One of my facebook friends, who is a pastor, (and someone I really like and respect) posted: <snip>
Glad he said that, Quesi. But I've been asking something lately about my supposedly liberal Christian friends, and it bears application here. Does he use the same Holy Bible? Does he stroke out or annotate the parts about homosexuals being abominations unto the Lord, to be stoned to death? Does he support printing more Holy Bibles that preach condemnation and death to gays, rather than edited versions that do not?
If he's like anyone else I've asked about this, the answers are "yes, no, and yes" respectively. So how serious is he?
He cherry picks. Just like everyone else. He picks the parts that he likes, and I have no idea how he justifies everything else.
But he lives a life that I respect. He champions local campaigns to get low income kids into after school programs and summer camps for free. The first weekend that gay/lesbian marriages became legal in NY, he offered up his services as a pastor to perform free ceremonies for couple who wanted to get married, and he I know he attended a small rally to bring attention to some recent attacks against transgendered people in the community. He has strong working relationships with both the Muslim and the Jewish community in the neighborhood, and when he talks about diversity of belief systems in the community, he always includes a reference to "non believers." He raised his children in a household that was always populated by recently arrived refugees who needed support.
I like the guy. My life overlaps with his on both a personal and professional level quite frequently, and I count him among my personal friends and professional allies.
I don't pretend to know how he justifies so many parts of the bible that he preaches, that contradict the work that he dedicates himself to. But for me,, his work and his lifestyle are so much more important than his belief in some ancient stories.