My Story: Karen Barr


Why I Attend SCC

For me “church” means a community of faith. Church is the group I worship with, sing with, pray with, and study with. They are the people who share in my joys and pain and I share in theirs. SCC is an important part of my life.

My Faith Journey: Openness & Acceptance for ALL

Several years ago, concerned that I did not know the Bible as well as I wanted, I started on a systematic program of Bible reading and study. When I got into the book of Ezekiel I read the following verse:

This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. Ezekiel 16:49 (NRSV)

I was astounded. I had read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah yet that is not what I saw there. I went back to Genesis and read it again. How could this be a story of failure to aid the poor & needy? I had to know what Ezekiel was talking about. I read history. I studied the culture of the time. I read about issues of translation. I learned more about the verb “to know” than I had ever thought to ask questions about. I read everything I could find about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. I looked to see if there were other references in the Bible to the sin of Sodom; there are and they all agree with Ezekiel. In time I finally knew enough about the story to understand what Ezekiel was talking about. I learned a lot about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, but more importantly I learned how to read and study the Bible.

I remembered this experience when I became aware of the harsh rhetoric about homosexuality coming from some churches. I went to the Bible and started looking in context at the relevant passages, however, my study and faith journey led me to a very different conclusion. Created in the image of God means ALL of us are created in that image. When the Bible says “whosoever believes” it really means “whosoever”—no footnotes that say “except for. . . .” Jesus set the example by his actions to include and love the marginalized — in our society that includes those who are sexual minorities. If I am going to be serious about living my faith, then I needed to follow his clear example.

Justice

I never set out to be an advocate for justice — I set out to learn something about the Bible. But that study propelled me into justice issues. It took me several years before I understood where I was being led, but I finally caught on and found a way to serve. I became an active member of GLAD Alliance (Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples) and for the past 3 years have been part of the leadership team of that organization. www.gladalliance.org