After spending much of yesterday gathered with my church family, I was surprised to find myself in another church when I came home and turned on the Grammy awards. And this time, it was for the wedding ceremony of thirty-three couples, some straight and some gay. (You can watch it here.)I know it was a church because there were stained-glass windows, a choir singing and swaying in the background, and multiple individuals leading the service. The rapper Macklemore performed his hit "Same Love" during the ceremony, Queen Latifah served as the spirited officiating minister, and Madonna (bearing a striking resemblance to KFC's Colonel Sanders) serenaded the guests during the reception. It was a touching ceremony for many. The cameras cut to Keith Urban wiping away tears as the newly-married couples happily danced to "Open Your Heart" before the in-house audience and nearly 30 million viewers at home.
There was something different about this church, though. I knew it from some of the first few lines of Macklemore's song, which seeks to debunk the long-held Christian conviction that homosexuality is a sin. Speaking about the source of this conviction, Macklemore says, "We paraphrase a book written 3500 years ago." Carmen Fowler Laberge sums up the importance of his lyric: "In this one simple line, he dismisses the entire corpus of Christian teaching on sexuality."
The book Macklemore references is, of course, the Bible. And he quickly and haphazardly shoves it aside. But there are a few problems here. First, not all of the Bible is as old as he believes. The New Testament is around 2,000 years old, and it also speaks strongly against homosexuality. Second, Macklemore is the latest culprit of believing that just because something is old means it's outdated and irrelevant. He regards himself to be a more reliable source for knowledge than the Bible because he exists in the present day. And third, for many Christians, including me, the Bible is not just an old book. It is the access-point for God's revelation in many times and places throughout human history. It shows us who God is, how He interacts with humanity, and what His will is. And specifically, it shows us what His will is regarding sexuality: He designed sex to be enjoyed within the bonds of monogamous heterosexual marriage. This is the decision of a Holy God, and it is not my place (or Queen Latifah's or Madonna's or Macklemore's) to challenge it. But in their "church," the authority of the Bible is obviously not a foundational belief.
Macklemore's rejection of the God of Scripture continues later in his song: "Whatever god you believe in, We come from the same one, Strip away the fear, Underneath it's all the same love." The concept of "love" to Macklemore seems to mean accepting and surrendering to any desires I have. But once again, this doesn't jive with the God I've come to know through the Bible. My God tells me I am more than what I feel, I am more than what I desire, and what I feel and desire is not always good for me.
Scripture reveals a love that is infinitely better than Macklemore's version. The Bible tells me that I am "God's chosen one, holy and beloved" (Colossians 3:12). Because of God's love for me, He felt compelled to send His Son to the earth to die, bearing my sins in his body on a tree (1 Peter 2:24), so that I don't have to be controlled by my feelings and desires any longer. Now that's love. Because of this love, I can embrace the guidance of God's Spirit which dwells within me and leads me out of unhealthy ways of living and into wholeness and peace and joy.
I'm thankful I don't regularly attend the church of Macklemore and Madonna and Queen Latifah. Because I believe the Bible is more than an old book. Because I believe "God loves all his children" so much that he refuses to leave us stuck in our sinful state. I like what the Bible tells me I am a whole lot more than what Macklemore tells me I am. I may not be able to change on my own, "even if I tried, even if I wanted to," but nothing is impossible for God and his Spirit, who is the great Transformer. The gospel of Macklemore tells me I'm stuck where I am. "Even if I tried," I'm stuck in homosexuality or porn-addiction or adultery or lust or sex before marriage. But the Gospel of Jesus tells me that despite my own inability to change, the Spirit can change me into who I am meant to be.
That's a love worth celebrating.
Joseph,
ReplyDeleteOutstanding post! I loved this line: “My God tells me I am more than what I feel, I am more than what I desire, and what I feel and desire is not always good for me.”
So much of the foundation of the narrative of today’s culture is that we are, in fact, nothing more that what we feel and desire. And that is, decidedly, not Good News.
Very well stated.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, your page allows me to leave a comment but now follow your blog, which I tried to do.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Warren. I will try to figure out why you can't follow. I'm still a novice with this blogging thing!
