The Beauty Of Egalitarianism Also Goes Beyond Gender…

George Hunsinger, professor at Princeton Theological, known as one of the world’s foremost scholars on Karl Barth (granted, there’s only like 5 of them – but, his wife is a genius so, he must be something to hang with her).

But, George goes on to say that “Thielicke criticizes Karl Barth (and rightly so) for the position he took on homosexuality in Church Dogmatics. However, like many others, Thielicke was unaware that Barth later changed his mind. In light of conversations with medical doctors and psychologists, Barth came to regret that he had characterized homosexuals as lacking in the freedom for fellowship. In the end he, too, found it necessary to interpret the plain sense of Scripture in light of advances in modern knowledge. (Barth and Thielicke, by the way, both played a role in decriminalizing homosexuality in German society.) (Barth, Offene Briefe, 1945-1968, Zurich, 1984, pp. 542-43.)”. [2]

Alongside Karl Barth, McCracken goes on to seemingly leverage the words of C.S. Lewis a man with a vague but muddled sexual history (you can read more about it here) who, for the most part, remained publicly silent on the topic of sexuality[4].

The point here is simply that, regardless of what side you’re on (the left or the right [not limited to]) you should never twist the words of the deceased to back your agenda; especially if it’s unclear where they land.

“But you can be sure that his opinion on this point did not and does not imply as such a license for ‘defamation,’ let alone for the (nonsensical) legal ‘punishment’ of homosexuals (at least insofar as they do not ‘seduce’ or ‘harass’ others).”

If “Contrast is fundamental to what we find beautiful….”

What stands out to me is when McCracken says, “Contrast is fundamental to what we find beautiful. It is central to the most spellbinding paintings, the most memorable culinary experiences, the most stirring symphonies.”

If contrast is beautiful then why does there seem to be an inability to recognize the beauty in contrasting forms of sexuality?

Furthermore, is not beauty subjective?

And, if beauty is subjective then what good will come from an entire institutional force calling an isolated sect of society “ugly.” (just using their binaries, analogies and structure here)

In the words of Tim Keller, TGC’s founder, “Heterosexuality doesn’t get you into heaven…”[3]

The Gospel has become, far too often, about who’s right or wrong, who’s in and who’s out…

We’ve created what Karl Barth Scholar, George Hunsinger, calls, “unfree community.” He defines it as “namely, as a behavior in which one closes oneself to and withdraws from one’s freedom for community.”

It’s as if we’ve taken not just the words of Lewis and Barth and we’ve contorted them to say what pleases us…

In my opinion, I feel that before someone casts a stone of condemnation for another individual’s sexual orientation they should forfeit ownership of their internet history (including their deleted and/or incognito history).

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