I like this take on Christian tradition because it expects us to be able to defend why certain ideas and actions have become traditions in the first place.
It should go without saying that not everyone who questions tradition is right. But when we do question tradition, we need to be able to ask “why”: Why does this tradition exist? What is the point of this rule? Where does this belief come from?
via Homosexuality and Christianity: Does God bless same-sex marriage?.
That “why” surprised me the first time I read this because the “why” being asked wasn’t “Why would you question this tradition?” but instead “Why is this a tradition in the first place?” What a wonderful turning of the tables!
I come from a very doctrinal church that teaches each generation why these doctrines exist. The idea that a doctrine stands merely because it is “tradition” wouldn’t hold much weight with a group who see themselves as direct descendants of the Reformation. Doctrines only have acceptance as long as they accurately represent what the Bible teaches. Each generation has a responsibility to question and understand those doctrines — and even perhaps to modify them if a powerful argument can be made that a certain doctrine may represent a “traditional view” of a subject but that it isn’t in fact what the Bible is teaching.
Who did the Apostle Paul mean when he wrote about the sinfulness of homosexuals? Who would have popped into his mind? Do today’s homosexual Christians stand out from that group of people or blend into it? I think the author’s position as a gay Christian is greatly helped by asking that question.