DeleteIt is possible that Macklemore's phrase "paraphrase a book written 3500 years ago" is pointing to a cultural tendency among some Christians to use verses from the Old Testament, particularly Leviticus, to justify modern arguments against homosexuality and/or same-sex marriage. Now, while I agree that 3,500 years ago isn't an accurate measurement of the age of the book of Leviticus, the Old Testament, or the Bible, let's remember that he's a hip hop artist, not a Biblical scholar (and even they aren't exactly sure of how old the Bible and its many books are). Are we really supposed to take the "3,500 years ago" line literally, or should we may more attention to the fact that Macklemore was making a statement about some Christians' affinity for taking certain verses of the Old Testament out of their original contexts to justify the oppression of millions of people. I use the word oppression because we have people being abused, bullied, killed, and dying by suicide (yes, 12 year old kids are committing suicide because they're bullied for being gay.) I'm a Christian. I'd much rather work toward the cause of ending this oppression than contributing to it, and I'm ashamed of other Christians and Americans for using the Bible to justify the oppression of others in this nation. One may have the right to believe that homosexuality is wrong, but one doesn't have the right to restrict others' rights in this nation because of one's beliefs. If you disagree with me, take a look at the Trevor Project, an organization I strongly support. They're a confidential suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth. Read a little about their work, and then we can talk about Christian love and responsibility. - Sara
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that you would condemn someone who sings for equality? It is quite disheartening to know that people look up to your word and you're using your voice to speak out against someone fighting oppression and injustice. Thus the cycle continues.
ReplyDeleteAnd we all know Macklemore doesn't dislike something simply because it's old, hence his love for thrift shopping.
I would like to add that you're grossly misinterpreting the song. The song is assuming homosexuality is not a sin. To use the line "I can't change..." to mean sin disgusts me. Mary Lambert's chorus is trying to convey that fact that many gay people have been encouraged by the church to change their "sinful" ways only to find out they can't. It's totally not about addiction of any kind. It's about the fact that homosexuality is a normal variation of human behavior that conservative Christians condemn (you know, much like how the Southern Baptist Convention was FOUNDED on keeping slavery a God-ordained institution since scripture gave laws concerning slaves).
ReplyDeleteI would also like to add that one of your underlying assumptions is that in order to be a Christian one must affirm the Bible as inerrant. I hope you realize that a huge population of Christians see the Bible as a product of it's culture. There are descriptive passages (biases and normative behaviors of those living during the time a particular passage was written) and prescriptive passages (a timeless, recurring and over-arching theme in scripture..like perfect love driving out fear, there being no condemnation in love, God seeking our attitude of obedience over Pharisee-like rule following, God makes new. God restores. GRACE, you know, that thing thing which says, "God loves you...the end.).
If you're faith is based solely on the Bible being inerrant, you have a shallow faith. You are worshiping the book and not God. Let's assume the Bible has flaws. You found out tomorrow (and you could not possibly ever refute it) that the Bible had some huge errors. Would you still keep your faith? If you answer "no," you're worshiping the Bible. If you answer, "This is a stupid question because God reveals God's self in the Bible, so duh, it's perfect," let me remind you that Jesus is the perfect revelation of God. God said, "Don't make an image of me...I'll send you an image of me!" If you believe that the Bible is the perfect image/revelation of God, you have (literally...by definition) made it an idol and your faith and your rule following means just about as much to God as what the Pharisees did.
I'm sorry to be so harsh with my words, but when a kid is about to drink poison, you slap it out of his/her hand. And when bloggers are about to read poison, you yell and scream that it's wrong hoping someone hears you before it's too late.
