with a child? Where will she go? The snenaent

“RELIGION wrtuont 3 RULES?

"November 12, “T9 ao"

Pe and, nh 00° a. me Wor ship, Se

Sohn M. Buchanan
Fourth Presbyterian Chu ch:

; Soripture
Micah 6:6-
Luke: J4:1- is

“Ts it lawful, to. heal or : the: ‘sabbath.. 230
: : ov buke 1as3l

A mile. or. so. west of here a young. wonan fs
justia ‘girl. actually, thirteer _ years” old,
eighth grade:

aking ae decision

- She's pregnant. : She is ‘the ‘third: of Six. children

apartment has two bedrooms. :

but without jwuch of. a: margin. :
But now she has a. major. problem.
stay in: school as- long as she: can:
maternity: ‘clothes, have the “baby- and bea ‘fourtedn,

will-keep the baby while she's at school? —
tend to the baby, or should she*s
school. in-erder to bea mother: Vike most “of “the
she give the: baby up for adoption?” Or should: she.

she think» about. the ‘ethics of that situation? Dow

morality af the act that. made. her pregnant?
boyfriend?.. I doubt it.

to do, these: is.a sense in which: they: are simply d doing what our: -owltur
been. inviting ‘and urging: them: r
television, ‘Jisten to music, see “the: ads Sn magazines
world has: anyone ever. ‘Suggested that full expres
anything: but” admirable, cools So should he marry
used. to solve the dilemma; “but he's ‘in tenth grad

: Somewhere, not far. fron: here
dec ision.. ; And somewhere, not. fare

thinks ‘about his father. seventy-five years old, “who. yesterday. had a
massive stroke, and who is alive because. ofthe: heroic: and magnificen
efforts of modern: American medicine: ato its hest. He. -and his father
talked about. it Somer - what, should or. should not: iPpeL inca -situat
this, but they adn't resolved cco and now he must. . ~The: physician tol

him, pently, that the damage was severe: with lots of assistance -
respirators, feeding tubes, catheters ~ his father could live for some time.
His-care would be wonderful and enormously expensive. Insurance would pay
for-it,; but his father. was not guing to get well. If he came out of the
coma at aij, he would net in any way be able to care for himself. Sa whet
‘to..do?- He's there now, trying to decide to ask the. doctor ta let his
Father die. , ; ; ;

a Where are the rules to help us with the moral dilemmas of. modern
life? Where is there a helpfai resource for the thousands of women who are
in that thirteen year old's situation, or a variation of iL; orcthe forty-
-four. year. old son suddenly -in-a pasition he never wanted to be in — the
determiner of life and death. Are there applicable rules? Does religion
have ‘anything to say? Tt depends, of course, on who you ask. There’ are
some religionists who appear to know the mind of God with precision in the
matter. of the pregnant thirteen year oid. Some even know precisely what is
right and wrong for the dying seventy-five year-old. But certainly, not
all religion. In fact, we might even ask if religion should have precise
answers for ethical dilemmas, rules to apply to every situation?

- Let's reserve judgment on. that one fora moment at least. My. prior
concern is’ that the resource of faith is not often part of the conversation
before. we gel to the point of making decisions. In his fine new .book,
Theology for the Third Millennium, Hans Kung writes: "One thing has become
~-clear-enough: new models of theological interpretation do not simply come
-into-existence because individual theologians tackle heated issues. or sit.
‘down-at their desks to construct new modeis, but. because the traditional
models have failed: because the ‘problem solvers! of normal theology, in
the face of a changed: historical horizon,. can. find no satisfying answers
for new major questions" [p. 143]. a -

“AS. with science, Kung says, religion that no longer resolves the
puzzles assigned to it is irrelevant. In fact, when the church
“hobbles behind history" the very life of religion is threatened [p.. 221].

“fo translate: Tt is not helpful to address the pregnant -thirteen
year old's dilemma using. an ethical model twenty-five years out of date.
Tt-is net helpful to confine the discussion of how to live responsibly with

“human sexuality fo rules that don't apply anymore... Abstinenee from-ful]
sexual relations before marriage is the ideal, the goal, but it never
worked -very much and it. made more sense when warriage was in the. picture
sooner rather than later. But to limit the conversation to that model] in
this place at this time is not only to be unhelpful, it is to be grossly

_. irrelevant. and is, in my mind,-one reason a whofe generation of young —
Americans does not regard religion as a relevant resource in determining

how: to live. , —

The trouble with simple straight-forward rules as the approach to
religious morality is that there are never enough of them to cover every
Situation, Once you decide that roles are the way to go, you need-Jots of
them, and then rules to tell you which rules are important and when, and:
then. you need people to interpret the rules and you have to legitimize
their” authority to do that so you need an elaborate hierarchy with buiit-
in political and theological assumptions.

11/12/89.

