"I Don't Know"

You know who I love?  Phil Robertson.  I think he is probably one of the coolest cats around - hands down he has swagger that is all over his younger sons in the intro to the cable phenomenon that is "Duck Dynasty."  I love that show, too - I enjoy watching the simplicity of their everyday lives, and the bond of their family.  I mean, how can you beat the entertainment of Uncle Si, now a millionaire, waiting an hour to get pizza, and win a giant purple gorilla, at the local Monroe, LA fun house a la Chuck E Cheese?

You know who I also love?  Dr. Charlotte Goedsche, my German professor at UNCA.  Dr. Goedsche graciously wrote recommendation letters for me for law school.  On a September day in 1988 she asked me to come to her office after class, and announced to me that she is a lesbian.  She asked me to write an article in the student newspaper about National Coming Out Day in October of that same year.  My answer was a resounding "yes."  At the time, she faced much adversity and no job protection as there were no anti-discrimination laws protecting gays in the workplace.  The result?  She was embraced by the UNCA community and hailed as a ground-breaker.  I guess I was, too, and proudly such.  I googled her today and learned that she recently married her partner in Minnesota in September of this year, after a 31-year relationship. 

I have read the passages from the Bible that Phil has quoted recently to GQ magazine.  I have also discussed this topic with Dr. Goedsche, who attended church with me in Asheville many years ago.  What do these passages mean?  I.  DON'T.  KNOW.

When I was a teacher I used to answer my students' questions with "I don't know" on a daily basis.  I encouraged them to find their own answers by using their brains and critical thinking skills to find their own answers and their own truths.  Why rely on little ole me to tell them what to think about something?  Maybe one day they will appreciate my methodology, but maybe not.  Oh well....

Each of us has to find our own truth in the Bible's passages.  There are so many versions and interpretations that we are required to use our brains and critical thinking skills to interpret the words, and apply them to our individual lives.  We also have to reconcile seemingly contradictory passages in the Bible if we are going to be members of the Christian faith.  

My truth?  I think I can love Phil and Dr. Goedsche simultaneously and at the same time.