I am not supporting any sort of "cure" or "conversion" or "pray the gay away" techniques or ministries for people with homosexual desires. I accept that many people with these feelings will never develop heterosexual desires. What I do support is allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our lives instead of the power of the flesh. You obviously disagree with this, but I place homosexuality among other sexual sins. Humans are broken creatures, and this includes our sexuality. We have feelings and desires that are not healthy because they are not from God, and I believe that same-sex desire is in this category. But so are the other sins that I mentioned- homosexuality is no different from the rest. You say that homosexuality is a normal variation, and this is where you and I would disagree. I believe that even if there are genetic factors that influence someone in the direction of homosexuality, this still does not justify the practice. I agree with the theologians Clark and Rakestraw from their Readings in Christian Ethics: "Predisposition toward a certain type of behavior does not necessitate or legitimize that behavior."
DeleteI affirm your distinction between prescriptive and descriptive passages. I would place God's over-arching vision of sexuality in the prescriptive category.
Finally, I do not worship the Bible. But I do have a high view of Scripture. I believe it is the account of God's revelation to humanity. (As an aside, I agree with you that Jesus is the apex of that revelation.) Because of my conviction about what the Bible is, I believe it has great authority for how we live. And I believe it clearly and consistently reveals what God's will is regarding sexuality.
Blessings,
Joseph
"let's assume the Bible has flaws?" see, that is where you go wrong. the Bible IS flawless. it is God's word. therefore we have it as a guide to live our lives as sinless as possible.
DeleteJoseph,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this post. My husband (Michael Nix--he says you guys were at Freed together) sent me the link today and I shared it on FB. Though we know there are many in the world who will call us hateful, oppressive, outdated, etc. in order to continue pushing their agenda, you are helping to shine the light of truth to those who are lost in sin. Even if just one person who has been struggling with temptation reads this and is led to the Scriptures, that could be one soul that will no longer be separated from God. Keep up your efforts.
In Him,
Ally Nix
This article is a prime example of Christian hypocrisy. It is the Christian desire to impose laws of a book that was written by no more than men. First your statement “He designed sex to be enjoyed within the bonds of monogamous heterosexual marriage” is false. The Bible references many times polygamy and how not only was it accepted, but expected. Examples are Genesis 4:19, Genesis 26:34, and Judges 8:30. These are but a few. The Christian idea is to only allow love and morality based on what they want it to be, and to claim that only those who follow the Bible are moral and know love is not only ignorant, but down right wrong. The God of the Bible is loving when you pick the right quotes, so here are a few showing how immoral and unloving God really is. God condones slavery in Leviticus 25:44-46, Exodus 21:7-11, and 1 Timothy 6:1-2. God condones human sacrifice in Genesis 22:1-18, Exodus 13:12, and the story of Jephthah. God condones rape in Deuteronomy 21:10-14, and Deuteronomy 22:28-29. God tortures Job as a bet for his soul...really!! God condones murder and genocide in Leviticus, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Proverbs, 1 Samuel 15:2-3 God orders mass killings. You say homosexuality is wrong and according to Leviticus 18:22, ok. So why should that be morally wrong and not allowed? Why not tattoos (Leviticus 19:28), what about haircuts (Leviticus 19:27), what about working on Saturday (Leviticus 19:30), what about eating shellfish (Leviticus 11:10-11)? So next time you eat at Red Lobster, know you are an abomination unto the Lord. Christians change and manipulate the Bible to fit their needs. The passages that aid their agenda are preached and the ones deemed an inconvenience are “disregarded” or “misinterpreted”. The fact is it is hypocrisy by its very definition. So next time you talk of the immorality of homosexuality think of slavery, women's rights, murder and human sacrifice, rape, and mass killings. Are those moral? Because the Bible says they are, and you all need to wake up and see the poison you spread.
ReplyDeleteYou do realize that everything you are quoting is out of the Old Testament, right (minus 1st Timothy, which you have misinterpreted)? Do you not know anything about the New Testament Christian? If I have to spell it out for you, we follow only the New Testament, hence "New Testament" Christian. The reason for that is because the Old Law was abolished upon the death of Jesus Christ. So that is no hypocrisy right there. If you read this whole article and only base your argument on the New Testament you have no argument. And if you have read the Bible you would know it was not written by "no more than men." The word was inspired by God and was told to men by God.
DeleteYou are simultaneously suggesting that the Old Testament does not matter to Christians but that it is also inerrant as part of the Bible...care to clarify this a bit?
