From December 1-25, I’ll be sharing a quote and its truth from John Fugelsang’s Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists and Flock-Fleecing Frauds, the book Robert and I are currently and fascinatingly reading.
An odd Advent Calendar, of sorts.
Fugelsang offers a bit of humor today, alongside a truthful point about anti-gay thought. He asks:
- “Best of all, do the homophobes kiss each other whenever they meet?
- Because they must, according to Romans 16:16. That’s where Paul instructs all real Christians to greet one another with a custom reflecting the familial nature of early Christian communities: ‘Greet one another with a holy kiss.’
- The holy kiss was a greeting in many cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world, signifying peace, respect, and community.
For Paul, this must have been a very important custom of his time, because he writes about it much more than he writes about gay people. - So every Christian man who uses Romans to justify homophobia is biblically obliged to start kissing every Christian dude he knows, every time they meet.
- Pucker up.” p. 133
NealEnJoy 
Pucker up! But there are many I wouldn’t want to kiss under any circumstances.
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Lol. True.
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Oh this is sharp, witty, and right on the nose — exactly the kind of humor that reveals a much deeper truth. You highlighted Fugelsang’s point so well: when people weaponize scripture selectively, the contradictions become almost comically obvious. Your “odd Advent Calendar” idea is brilliant too… it turns reflection into a daily nudge toward compassion, clarity, and maybe even a little laughter.
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Thanks so very much. That’s exactly what I was trying to do.
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