Mere shadows of Love - Or, "Gimme that" Take 3

[Bishop Dave Brauer-Rieke]

Shadows can capture the essence of an object, but they are flat and colorless.

Last week I talked about twin emphases that wind their way through the Bible. There is a concern for rules, boundaries and morals - which I associated with "purity codes" - and then there is what I called the "prophetic" strand. Today I’m trying to tackle rules, boundaries and morals.

Rules, boundaries and morals, are all means to an end. Their intent is to guide, protect and strengthen human community. (We call this the “Second use of the Law” in Lutheran circles.) Rules need to be enforced by somebody. The “enforcement” side of the equation helps mold unwilling vessels into healthy configurations. It also results in push back and sour faces.

Some might suggest that rules, boundaries and morals are issues of “being good” and that our salvation is contingent upon following them. This is not Lutheran theology. Our theology is that “enforcement” ultimately gives way to “Grace.” No one is ever “good enough” to warrant salvation. Life is a gift. So, our discussion here is about minimizing destructive behaviors and giving guidance for more helpful ways of being.

As means to an end, rules, boundaries and morals need to be judged by their goal. For example, take ”Spare the rod, spoil the child.”. The old English “rule of thumb” stated that a parent couldn’t use a switch any larger than their thumb to whip their child. This was actually a restriction on a parent's right to punish, a first step towards today's child abuse laws. With the child in mind the actual Biblical rule has changed over time. Now ”Spare the rod, spoil the child.” is embraced pretty much in a symbolic sense. For some the “rod” has even become the shepherd staff of the Good Shepherd – clearly not the original understanding at all, but a nice interpretation.

It does not bother me personally to notice that the rules, boundaries and morals around same gender relationships have also changed or grown with us. That’s the nature of these things. However, if we are to honor the Scriptures we want to be able to track the shift and know how it happened. I’ll try to tackle that next week, at least in broad strokes.

Note to self: I found writing this installment an extremely pedantic exercise. There is little joy, inspiration or creativity in “the law.” Yet one cannot improvise at the piano until they have practiced, practiced, practiced. My father (a professor of law at the Univ. of Washington) often called the law “God’s poverty plan for humanity.” Rules, boundaries and morals are important, but at best they are only a sad shadow of what love is really all about.