I wonder...

Before I jump into this post, BEWARE. I'm gonna ruffle some feathers. In fact, this is probably going to make some people angry. If you don't want your feathers ruffled, exit your browser. If you don't mind, know that I'm not trying to upset you, but that could very well be a by-product. (I'm about to pull a Rob Bell and destroy my question mark key.)

Last chance... ;)


In recent days, weeks, and months, I've seen one 'issue,' one topic take the forefront of our attention as a nation. That being the issue of homosexuality. In today's society where most people would say that we are freer than ever; in a society where most people would say that we have eliminated, or at least have nearly eliminated oppression in America; it seems that there is one group of people who have not experienced such freedom. Recently I saw a PSA by several Phoenix Suns players whose message was essentially "It's not ok to use the word 'gay' to mean stupid, dumb, weak etc..." I was watching with a friend who after the ad says to me, "well that was just gay." He wasn't joking.

In Dan Kimball's book "unChristian" he says that to the non-believer, one of the chief descriptions of the church is anti-homosexual. OUCH. It is easy to be defensive to this claim, but for a moment, let down your defenses and just let that idea sink in. Christians, who serve a God whose chief characteristic is love, are often seen by the culture as anti-homosexual. We are seen as unloving- further still- hateful toward an entire portion of society. How has this happened? Is not the bible rife with exhortations to love those who are different? To protect the oppressed? To love the neighbor as the self? The honest question must be asked then, how did we get to this point?

I am certainly not an expert and do not claim to be; however, I wonder if the idea 'hate the sin love the sinner' has so permeated our thinking that we do not see how it has blinded us. Is it really possible for us fallen human beings to dissect one from the other? Especially if we think that a person is defined by their sin? It is important for us to realize that every human being is created in the image of God, loved by him dearly, and desperately in need of him. I believe that it is inevitable for us to merge the two, and lose track of loving the person in the midst of hating what they do, and (to us) who they are.

I wonder if in 50 or a 100 years the church will look back at us, much the way we look back at the pro-slavery church and mourn that we ignored scripture in the pursuit of doing what we think scripture says. Certainly there are aspects of homosexuality that as Christians we cannot condone, but does that exempt us from loving the homosexual? To take it a step further, should we discard everything from the homosexual culture? Why are we willing to looking for glory in certain communities and not others?

Perhaps you wonder if I'm blowing this out of proportion, asking yourself if this is really THAT big of a deal? I think the answer is yes. How can we effectively show love to someone while simultaneously attempting to suppress their civil liberties? Ought we, who live in a society where freedom is our cornerstone attempt to deny rights to those who we don't believe deserve them? In a country where we declare "all men are created equal, endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, among whom are the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" can we selectively decide who this does and does not apply to?

Maybe you wonder if I'm making this up. Does this really happen? Christians aren't anti-homosexual, are they? Yes. It does. And often, Yes we are. Our churches have isolated the (supposed) sin of homosexuality and put it at the pinnacle of 'sin-ranking.' Christian schools have put by-laws in place making it permissible to dismiss students who "come out of the closet." Christians lead the assault against homosexual rights, including marriage, adoption, school clubs/rights for various reasons. How can we be an effective witness to those we condemn from the pulpit? When our pastors use incendiary rhetoric against homosexuality, and those in a homosexual lifestyle, what does that do to their (and our) credibility in claiming to love the neighbor?

Jesus came and hung out with those who society deemed 'unclean,' prostitutes, and tax collectors. When did we decide that we can isolate ourselves from those who are different, a 'threat' to our way of life, and an opponent to our belief systems? Are we losing our saltiness and dimming our light if we stand against, not for our neighbor?


For a great book on this subject check out Christopher Yuan's book "Out of a far country."

Soli Deo Gloria