North Carolina and the Unbiblical Families in the Bible

All right: so we're off and running, with certain Republican legislators trying to help write into law, into the state of NC constitution, the sanctioning of homophobia in declaring (erroneously) that marriage is only between a man and a woman, just like it says in the Bible. There was even a reading of Genesis 2--of course in English without an appreciation for any kind of interesting exegesis in re: to the real meaning behind the word and name "Adam," etc.--along with much political posturing. 1000 Southern Baptists and Free Will Baptists and other groups were there. Undoubtedly there will be a rally of those of us who are opposed to amending the Constitution in the coming days, weeks, and months.

It must be spring in NC.

The push is to amend our state constitution so that we look like all the other states around us.

Click here for more.

Here is where it gets ticklish: the Bible (both Old and New Testaments) reveal the stories of so many ways of being "family" (to begin, this is a word not found in the Greek New Testament by the way) that defy our 1950s understanding of "nuclear family" (itself a modern term in this post-modern age).

Rodney Clapp--formerly of IVP now of Brazos Press--does an excellent job at debunking the nuclear family=traditional family=biblical family in his book FAMILIES AT THE CROSSROAD (IVP), as I do in ON BEING A GAY PARENT.

Strictly, biblically, and in terms of Church history: marriage in the Bible has been always more than about one man and one woman.

To begin with, if you want to talk about family in the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures, then we have to begin with the practice of polygamy, which is also practiced by American families today in the Mormon tradition. Biblical families=polygamy. And if there are any questions about it, let's simply look at Sarai and Abram to begin with, along with Hagar and Ishmael.

Quite the biblical family there!

Or what about Jesus' parents, who were not wed when Jesus was conceived?

Does this fit a traditional biblical family?

So in advancing a biblical understanding of the family, do we include the entirety of the biblical family, including out-of-wedlock pregnancies and polygamy?

Just wondering...

Pace!

B