DeleteSin is sin is sin. You can sugar coat it, put icing on it, and wrap it up with a bow. But it is still sin. No one wants to feel that what they are doing is wrong. No one wants someone else to point it out. But the Bible is the source of what we know sin to be. It by definition separates us from God. Sin can be anything that does this. God is a loving God that has shown us what perfect love is. Any sin costs something. The sad thing is that we think as a society if we make any sin legal, then it is not a sin anymore. But that would be a lie. Personally, I cannot condemn anyone's sin, but God can. The reason I cannot condemn it is that I too am a sinner. So is everyone who reads this. However, because of the Holy Spirit working in my life, He points me away from sin. That doesn't mean I listen, but He continues to point. A life that is pleasing to God brings inner peace and joy that is undeniable and hard to explain to others who haven't experienced it. It is a sad shame that people bully someone because of their sin, but that doesn't make either of them right, the bully or the "sinner". As believers in the One True God and His Son, we are to love others ahead of ourselves. However we are also to live lives pleasing to God. We don't have to condone sin, but we cannot condemn it. I am capable of loving a person caught up in sin and yet at the same time stand up for my beliefs. Perhaps sinners that have not experienced God's grace don't understand this. It might seem foreign to them that they can be loved despite what they do, but that is exactly how Jesus loves us. That is how we are to love. So when it comes to voting on laws in our country that go against God's desire for the human race, I will vote NO! If I don't stand up for what I believe, then what I believe doesn't matter. Just because someone doesn't agree with homosexuality doesn't mean they automatically hate the people living in that lifestyle. That is a poor assumption on their part. Yes there are bad people out there who do things under the name of "Christianity" but that doesn't mean that all Christians are bad. Assuming so would be wrong. So to the Anonymous posts above, the finger pointing goes both ways. You can't assume that just because someone doesn't approve of homosexuality that they automatically become a bully. Would it not be more appropriate to agree to disagree. No one is without sin. NO ONE! So Jesus who came and showed us what living to please God was like also showed us how to "not cast the first stone". Only God judges. However we cannot continue to live lives wrapped in sinful behavior once we have given our lives to Christ. We can't stand back and go, "If everyone else wants to live a life of sin, then it must be okay." We cannot say, "If it is legal to kill unborn children, then it must be okay." We cannot say, "If gay people say their 'marriage' is the same as a heterosexual couple, then it must be okay." The fact is, according to what God teaches us, it is not. What people do is another story altogether. So if you are sealed by the Holy Spirit, then there is no way you can live peacefully thinking that living a lifestyle of sin is okay nor can you bully others into believing what you do. Jesus never threatened a sinner, nor should any Christian. He, however, never wavered from His Father's will either. He never condoned sin. He said time and time again, "Go and sin no more." That applies to everyone!
ReplyDeleteRf Alley Joseph, never had the opportunity to meet you, but I have met our father-in-law and heard him preach. He is one of my step-daughter's best friends. I appreciated your article and the stand that you take concerning the Bible and what it teaches about God approved sexuality. Read the comments that have been posted and they were to be expected. According to your critics nothing that is condemned in the Bible needs to be heeded. If homosexuality is to be accepted as just the way a person is; then, we accept bestiality, prostitution, fornication, polygamy, addiction to porn, along with pedophilia as just the way people are. They are all condemned by the same Bible. It is sad what the vast majority of our population seems willing to accept in the name of love, tolerance and wanting to be politically correct. Because a person accepts the Bible and agrees with what it condemns as sin, in no way restricts anyone else from doing what they are intent upon doing. I can disagree with a person and disapprove of what they may choose to do on numerous issues, but that doesn't mean that I
ReplyDelete3 minutes ago · Like
Rf Alley can't love them. I don't agree with my family on all issues, but I still love them. Thanks for having the courage to write and post you article. It will be interesting to see if those who oppose your article will give you the same respect and freedom of opinion that they expect.
Would someone please point to how, when, and where God condemned homosexuality as sin? I have yet to meet a Christian who can do it without taking a verse out of a very particular historical and cultural context.
