I see things a bit differently, though. I have wrestled both openly and quietly with this issue, going back and forth. The battle has been intense, as I wade through what the Bible does and does not say and try to sort out how I'm going to approach Scripture and its teachings. I don't know that there was ever a clear moment when I came to any clear decision on the matter. I still haven't, really.
But as I read this girl's blog post tonight, it occurred to me that the heart-breaking truth of the matter may very well be that every last one of us had it wrong, and it has cost us everything.
I listened to a sermon on John 8:1-11 the other day, and the words of Jesus in verse 11 have haunted me ever since. "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin." There is so much in those words. Forgiveness. Acceptance. Reconciliation. Restoration. Peace. Love. And yet, a challenge. Leave your life of sin.
My friends, if homosexuality is indeed a sin, this does not mean that the church has handled this matter in a manner reflective of Jesus' ministry here on earth. Then neither do I condemn you.
In our hatred, in our fear, in our politicization, in our militancy, we have condemned the "sinners" among us. We have said "leave your life of sin" with no thought of the condemnation in which we take part. We have neglected to love sacrificially, making Jesus into a bumper sticker, a t-shirt, and a picket sign. We have reduced Jesus to a check box on a ballot. "If I vote against homosexual marriage," we thought, "I will be serving Jesus."
False.
We weren't serving Jesus at all. We were condemning. We were throwing stones. We forgot about the restoration of forgiveness and love.
Every last one of us had it wrong, and it cost us everything.
It didn't cost us the "sanctity of marriage." It didn't cost us seats in Congress. It didn't cost us our "Christian nation."
It cost us our very souls.
Now we fight over what Paul really meant when he condemned homosexuality instead of recognizing the heart behind his words. Now we fear for the future of our rights rather than fighting for the rights of the least among us. We have forgotten that when Jesus healed people or even just when he had conversations with them, he loved them without reservation, and through that love invited them to follow Him from sin into holiness.
God have mercy.
Would you hold to the same philosophical view concerning adultery of adulterers? Or how about the fornicator? Or let's just keep it simple and ask: What if liars all got together and wanted the church to allow them in the pulpit for fair time? Of coarse the church would say "uh, NO!" And then we would be a bunch of "Liar Haters" not because of the way "Liars" were treated specifically...But mostly because of the stand the true church would take concerning "Truth". And I am tired (not mad) of the one-sided arguement that seems to be a re-occuring theme that says people who are part of the true church are always judgemental and condescending. And just because I am taking the opposing view will cause the "Tolerant" to be intolerant with my particular stand concerning biblical "truth." And I do not buy into the argument that there is room to doubt what God says about homosexuality. The Bible has made it just as clear concerning that perversion as it has concerning the perversion of adultery. The real trouble is not with the way perversions of all kinds are treated by the true church... because I have seen more loving actions toward the sinner than hatefulness by the saints of late. But the real problem is with a world that does not want to hear that their lifestyle is perverted, that God still loves them but will never accept their lifestyle, and that they must turn from sin to Christ! This is a message that fits the condition of every sinner, no matter what the particular perversion. This is not condescending...It is "Truth" the world hates! Granted, it seems the world's view of the established church will never get past the harsh reality of what happened in the middle ages as well as the 1960's. But having said that, I want to come to the defense of the Bride of Christ knowing that she isn't completely ready yet, but is making herself ready (Rev. 19:7). For the most part the true Bride of Christ is reflecting a loving stand against perversions of all kinds. This stand is balanced with loving actions toward people caught up in all kinds of natural consequences of living in perverted lifestyles that the bible clearly warns us against (Romans 1:27). From the Christian who serves quietly on the frontline of hospice for victims of aids to the saints who give of their time and resources to single parents who made unwise choices and now need extra help for childcare, food and shelter. The Bride has been doing more things from the place of "Love for the sinner" than most seem to give her credit for. But because we must stand on "Truth"...now that is where and when the trouble truly begins. It is even compounded when part of the Bride doesn't seem to understand that when the Bride takes a stand on "Truth" that this is reason enough for the world to hurl accusations. We who are part of the True Church know this is part of our challenge and we take it seriously. How do we show the love of God and at the same time hold His Truth to be precious and liberating? It is a balance of being like Christ in the character of a Lamb as well as having the character sometimes as a Lion! May the True church always love people no matter what the perversion (Lambs), yet never stop preaching "Truth" (Lions).
ReplyDeleteMike,
DeleteI'm not sure I expressed myself very well, and for that I apologize. Although I have indeed wrestled with my stance on homosexuality in recent years, that was not the issue for me when I wrote this. The question for me is not whether or not the Bible condemns homosexuality in the places it does. The question for me is not (at least right now) whether homosexuality in its modern form is a sin. The question for me is a different one. The student in the link I referenced questions whether the Church is a place of love. Although I do NOT agree with her conclusions, I think that we, as Christians must take her words seriously. We cannot close our eyes to the fact that the "twenty-somethings" generation is falling away from the Church. That could have been me, because i have struggled with so many of the things that the "Church" stands for.
I didn't explain myself very well, but the heart of my blog post was not a challenge to the sinfulness of homosexuality. Rather, I wish to challenge American Christianity's preoccupation with her nationhood. I wish to call those who consider themselves Christ followers to consider more carefully how Jesus dealt with the sinners he encountered. Jesus did not come to bring about a restored Israel (at least not in his earthly ministry). Jesus didn't come as a king or a general or a revolutionary (politically, at least). Jesus ignored Rome. He asked people to render unto Caesar that which was Caesar's and unto God what is God's. Instead, he encountered people. People who had faith in him despite their status as sinners and outlaws. And he healed their diseases, he forgave their sins, and he told them to go and sin no more.
What if we have the gospel all wrong? Or at least, what if our focus is wrong? What if God calls us to lay down our politics, to lay down our militancy, and to radically love the least among us? To make that our only preoccupation?
I'm not sure. I write in order to process the things I'm thinking about, not because I have it all figured out. I'm struggling with what it truly means to follow Jesus, and I'm becoming increasingly convinced that in many ways, I have not even come close to comprehending the full meaning and significance of the Good News. That Christ has come, that His Kingdom is among us. And that it's not an earthly kingdom, and yet we are to act it out on earth. Crazy stuff.
Thanks for commenting. :)
Marilee, I love this post. I do not think I read it well the first time, but today I actually took the time to read it and I have to say that you are right. We, as a church, have a tendency to lean so heavily on "issues" that we neglect to truly show love. Case in point, the whole Chick-Fil-A debacle from this past summer. We love to take a stance, but we neglect love and when we summarize the commandments that we were given they all go back to love. Thanks for this post :) I always love reading the things that you say.
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