpick: as far as I know (and I may be
+wrong, but if I recall correctly, I read in some book by Philipe
+Cousteau) sharks have to swim because they don’t have operculum so they
+have to make water flow through their gills, otherwise they suffocate_ .
+Not that it would matter that much for Dave’s argument.
+
+.. _suffocate:
+    https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090820085118AAaL3jP
+
+But to the more interesting stuff.
+
+From the position paper:
+
+   William Shakespeare in his play, Twelfth Night, said this: Be not
+   afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and
+   some have greatness thrust upon them.
+
+This is funny. Did they read Twelfth Night? Do they recognize that whole
+this quotation was not meant seriously but just as a bait for Malvolio?
+And if we ignore this strangeness, when following their argument, they
+could say just as easily that they want to discuss LGBT issues, because
+everybody else does it. I am not sure that it is the right reason, but
+anyway.
+
+OK, this is too long. I won’t have time to read all ninety pages. So
+back to Dave.
+
+I completely accept his argument that we should live in the centered
+set, but it seems to me he still misses the point. What should I say to
+my homosexual friend (or for me more likely to some strong supporter of
+gay rights, I don’t know much anybody who would be openly homosexual)?
+And what to do with 1.Timothy 1:10 or 1.Corinthians 6:9f? If
+
+One of the most important things which helped me to understand my attitude
+towards homosexuality was proper understaning of what the sin is.
+
+I understand the centered set thinking correctly, than obvious
+interdicts in the Bible should not be understood as zaps (and even less
+used as such to zap others), but as an advice why following the banned
+path will lead out of the center, Jesus, and the life in fullness (John
+10:10). So, we should not steal because God would smite us, but because
+although it may seem tempting it is not a blessed God’s path to
+achieving fullness of life.
+
+
+
+-------------------------
+
+    When orders are issued in other spheres of life there is no doubt
+    whatever of their meaning. If a father sends a child to bed, the boy
+    knows at once what he has to do. But suppose he has picked up
+    smattering of pseudo-theology. In that case he would argue more or
+    less like this: “Father tells me to go to bed, but he really means
+    that I am tired, and he does not want me to be tired. I can overcome
+    my tiredness just as well if I go out and play. Therefore though
+    father tells me to go to bed, he really means: ‘Go out and play’.”
+    If a child tried such arguments on his father or a citizen on his
+    government, they would both meet with a kind of language they could
+    not fail to understand–in short they would be punished. Are we to
+    treat the commandment of Jesus differently from other orders and
+    exchange single-minded obedience for downright disobedience? How
+    could that be possible!
+
+    -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, chapter. III.
+
+---------------------------
+
+Theological perspective is proposed and wins the day. It does just great
+for however long, but then its blind spots become evident and there’s
+pushback about it. The pushback ends up being too corrective, an
+over-reaction, so it too ultimately gets pushed back with something that
+itself is too corrective and over-reacting. And there lies the history
+of theology.
+
+Unfortunately, theology matters. And people who create bad theology and
+a lot of mess around themselves are usually not bad people. Liberal
+theology ...