ReplyDeleteAs a Christian, I am tired of hearing other Christians say "well, it's sad that some people bully gay people, but I'm not one of them. In fact, I love gay people" and stand by while the oppression continues. Love does not look like a self-righteous bystander. So many Christians have become arrogant and self-righteous because they have been "saved." I ask, have you been saved? Truly? If so, why do you continue to stand by while travesties --genuine travesties-- are committed against your brothers and sisters because of their sexuality? Standing up for your beliefs by saying "No" is literally harming other people. You are actually DENYING people their rights. Why can't you see this? You are too consumed with your own belief that you are special because God loves you. Well guess what. You're not special. God loves everyone. Even if you take God out of the picture, American citizens still have human and civil rights, and you're trampling them. Trampling others' rights due to your beliefs is an abuse of others' rights.
And how dare anyone compare homosexuality or bisexuality to porn addiction or pedophilia, or lying or stealing. This comparison is based on an outrageous disregard for modern studies of psychology, biology, and human behavior. Do your research. Or stick with your ancient superstition and ignore the facts if that's more comfortable for you.
I would like to point out that the argument of some Christians against same-sex marriage reduces marriage to a matter of sexual orientation and intercourse. Is the most important part of your marriage the act of sex, or is that simply one important part among many -- the many components of marriage that you promise in your vows? Those of love, commitment, generosity, care, honesty, forgiveness, and so on? I know a number of same-sex couples who are fully committed to one another in incredible relationships as spouses and parents. Should I disregard their love for one another simply because of the manner in which they have intercourse? Is that my business? Is it your business to determine the rights of other adults in consensual, respectful relationships? I believe not. Certainly not in this nation.
Examine your hearts.
-Sara
Hey Sara,
DeleteI am assuming you are the same Sara who commented previously about your concern for those who are bullied because of their sexual desires. I believe you and I can stand shoulder to shoulder in agreement on this point. It is never my intention to add to the chorus of cruel voices who spew hate in the name of their faith. After reading through my post yet again, I stand by what I said and I don't believe I struck that tone. Additionally, you mention that God loves everyone. I totally agree with you and I affirm this in my post. I reject the cultural notion that love equals acceptance.
Sara, I cannot in good conscience condone homosexual relationships based on what I believe the Bible teaches about God's vision for sexuality. No, I do not worship the Bible as someone suggested above. But I do have a high view of Scripture and it's authority. And this may be the point of departure for us. You call yourself a Christian early in your post, but then you refer to the Bible as "ancient superstition." This is ironic to me. Without the special revelation we receive in the Bible, we would not know what being a Christian is. If you believe the Scriptures to be "ancient superstition," then I'm not sure how you can even embrace the basic tenets of Christian faith. If we aren't on the same page about this, then I think it would be a waste of time to share with you from the Bible why I believe what I believe.
I know this doesn't address all of your concerns. You should know that this is not an easy position for me to arrive at. I too have friends and acquaintances who are gay and they are kind and loving people. I have great sympathy for those who have struggled with their sexuality. So I have not arrived at this conclusion carelessly and insensitively.
Hi Joseph,
DeleteThanks for your reply.
It isn't that I was arguing the Bible to be ancient superstition, it is that, in this modern era, we know that homosexuality is indeed a normal biological phenomenon in humans and other species and, furthermore, that it is not a phenomenon that disrupts one's ability to function as any heterosexual. I was arguing against the notion that some people use ("The Bible says it's sinful like pedophilia") to justify homosexuality as some sort of perversion. It isn't a perversion. Indeed, in the last century, homosexuality was removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual as a disorder because studies found no distinguishable differences between the functions of homosexuals and heterosexuals (thus, no disorder is apparent.) Again, there is concrete scientific understanding of this. Therefore, if one uses the Bible to justify the classification of homosexuality as a perverse human behavior, I am arguing that this use of the Bible as the misuse of an ancient text (and I don't use the term "ancient" in a disparaging manner; it really is an old book) in an unfounded manner, so unfounded, in fact, that it does not seem grounded within any true construct (even Christianity [what did Jesus ever say about homosexuality? Nothing.]) but, rather, superstition. I use superstition to emphasize an irrational belief of causation and one that persists despite evidence to the contrary. "The Bible says homosexuality is perverse" is superstitious in that it gives absolutely no reason as to why homosexuality is wrong, harmful, or, indeed, sinful. I respectfully ask, Joseph, what about homosexuality is by its very nature sinful? Does it harm others? Does it harm the person? Does it harm the person's relationships? Does it harm the person's relationship with God? Does it harm the person's ability to have sex or express sexuality? Does it harm the person's ability to function in any way? Does it harm the person's ability to engage in lifelong matrimony? If the answer to any of these is yes, I would appreciate a clear answer to my next question: how? I understand how lying, cheating, stealing, and molesting children or animals are harmful. I have yet to hear a sound argument for how homosexuality is harmful.
