Positive Change
Editor,
A recent Forum letter writer told us that “moral principles don’t change.” Another talked about biblical “authority” as if there can be only one viewpoint on what is “biblical.” Those are common misconceptions. The late Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong stated that “While God may not be subject to change, the human perception of God is: and history, even the history of the Bible, is the story of the ever-changing human perceptions of God.” Who gets to claim as their own the allegedly unchanging moral standards? Christians? Which version during what time period? In 1659 the Puritans of the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony made it a criminal offense to publicly celebrate Christmas. Those Christians declared that “whosoever shall be found observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by forbearing of labor, feasting, or any other way” was subject to a 5-shilling fine. Was Christmas immoral? Did that change? On whose authority? According to the Apostle Paul, god doesn’t permit women to speak in church. Perhaps that’s why, when Barbara Harris was elected as the first female bishop of the Episcopal church she had to wear a bulletproof vest. Christians must have considered her immoral. Today there are women preaching to thousands of congregations, but NEVER in Catholic churches and not in 90% of Evangelical churches. Is female ordination moral or immoral? According to what authority? Speaking of the Catholic church, they practice infant baptism. Protestants practice adult baptism. But both groups participated in the persecution and execution of thousands of Christian Anabaptists in various parts of Europe between 1525 and 1660. Those groups no longer kill Christians who disagree with them on baptism, so something must have changed. Catholic “authorities” were also super upset with anyone who translated the bible into English. In 1519, seven men were publicly burned at the stake for teaching children the Lord’s Prayer and the 10 Commandments in English. In 1536 William Tyndale was burned alive for his bible translation work. Some scholars now claim that roughly 84% of the New Testament and 76% of the Old Testament in the King James Version is the work of the “heretical” Tyndale. Things change. Principles change. Authority changes. I wish all Forum readers a very Merry Christmas, and I hope Santa brings you the gift of positive change.
–Billy Bradford, Castro Valley
