Story Photos
 Photo by Associated Press In a skit about David and Goliath, Cami Maston, 15, of Poulsbo (playing David) does a happy dance after defeating the giant, Goliath, played by Emma Floyd, 15, of Port Orchard, Wash. The two attend the liberal Suquamish United Church of Christ. |
Black-and -white versus shades of gray
Friday, July 22, 2005 9:47 PM PDT
By The Kitsap Sun
Printable version
E-mail this articleBREMERTON -- Since 1916, the Suquamish United Church of Christ has been a cozy presence on a residential corner in North Kitsap. The once-brown clapboard church is now a soft white with peaceful stained glass windows and a steeple with a bell.
A typical American church -- until you open the doors.
During a recent Sunday service, members prayed for sick family members, dead pets and victims of the terrorist attacks in London.
They also gave thanks for their denomination's recent endorsement of same-sex marriages. One man prayed for military families and troops involved in the "illegal senseless conflict" in Iraq.
Over the last two decades, the loudest Christian voices have come from the right, overshadowing the smaller group of more liberal Christians.
Take for instance the gay marriage debate. Conservative Christians believe such a union is a violation of Scripture. But there are Christians in Kitsap and around the country who believe the Bible is not black and white on gay marriage or other social issues.
The roots of difference between Christians go back to the Bible.
"We do not consider (the Bible) the word of God literally," said Tom Thresher, pastor of Suquamish United Church of Christ (UCC). "It's more what Scripture calls out to you."
That's why Randy Lord-Wilkinson, pastor of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Bremerton, blessed a gay union in a recent church ceremony. Lord-Wilkinson admits that some don't consider his church Christian.
"For one thing because of our ethical teaching," he said. "It's mostly the homosexuality issue."
The teaching on homosexuality in liberal churches takes interpretation too far for some.
"If everything becomes metaphor and symbol you abandon the face value of Scripture," said David Snapper, pastor of the Anchor of Hope Christian Reformed Church in Silverdale. He calls himself a moderate Christian.
Snapper said his beliefs are not based on preferences, but on truth.
"When I stand before God I don't want to say that I made it up," he said.
Snapper said the battle over how to interpret the Bible is taking away from the Christian faith on both sides.
"Anytime you're engaged in an argument about things you lose your focus that you're really here to worship God, not define your position," he said.
The disagreement over the how to practice Christianity is much older than the gay marriage debate.
"There were historically 12 different ways of reading Scripture in Christian history," said Pat Killen, chair of department of religion at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. "There have always been arguments about how one interprets Scripture and how one uses Scripture as an authority in working out a community's theological and ethical positions."
Liberal Christians are attempting to take their view of Scripture to the front lines, just as conservatives Christians have done so successfully.
In May, Tom Thresher, pastor of Suquamish United Church of Christ, took a group of nine from the church, including his two daughters, to protest Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, Colo. Thresher said Focus on the Family promotes false information about gays and lesbians. They were joined by about 1,000 people from around the country.
The rule-making body of the United Church of Christ voted overwhelmingly to support same-sex marriage earlier this month, making it the largest Christian denomination to do so.
"I couldn't be more proud of our denomination," said Thresher.
Even before the decision on same-sex marriages, the Suquamish United Church of Christ welcomed people of all sexual orientations, as Poulsbo resident Charlene Synder discovered.
In the 1980s, Synder and her partner visited several area churches looking for a good fit.
"We were before our time," she said. "Back then you didn't talk about being gay."
Their experiences were not all that positive -- until they visited Suquamish UCC. The pastor followed them to the door and asked them to come back, which they did.
Shortly thereafter the Suquamish UCC went through a two-year process of becoming an "open and affirming church" -- meaning they welcome everyone as they are.
(The Longview United Methodist Church adopted a similar policy in 2003.)
While the UCC is traditionally a liberal beacon of Protestant churches, other denominations are moving in a similar direction.
In 2003, the Episcopal Church USA ordained its first openly gay bishop, against the wishes of some in the international and national church community. The decision was part of the reason one Bremerton-area church left the national Episcopal organization.
But Lord-Wilkinson of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Bremerton welcomed the new bishop, stating that the bishop's sexual orientation was the least important part about him.
While there are liberal Christians in Kitsap, Thresher and Lord-Wilkinson are well aware they are in the minority.
"The popular view of Christians makes me sad; Christianity looks like a very exclusionary faith," said Thresher. "In my experience it's just the opposite."
Some members of progressive churches fled other denominations because of their stricter view of Christianity.
Indianola resident Glynis Burns was born and bred a Presbyterian.
While she values her church upbringing, "I don't think they go far enough in recognizing the difference we need to embrace," she said
Burns has been a member of Suquamish UCC for 14 years.
"I've always had a feeling about acceptance," she said. "It's good to have other people of like mind to help me stand up for what I believe."
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