[P.S. I appreciate your offering this blog as a place of discussion. I realize that my tone in written text may seem a bit terse at times. I would like to say that I am in no way upset and hope that all comments and discussion do come across as an attempt to take part in respectful conversation. Also, I did find the Grammys performance to be rather tacky.]
-Sara
**I'd like to correct the statement "...that it is not a phenomenon that disrupts one's ability to function as any heterosexual" to say "that it is not a phenomenon that disrupts one's ability to function as any heterosexual functions" as I found the prior version to be a bit confusing.
Delete3 days and no reply :( I'm disappointed that no one wants to continue the discussion. -Sara
DeleteSorry for the delay, Sara!
DeleteSo at the very least, we can agree that the whole spectacle was tacky? :) I'm just kidding. I think we can and do agree on much more than that.
I will admit to you that I have not done much reading in science and psychology on homosexuality, though I was aware of the APA's reversal on the matter. So I am not in a position to refute your argument that there are no "distinguishable differences" between heterosexuals and homosexuals, and that being gay does not harmfully affect one's ability to function. Even if what you say is true, I don't believe it undermines what I have said.
I will take issue, however, with the belief that for a behavior or lifestyle to be considered sinful, we humans must be able to see tangible proof that it is indeed harmful or damaging. Certainly, we can witness how some sins are harmful, like the ones you mentioned. But because of our own fallen nature and depravity, we may not be able to see how other sins are harmful. But this shouldn't automatically drive us to conclude that these aren't sins. I'm not sure where this idea comes from, and I don't think that it's valid. God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are his ways our ways (Isaiah 55:8). Sometimes we must simply trust that God knows what He's talking about in regard to sin even when we can't see why.
You briefly mentioned that Jesus does not mention homosexuality specifically, and you're right. But Jesus does mention sexual immorality among other sins which "defile a person" (Matthew 15:19). And steeped as he was in the ethical thought of the Jews regarding sexuality and their God-given law in the OT, it is only logical to conclude that he would also have homosexuality in mind here.
Hi Joseph,
DeleteThanks for your reply.
I think I have a better understanding of where our standings on the matter diverge, which was, more or less the goal of this discussion. Your answer is the clearest I have received from a Christian who opposes same-sex marriage and homosexuality, and I appreciate your following up with me. It doesn't change my position, but it does help me understand why our views differ and I think that is important.
I do agree that God is mysterious and that we can't always know why or how things are the way they are. I cannot, however, think of another example of a sin that is inexplicably a sin off of the top of my head (which is, admittedly, a shallow starting point. You've struck a chord of curiosity for me here, and I'll continue to search for other sins that are inexplicably so.) Our paths diverge further in the classification of homosexuality as a behavior or lifestyle. I'd encourage you to study findings on human behavior, psychology, and sexuality to learn the differences.
