Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Facing the Storm: A Discussion on Homosexuality - Introduction

You're gonna talk about whaaaaaaa?!?!
Let me say upfront that I really have no desire to write on this topic. So much has already been said (much of it by people more gifted with words than me), and by and large the battle lines have been drawn and people have taken their sides. There will probably be very little changing of allegiances between those invested at this point.

But there are those in the middle, who are not sure which way to go. Both sides seem to bring such strong arguments. There are also those who, having chosen what they think they believe, are still unsure. It is to these two main groups that I write. It is to individuals, families, and churches that these things are written, and I write to all of them because what you as an individual decide will affect not only you, but your family as well. Beyond that what your family decides will affect the church. And finally, where the church lands will affect not only its members, but those of churches across the country and, indeed, the world.

John Donne wrote in his Meditation XVII that "no man is an island." This is especially true when it comes to what we decide about God's Word and spirituality. It affects people and organizations across the spectrum.

It is for these reasons that I feel I must write about this topic, because it is too important not to. To stand quietly aside and ignore a wrong is no better than promoting it. Therefore I hope to clarify things so that any who reads this can come to grips not only with whether or not their beliefs match God's, but also with what it means for their own life and walk with Him.

About halfway down in this post I touch on this subject. Please read that before deciding if I am a hate-monger. It is not out of hate that I write this, but out of love and concern for both God's people and those who do not know Him yet.

Now that I finished that massive introduction, lets get down to the meat of this topic.

Modern "Christianity" (a term I am using loosely here), is rapidly (and I mean rapidly), jumping on the the "Marriage Equality" bandwagon. They claim to use Scripture to back them up and consistently use ideals like God's love, Jesus' inclusiveness, and the call for Christians to be kind and loving to defend their position.

Unfortunately, it is gaining a lot steam and traction. Remember, no man is an island. Beliefs and persuasion spread like wildfire.

So what can be done? What should be done? We live in a culture governed more and more by emotion and desire. How do you combat that? And how do you do so in a way that resonates with those who need to hear it and forms a shield around those who need protection? How do we square the emotions and feelings of fellow human beings with the ideal of a perfect and Holy God?

Perhaps most importantly, how do we move forward in a rapidly changing world? What are the standards Christians are called to when, inevitably, we do have homosexual individuals and couples come through our doors? What is our response when family members or friends come out to us?

Hopefully, this post will help to answer some of those questions.

Actually...this post won't cover those things yet. This is going to end up being a multi-part series. I hope you stick with me through it. My goal will be to go through the main arguments for "Marriage Equality" and examine them through a Biblical perspective, and follow up by the "where do we go now" issues that we need to deal with. As Christians (Christ-followers), we have no option but to stick with what is revealed in Scripture. This means I will, on their face, reject in whole the arguments of people like Rob Bell who state: 
"I think culture is already there and the church will continue to be even more irrelevant when it quotes letters from 2,000 years ago as their best defense, when you have in front of you flesh-and-blood people who are your brothers and sisters, and aunts and uncles, and co-workers and neighbors, and they love each other and just want to go through life."
If a someone who calls themselves a Christian states that what God has spoken is irrelevant, then I not only must reject their statement, but their claim to Christianity as well. This may sound harsh or critical, but I fail to see how one claims to be a Christ-follower while at the same time rejecting what God has said. The Bible either is the inspired Word of God or it is not. Whether or not we believe that has an effect on whether or not we can claim to be followers of God.

As those who desire to follow Christ, it is must be our goal to follow God's Word. This means all of it. His Word on love, marriage, kindness, forgiveness, equality, everything. We either strive to follow all of it, or none of it. There is no room for picking what we like and want and putting away the rest. As I said, we either accept what God says or we do not. There is no middle ground on this point.

The next post will begin with the arguments those in the "pro" camp bring to the table. Again, please understand, I am after truth. Not feelings, not bigotry, not what I want. My goal (and what I believe the goal of all Christians should be), is to chase the truth in God's Word. This means putting ourselves aside and looking with clear lenses what God says about any given subject. The only way we can know what He says is through His Word. It is more than just "letters from 2,000 years ago." It is God's Truth revealed to us so that we can look more and more like Jesus every day.

And regardless of what conclusions are drawn, we are always called to love, kindness, charity and sincerity in all things. Easy and hard. Upsetting or gladdening.

All that said, here is the planned setup for these posts (obviously subject to change):
1. This one, the introduction :-)
2. Answering the arguments.
3. Where do we go from here?
4. The importance of love.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for 'follow God's Word. All of it.'
    Either it is His inspired word or it isn't.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for 'follow God's Word. All of it.'
    Either it is His inspired word or it isn't.

    ReplyDelete