Marriage and rainbow bread

I was having coffee with someone today and while waiting on her to get there, I was checking Huffington Post. I came across two very different articles, both relating to Christianity and marriage. One was so unbelievably ridiculous that I just had to share the stupidity. The second, in my opinion,  is going in the right direction, but still kinda missed the mark. So this is my rant for the day.

First, read this post.
I have never been a fan of Pat Robertson and can't wait for the day he retires. But this is bad even for him. He is giving men permission to cheat and lust after women simply because they have a penis. Ummm...HELL NO! Men have a brain! Cheating isn't like sneezing--its not some involuntary movement. It is a conscious choice.   AND then he said  that it is the wife's fault that the man cheats because she didn't keep the house well enough or wasn't pretty enough?!?!?! What the f..... Are you kidding me? I was literally speechless when I read this.

Even though I continue to be shocked by this man's stupidity, I do have to give him some credit. Everyone is up in arms right now about having a traditional marriage, or a biblical marriage. Most people think that means 2.5 kids, a white picket fence, and the picture perfect leave it to Beaver image. Well, I hate to burst that bubble, but that is a far cry from a biblical marriage. In biblical times, a man could sleep with other women and it wasn't cheating (but a women would be killed if she slept with another man). This is because women were property. It's like if you got a rental car--you're not cheating on your car because its property. That was basically the same idea then. So, in a really weird way, Robertson is advocating for a marriage that is more true to what is in the bible...he is still an idiot and giving people TERRIBLE "spiritual guidance"   but its not that far from what is in the bible.

Second, there is this post.Now, I am ALL FOR EQUALITY! And I am also very proud of the church when it takes steps to bridge the gap and heal some of the hurt with the gay community. However, rainbow communion bread is a little bit of a stretch. I just can't get fully on board here. I can completely see the logic behind it and I think the intention is amazing. In the article, Rev. Bakker says "I don't think Jesus is insecure about sharing communion with others, including gay folks who suffered." I 100% agree with this statement. Jesus came for everyone and invited everyone to break bread with him. But rainbow pride communion bread doesn't really sit right with me. I think it takes focus away from the reason we do communion. Communion is such an important tradition but like any tradition, its easy to just go through the motions and forgot why we are truly doing it. I really am all for anything that brings the church and gay community together, but I think there was a better way to go about this.

Those are two very different views on marriage. To me, it is just a sad reminder of how divided the church is. There are different denominations and creeds, and political stands. Isn't all that a bit counter-productive? Why can't we agree in the love of Jesus Christ? And....I'm about to rock your world...you ready? We can still disagree and love each other. Shocking, I know. I was watching an interview with Susan Sparks (who, btw, I am totally in love with!) and she was addressing this issue. She said "we are still a family. Why can't we agree to disagree? And put efforts into more important things."

Although, sometimes I wonder if the (american) church would actually survive without division. Would we even know what to do with ourselves?