2/11/2005, p. A25)
God leads us into temptation in the heart of our existence. God tests our obedience to do
God’s will under circumstances that have competing claims for validity.
The Rev. Dr. Norman J. Kansfield knows what it is to be confronted by temptation. Dr.
Kansfield is the president of New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Located just down the road from
us, New Brunswick is a seminary of the Reformed Church of America, a sister denomination of the
Presbyterian Church.
Dr. Kansfield has a direct impact on the lives of men and women who are called to the ministry
and the churches they will serve. His is a position of power that may further the sharing of the good
news of the realm of God.
Dr. Kansfield has demonstrated that he considers marriage to be a blessing from God. That is
why he chose to officiate at the marriage of his daughter, in Massachusetts, to a woman. The Reformed
Church took exception to that decision, and they have voted not to extend his contract.
Norman Kansfield had to discern God’s will for him. Though the decisions need not have been
mutually exclusive, he had to choose whether to honor his role as president of the seminary, or whether
to honor his role as a clergyman who also is a father.
Our temptations are real. Remaining obedient to God is not always clear.
As citizens of the United States we stand to benefit from a new policy of “extraordinary
rendition.” A by-product of 9/11, extraordinary rendition is an attempt to safeguard human life. It is
the American policy of capturing individuals suspected of terrorism. We seize these suspects and fly
them to other countries for interrogation – such as Morocco, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Egypt or Syria.
The suspects have no due process to determine if they are innocent or guilty of plotting
terrorism. They are whisked away without any legal recourse and they are tortured.
In the current issue of The New Yorker, Jane Mayer draws our attention to this practice in her
article, called “Outsourcing Torture.” Extraordinary rendition places before us the temptation to
sacrifice the rights and well-being of a few in the hopes of protecting the lives of many.
No wonder Jesus teaches us to fervently pray to God, “Lead us not into temptation!” Jesus
knows we do not want to be there – in the wilderness. So pray it. Pray God leave us in our zones of
safety. But when God brings us into the wilderness, when we are there, and the temptations confuse
and pain us, pray that God may lead us in the way we should go. Pray God’s will be done.
Amen.
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