When you want religious. rules, you get. then, and you: get something
elise). namely. legalism, and: that;-as anyone. familiar-with the: New Testament -
knows cis what got Jesus of Nazareth in trouble. over: and -over again.

“phe Loa this morning. ‘is “from “the. fourteenth: ‘chapter of Luke. 3
one of. seven in the. Gospel which deals with the. Same: issue: Jesus. dss en
having dinneé-in the home of a Pharisee. It is the Sabbath. The: food ‘was
prepared ‘the’ ‘day before and kept warm overnight. according: to carefully. mS
detailed rules so that no one had. to Dreak -the ‘Sabbath Law, “And in- “comes

man with ‘dropsy. os Some commentators suggest. ‘that che was - sent in to®
precipitate the: crisis which follows, Healing. on. ‘the - ‘Sabbath was”
prohibited... The man wasn! E. poling: ‘to die. Jesus: could: have honored. th
tradition and ‘waited a few hours:: Instead he. -poses the question: - os
lawful to:heal-on the Sabbath?" They. don't. answer. because they know. and he
knows. ‘thats itis not legal to heal-on. the Sabbath. -Jesus heals the-man- a
anyway and’ “then asks simply, “which-of you whose ‘OX: falls into: a well, “will
not: pul] him ‘out on the. Sabbath?"

“There. are seven ‘stich, ‘incidents in the. story and. ‘the cumulative effect

is to tell ous> ‘that ‘the point-is-an important one. The. point-is that =:
legalism. is not what Jesus has-in mind:.. that. religious law-does. not
encompass. the morality: that God; expects. -There were, to. be ‘exact, 613:
separate. rules “in the. religious. law, which in’ Jesus’ society was’ also. the ;
law of the Jand.. There was a system which grew Up-around the law: (Scribes °°.
were men.who- copied, taught and interpreted the law. Pharisees adhered to :

. the law with great- Joyalty. and: conviction. Jesus" point here. and :
throughout the story is that the law is good. but. it’ isnot an end in oe
itself. 2Tt) ‘is. not» always. relevant.or adequate... There is a higher morality.
a more. strenuous expectation... In. this particular. case the needs: Of: this::
man take precedence over the. Sabbath. law, admirable as it: was.

the. conflict is ‘not: original with. Jesus, Centuries ‘before. “th

pro ophets: ‘blasted. away.at legalism and pitualism becoming a ‘Substitute: for
the righteousness. God ‘exped cts.

with: what shall Tcome before the Lord?" Micah. asked. " “Thousands of
sacrificial animals, vivers of liturgical oil, wheel barrows Mild. of. rules —
and laws?" rans we a :

“He: has showed you what" is good and: required..
; ; da justice ;
: ae Tove: ‘kindness
: -walk huwbly with: God."

why. make. such a fuss about. it, “Jesus? why now wait till the- ssun: goes,
down and: Sabbath: is over? Why net ‘simply ask the “man. to wait around: for. AL
few hours. and avoid this ummecessary confrontatioan?:. The reason is: ‘that.

legalism: i not adequate... in’ fact there is a’ fatal. flaw built sinto i
namely the. ‘assumption that-God' S. expectations. can- be: met through: keeping -
the rules... ‘Jesus pressed the- point because there is a morality. te. which

the law: points -but-is not -encompassed: by. the- Jaw: ~Doing justice and.
-dJaving. kindness. dictate, -n-this situation, “breaking a. religious rule
order to: heal: ‘aman... God's’ 3 morality requires. creativity, freedoms
responsible person has to “improvise” to live as. Jesus demands.

If there are no roles, are there euidebines liere? Yes. Jesus honors
the tradition always, bat then makes the needs of the individnal more
important lhan the tradition. The worth of the individua], the worth of an
individual human life is a mora] criteria in the religion of Jesus: to do
what is loving, what is kind and just is his requirement. fhe situation
itself, the context, is a major factor. Ethical decisions are not made in
4 Vacuua.

Episcopal ethical theologian, Joseph Fletcher, raised a let of
eyebrows when he wrote about it in a book, Situation Ethics, The New
Morality, in which the individual brings the resources of religious law,
moral tradition and his or her intelligence, imagination, strength and
love, and for us, our discipleship, our faith in Jesus Christ into every

situation. We are to do what is loving in every situation, said Fletcher,
echoing St. Augustine who said that the Christian ethic could be stated
this way: “Love and da as you please.’

Fletcher and his new morabity were roundly criticized for being
permissive, lax and easy. Ironically, that was what they said about Jesus:
his new morality was too permissive, too humanistic. It was what got him
in a lot of trouble with the religious and political leaders. Even more
ironic is the simple fact that Jesus' new morality, doing the loving, just
and kind thing in every situation, is far more strenuous and demanding then
relying on a rule to dictate behavior.

