(I have very little doubt of the true intent of the article I am attaching a link to. A handful of people avoid the media because of stories such as these. Honestly, I think there is far more value in confronting them, than running in the other direction.)
I do find it difficult to read articles such as these. Righteous anger (or at least I pray it is the case) nearly boils over by the time I get to the end. And there is nothing wrong with that.
However, this article proved to be different. Instead of leaving it with ruffled feathers, I lingered with a heavy heart. Here is a story about a man relishing in the success of a false church, when the reality is how the church failed him. And the writer aptly (though I doubt intentionally) states this reality in one sentence.
"It was a very empowering experience for me to be in a church, and I didn't have to deny my sexuality," he said. "I could be very honest with myself, with all church members and also with God."
I do find it difficult to read articles such as these. Righteous anger (or at least I pray it is the case) nearly boils over by the time I get to the end. And there is nothing wrong with that.
However, this article proved to be different. Instead of leaving it with ruffled feathers, I lingered with a heavy heart. Here is a story about a man relishing in the success of a false church, when the reality is how the church failed him. And the writer aptly (though I doubt intentionally) states this reality in one sentence.
"It was a very empowering experience for me to be in a church, and I didn't have to deny my sexuality," he said. "I could be very honest with myself, with all church members and also with God."
The first half of the sentence attempts to portray the good news, which is actually bad news. A true church of Jesus Christ will lead it's people into self-denial. As the gospel of Jesus is faithfully proclaimed, people will want to leave who they are behind (that is their sin nature). There's nothing about it worth holding on to when compared to the gospel. This is the Spirit-driven reaction to the truth of God's grace. We won't want to be the same, sinful people we once were. Glorying in a church which says God demands nothing from His people is glorying in a church that preachers a lie. Christ wants people who faithfully follow Him, which means giving up all of ourselves (not limited to, but including our sexuality).
The second half of the verse is another attempt at good news, when it is actually bad news for The Church. The word fundamentalism is synonymous with "conservative Christianity" for this particular individual. He sees no difference between the two. Typically, conservatives have the foundation to argue. But when it comes to homosexuality we, conservative Christians, appear too much like the fundamentalists we try to avoid.
I've said it before; homosexuality is a sin. We are not fundamentalists for declaring this biblical truth. God calls us to preach the truth to those around us because God's truth is always about His glory and the fullest extent of joy for His people (John 15:10-11). We aren't trying to rob people of joy and satisfaction, but rather point them in the only direction where it can be found. And this is in regards to all sin. Each and every sin is us robbing God of His glory and ourselves of true joy.
But we like to add on condemnation and judgment to declaring God's truth. This is why we are viewed as fundamentalists. For some reason we exalt homosexuality as a sin worthy of our judgment. We ignore how equally defaming adultery, fornication, pornography, and other sexual sins are to the God-ordained covenant of marriage, which is the picture of the relationship between Christ and His bride. They all stain the covenant by disregarding it completely.
Our problem is we don't do a good job of listening to the second half of the statement quoted earlier. The church should be a place where congregants are honest with themselves, one another, and God. It should be a place where people can struggle without fear of judgment. Yes, they need to be told (if they don't already know) what they are doing is wrong. But they also need to be told, there is hope in Jesus Christ. We speak of this hope to addicts, adulterers, liars, thieves, even murderers. Churches are filled with ministries geared towards serving these and many more. But when homosexuals come we scream the truth at them, tell them to stop, and avoid them until they do.
We refuse to let them struggle. In my own life, I can't think of one sin I stopped simply because God's Word said to. I wish that were the case. Sin is too ingrained in my nature. More often than not, I continued (and I can speak in present tense as well) to struggle and found freedom through God's Spirit and the encouragement of His people around me. I believe if the churches confronted all sinners (regardless of type) with their sin, and then supported them as they struggled to find freedom there would be less stories such as these. Because honestly, what is there to celebrate in divorce equated with freedom, the truth of God's Word trumped by human reason/experience, and sin embraced as freedom? Obviously, not all will ever desire to be rid of their sin, and God will deal justly with them. But do we desire to see them change and are we willing to struggle with them for God's glory and their joy?
The second half of the verse is another attempt at good news, when it is actually bad news for The Church. The word fundamentalism is synonymous with "conservative Christianity" for this particular individual. He sees no difference between the two. Typically, conservatives have the foundation to argue. But when it comes to homosexuality we, conservative Christians, appear too much like the fundamentalists we try to avoid.
I've said it before; homosexuality is a sin. We are not fundamentalists for declaring this biblical truth. God calls us to preach the truth to those around us because God's truth is always about His glory and the fullest extent of joy for His people (John 15:10-11). We aren't trying to rob people of joy and satisfaction, but rather point them in the only direction where it can be found. And this is in regards to all sin. Each and every sin is us robbing God of His glory and ourselves of true joy.
But we like to add on condemnation and judgment to declaring God's truth. This is why we are viewed as fundamentalists. For some reason we exalt homosexuality as a sin worthy of our judgment. We ignore how equally defaming adultery, fornication, pornography, and other sexual sins are to the God-ordained covenant of marriage, which is the picture of the relationship between Christ and His bride. They all stain the covenant by disregarding it completely.
Our problem is we don't do a good job of listening to the second half of the statement quoted earlier. The church should be a place where congregants are honest with themselves, one another, and God. It should be a place where people can struggle without fear of judgment. Yes, they need to be told (if they don't already know) what they are doing is wrong. But they also need to be told, there is hope in Jesus Christ. We speak of this hope to addicts, adulterers, liars, thieves, even murderers. Churches are filled with ministries geared towards serving these and many more. But when homosexuals come we scream the truth at them, tell them to stop, and avoid them until they do.
We refuse to let them struggle. In my own life, I can't think of one sin I stopped simply because God's Word said to. I wish that were the case. Sin is too ingrained in my nature. More often than not, I continued (and I can speak in present tense as well) to struggle and found freedom through God's Spirit and the encouragement of His people around me. I believe if the churches confronted all sinners (regardless of type) with their sin, and then supported them as they struggled to find freedom there would be less stories such as these. Because honestly, what is there to celebrate in divorce equated with freedom, the truth of God's Word trumped by human reason/experience, and sin embraced as freedom? Obviously, not all will ever desire to be rid of their sin, and God will deal justly with them. But do we desire to see them change and are we willing to struggle with them for God's glory and their joy?
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