What I'll say next is not meant to be inflammatory, but a perspective I think more people need to understand: When you tell a person that you love them, but that you cannot accept something that is a part of who they are -- not an interest, or a choice, or a hobby -- but a part of their very core because it is a sin, they may understand that. However, when they ask why it is a sin, and the only answer you can give is "I don't know the reason why, only God knows," it is unlikely that the person will find that to be a satisfactory reason because it is, in fact, not a reason at all. I believe faith in God is paramount, and with that I believe he gave us reason and intellect and free will to make decisions. When one makes decisions based on "I don't know," particularly regarding other peoples' families, do not be surprised when the response is one of outrage. In my view (and in the few of some others), it is outrageous to make decisions about other peoples' lives based on "I don't know the reason why I believe this; only God knows." To many people, "I don't know the reason why I believe this; only God knows," is outlandish. In my opinion, if you do not know the reason why you believe something, you are not using your God-given reasoning abilities. I know why I believe in Jesus. I know why it is wrong to murder, or slander, or lust, or steal. I know I have friends who have been bullied, emotionally manipulated, abused, and who live in fear every single day of their lives. I know I have a responsibility to stand up for the rights of my friends and my neighbors. "I don't know why homosexuality is wrong but God does" is no way to stand up for them. In fact, to me, it looks a lot like turning around and walking the other way. I'm not attempting to "explode" something here or point fingers, so much as I am attempting to explain a perspective of so many people are running away from Christianity; why so many people find it to be anti-intellectual, unreasonable, hypocritical, and even cruel. My personal hope is that more modern Christians will think more critically the decisions they are making about others' lives.
Thanks again for your time. It seems like you're a caring and understanding individual, and, while I don't know you, I'm sure you make a positive difference in the lives of the people with whom you work. Blessings and best wishes to you
- Sara
I love when somebody explodes on the Internet, destroys someone else's view of how life should be, and goes by the name Anonymous. Real guts right there kiddos.
ReplyDeleteYou realize the irony of this, I hope. -Sara
DeleteTo whomever uses the term "hypocrisy" in reference to this post, needs to rethink his/her stance on what is right, wrong or indifferent. Macklemore outwardly expresses his agreeance with homosexuality and the author of this post expresses his disagreeance with it. So why is this author a hypocrite? Because he is a Christian and upholds the right hand of God? Is he a hypocrite because he CHOOSES not to conform to the evils of this world? I find it comical that when I see people tear up a Christian for his beliefs that they are the ones not being open, not excepting everyone for who they or what they believe. Everyone can believe what they want, except Christians? Come on now!
ReplyDeletelet's bring it back to the Bible. New Testament. "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor the drunkards nor the slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9
ReplyDeleteas a Christian, I follow the Bible... New Testament law.... I don't judge others. everyone is responsible for their own salvation. being attracted to the same sex can be very hard but no matter how you look at it, Biblically it's wrong. it falls under lust as well as sex outside of marriage. all sexual sins, all discussed in 1 Corinthians. For a homosexual to get into heaven he/she must give up sexual sin same as anyone else. it may be hard "thorn in the side" but if you are truly repentant and try not to give in to lustful desires then God's grace is sufficient. That doesn't give you license to actively sin, one must always strive to be sinless. however we will fail daily and struggle with our own sinful desires. the best thing that can be done is to live life as pure as possible. and yes, abstinence is for everyone not married. gay or straight. sexual immorality affects everyone and it's a hard sin.. but if you do all you can do is ask God in prayer to have forgiveness and trust in his grace. but "go and sin no more".
the point is that it doesn't matter if you are gay/straight/bi/transgendered. if you aren't married you are guilty of sexual sin if you are having sex. or lust even. and everyone lusts at some point in time whether they have sex or not. but once you realize this you have to be abstinent unless you're married or else you are guilty of sin.
ReplyDeleteWhat if a person would rather be with or even married to the person they love then get into heaven?
ReplyDeleteMarriage is also laid out in 1 Corinthians. a man and woman in holy union. only broken by death or in the case of adultery, divorce. sex is for married people only. that's made very clear in 1 Corinthians. Jesus said follow his commands, we don't get to pick and choose which ones we like. it's a straight and narrow path and its easy to get off it. but God's people are to be an example to the world matter how ridiculed or sneered at.
ReplyDeleteBeing a new testament Christian who sticks to the doctrin of truth is not an easy path, but the reward is heaven!
ReplyDelete