THE RAINBOW FISH

The fish is an ancient symbol for Christ. Although the symbol’s origins are obscure, one explanation suggests that the Greek word for fish, ICHTHUS, represents the first letters of the phrase “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior,” (ICQUS). Legend has it that during the Roman persecution Christians could identify each other by casually drawing an arc in the dirt with a toe; if another completed the fish outline, it was safe to greet each other in the name of Christ.
Christ called for full love and inclusion of all people.and Saint Paul wrote that in Christ “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” There are other New Testament passages that claim otherwise, but Christianity has always proclaimed the Gospel to all who would hear: each person is the apple of God’s eye, whether male or female; black or white; gay, lesbian or straight.
In the summer of 1998, the Lambeth Conference, a worldwide gathering of bishops from the Anglican communion, voted overwhelmingly to state that marriage between a man and a woman is the only appropriate way to express sexual love and fidelity. The bishops sealed this statement by adding an amendment stating that homosexual practice is incompatible with scripture. The Lambeth Conference also passed a resolution concerning the ordination of women that is more restrictive than that established in the Episcopal Church. While the Lambeth vote has no authority in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, the vote is being used to accelerate a campaign by some church members to exclude gay and lesbian people from full expression of love and from full inclusion in life in the Church. The Anglicans are not alone in passing legislation restricting participation by gays and lesbians, although some denominations have welcomed gays and lesbians into all aspects of church life and practice.
Biblical authority has been cited to deny not only gay and lesbian people but also women and people of other than European ancestry full humanity and full access to the life promised to them at their baptism. But in the past and into the present, a literal interpretation of some Biblical passages has been used to justify slavery, the rape of women, and polygamy, as it has also been used to deny divorce. Rape and slavery are universally censured within Christianity, yet many denominations accept divorce. The church tacitly allows polygamy in some cultures and condemns it in others.
It is apparent from these examples that a literal interpretation of scripture has no universal meaning in Christianity. Yet selective and questionable interpretations of scripture continue to equate homosexuality with sin. Partly as a result of this use of scripture, gays and lesbians have lost jobs, housing and civil rights; they have even been beaten and murdered for hoping to partake in society’s guarantee to live out lives in privacy and to participate in God’s gift of love to all.
The rainbow has come to symbolize equality in diversity. The Rainbow Fish provides a simple and clear sign that within God’s purposes and Jesus’ kingdom, all people are included without reservation. Each brings individual talents and gifts; God accepts each of us, and because of God’s love we also are called to accept each other in the fullness of God’s love. This is what Christ has called us to affirm, in every level of our personal lives, in every order of our corporate life.
 

 

Rainbow Fish bumper stickers (7.5” x 3.75”) available for $1.50 each.
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