One thing is certain, and it is that our situation, our moment in
time, is altogether new. We look nostalgically back to a simpler, easter
day when deciding what was right and what was wrong was not so difficult.
For me it was Saturday afternoon matinee Westerns. In that. world things
are primal, simple and clear. Evil can he contained easily in one neat
character: a mean, low-down, unshaven stage coach bandit, who rolled
cigarettes, drank whiskey from the bottle, abused woman and horses.

In the same way Good could be encompassed in an cpposite
characterization, a polite, clean shaven, gentleman who never smoked, stood
at the bar without drinking, who was faithful to his girl and his horse,
who became violent only reluctantly, in response to evil, which he always
overcame in the end. Somehow Roy Rogers could fight the bandit all over
the barroom, out through the swinging doors, onto the dusty street, without
even wrinkling his shirt: How sweet it was!

Things were never that simple, but neither have they ever been so
complex as they are, ethically, today. Thirteen year olds were not as
sexually active. Pregnancy before marriage was resolved ordinarily by
marriage and a whole social structure that could be bent to accommodate
eariy and unplanned marriages and children. Massive stroke patients died.
And drugs, perhaps the major ethical dilemma facing our nation, simply
hadn't happened yet. Grass was something you mowed. Coke was five cents a
bottle, and the very word sex wasn't. said in mixed company.

On a broader plane the diminishing size of our global community and

global economy bas increased the ethical complexity of every issue. If we
win the cocaine war we will ruin the economies of several South American

11/12/89

‘safe, te

7 control.

‘people with. C
Third World begin

“much closer, is. the ssue of aber tia

oO hear velnente 6
Ssourt statute, Webster - Vs. Reproduct ive. Health Service é
i Court rendered. a decision. which: cou. ange. the Situation
C F women, who. wish.

lent has. vetoed. ‘legislation. which wail Week: provided diese
1 abortion to ‘poor women, and threatens to. Neto. a foreign

A-Roman Ca
pan: people
sieht.
jormous. -consequ
and. ‘pro= choice.

the "thar

“belief vontie., in. America today." " [See Second. ulin” “vol. 20 Marc

1989] And after intentionally not mentioning it. from this pulpit because
of the intensity of feelings on this issue, bul also because Presbytee tans
begin with a preference for Openness and respect for differing opinions
among fellaw Christiaus, ft am choosing to do sa today simply because [
believe our voice should be a parloof the amplified public conversation.
There are, that is to say, Christian positions on the question quite
different from the ones that make all the news. ;

The American Jewish Congress was helpful by putling it this way:

“"“The conflict over abortion is nol between 'secularists'! and
‘religionists,’ between ‘moral! people who value Jife and ‘immoral? people
who do not, but between different moral traditions, different

understandings of the sacredness af life." [New York Times, 2/28/89]

~ The position of the General Assembly uf the Presbyterian Church has
been and is solidly on the side of freedom of choice in the matter of
abortion. ;

The policy statement which guides the National Church, but is not at
all» binding on individual Presbyterians holds that:

1) we are all responsible stewards of the gift of life.

2) family planning and ihe use of contraceptive devices is an
expression of that responsihle stewardship.

3) the church is committed to minimizing the incidence of abortion
by encouraging sex education in public schools, churches, homes,
and use of contraceptives to avoid unwanted pregnancy.

in addition, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church affirms
Rowe vs. Wade and opposes attempts to limit access to abortion, and
currently is engaging in a major national study on the entire topic
of human sexuality and all the attendant ethical issues.

The Presbyterian position on this thorniest of conflicts is to
respect other positions, to support and allow the right of other positions
fo be advocated by their adherents - churches, organizations - but to
resist having those positions enforced as law.

The theological basis for our position is Calvinism and its emphasis

on personal liberty and responsibility. John Calvin said: “For he who has
set the limits of our life has at the same time entrusted to us its care.’
50, we come down on the side of the right of a woman to decide... We alse

come. down on the responsibility of a society to deal with the conditions
which produce the problem in the first Place. We are not pro-abortion.
There: are many of us who do net like abortion, do not consider it a
personal option and will continne praying for and working for a world in
which abortion is unnecessary: a world in which every child is wanted, and
every child has access to stability, health care, education, safe and clean
housing, and some real measure of hape for the future.

a

6
11/12/89

oe

Both: policy”

ae

eC have. going for.
romised fo. walk w

“Through

Jesus cneIet ou

- pleasing in our sight.

-- Notes) -:The “positions of The. Presbyerian Chureh: (U.8.a)- on ‘the issues
addressed” an this. sermon are contained in ‘the:policy. statements: The
“Covenant. of. Life and the Caring Community, and: Covenant: and Creation:
Theological ‘Reflections: on Contraception. and: Abortion,” which were adopted
by the 195th: General Assenmbly.(1983). of. The Presbyterian: Church (U.S.A).

statements: will: be-¢ available in the office of. Fourth: LF
Presbyterian Church. eee = : aed

=]