Orthodox Christianity Never Changes, Right?


"The fundamental beliefs of religion do not change with the fashion of social thinking or even with the personalities of church leaders." 

This is from a state wide Methodist newsletter in South Carolina. Most anyone reading it would know it referred to gay marriage. Or, it referred to abortion.

It was written in the 1950's. Millions of right-minded Christians knew it referred to the Bible's clear lesson that integration of black and white people is a sin and God demands segregation. Orthodox Christianity at that time taught government was to keep the races separate in schools, churches, swimming pools and restaurants. God had made the world with separate races. White people did not hate the Negro, it was often said, it's that the Christian religion forbids interracial marriage. It's identical to "I have nothing against gay people. It's just that my religion does not allow me to bake a cake for a gay wedding (or stay in my motel or get married in my church).

The quote above no doubt has appeared many time in recent years but refers to gay marriage and abortion. Taking existing prejudices, myths and historical grievances and twisting the Bible into agreement is the most popular sport in Christianity. 

Most of us old enough to have lived through the entire civil rights period have forgotten the deep role the Bible played in segregation. Regular readers of comments on this blog may remember the several times commenters have told me, "Deep down inside, Jon, you know abortion is sin and you feel guilty about not condemning it.

Back during the civil rights era, the national Methodist and Southern Baptist hierarchies sided with the Supreme Court on integration. So did the association of Tennessee State Methodists. Most churches in Tennessee did not.  An angry church in Tennessee issued a statement to the State office, "Too many leaders and ministers in our Methodist Church have been saturated with propaganda and even made to have a guilt complex with reference to the question of integration of the races." So, not only do I have a private feeling of guilt, as conservative Christians say of me, but those Methodists who supported ending segregation knew they were going against the Bible and felt guilty about integrating the races. They had to know, conservatives at the time said, segregation was God's plan.   

History is often rewritten these days by saying the Christian faith was a driving force to end racial segregation. Certainly, parts of the faith publicly opposed segregation. But churches across the South  absolutely were certain God was on the side of segregation. People should know, it was said, the faith does not bend to popular public opinion by holds fast to the truth. 

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