Showing posts with label Homosexuality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Homosexuality. Show all posts
11.20.2009
8.24.2009
Can a Practicing Homosexual Be a Christian?
The narrative that has been constructed within Christian communities to address homosexuality often suggests, even if only implicitly, that homosexuality is somehow different from other sins. Yes, I do believe that homosexuality is a sin, but I do not see it as being different from any other sin. The Bible is clear on this; anyone who completes an open-minded, exhaustive study of the Biblical position on the practice of homosexuality cannot deny that the Bible counts homosexuality as a sin. That said, does the Bible really deal with homosexuality more seriously than it does any other sin?
I think this question is absurd. Can a practicing homosexual be a Christian? Really, that's the question we want answered? Well, can a practicing liar be a Christian? Can a heterosexual man who lusts after a beautiful woman be a Christian? Can someone who is greedy be a Christian? What about someone who places their career ahead of their family on their list of priorities, can they be Christian?
We have no means of knowing with certainty who is among the elect and who isn't, so it's absurd to me to ask questions like whether or not practicing homosexuals can be Christians. For me this question can be answered with a question, "Do the elect sin?" The answer? Of course they do. But Christ has paid their debt in full for their sin and that debt is no longer chargeable to them.
In this way I think Mac Arthur is misguided to make such a statement as, "Homosexuals will not inherit the Kingdom of God." Of course that's true, just as a liar shall not inherit the Kingdom of God and nor shall a gossip, a cheat, a thief, or an adulterer; and the reason is because the righteousness of Jesus is placed upon all who, by the grace of God, believe in the deity of our King and Savior Jesus Christ. Our sin, the sin of the gossip and of the homosexual, if one has received the gift of salvation, is wiped away by the blood of Christ. The believer's old life, in which he was enslaved to his sin, has died away and he has received a new life in Christ, and thus is justified in the eyes of God as an inheritor of the Kingdom of God.
As Christians we need to recognize our tendency to single out certain sins as intolerable while tolerating others, seemingly based on the level of "ickyness" we feel about a particular sinful lifestyle. All sin separates us from God and without Jesus we're all walking around dead in our trespasses. We are called by Christ to share the Good News with everyone and singling out homosexuality as something unforgivable is not going to help the effort to share the gospel with the gay community. Let's stop focusing on the wrong questions, start doing battle with all sin, and begin sharing the love of Christ with all unrepentant sinners! Amen?
7.14.2009
Episcopal Church moves to mainstream gays and lesbians
The Episcopal Church has moved decisively closer to full acceptance of gay men and lesbians, taking steps toward recognizing same-sex marriage and gay bishops.
Gene Robinson is the Episcopal Church's first -- and so far only -- openly gay bishop.
A key committee voted overwhelmingly Monday to start putting together blessings to be used in same-sex marriages, the church's official newspaper reported.
Separately, the House of Bishops voted by a wide margin to allow gays and lesbians to become bishops, Episcopal Life reported.
Both measures must be approved by the church's General Convention before taking effect, but expert Mark Silk said there is "little reason" to think the changes will not "sail through."
"They basically decided to move forward on all fronts with regularizing the status of gays and lesbians within the church," said Silk, director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College in Connecticut.
The Episcopal Church created controversy in 2003 with its decision to ordain Gene Robinson, who is openly gay, as a bishop. The move raised the possibility of a split within the worldwide Anglican Church, the third-largest Christian denomination with about 70 million members around the world.
The Episcopal Church -- the U.S. branch of the Anglican Church -- has not ordained another openly gay bishop since Robinson.
"The decision has been to kind of chill out on a bunch of things," Silk told CNN.
But Monday's vote ends what had been, in effect, a moratorium, he said.
It was the Episcopal Church saying that "this wasn't an anomaly when we elected Gene Robinson. We affirm that partnered gay people do have callings [to be clergy] and we have to recognize them.
"It is bringing the church's position in line with the civil society's," Silk said.
Should the church's position be line with civil society's? Or should the church's position be line with the Bible?
HT: CNN
5.02.2009
‘Homosexual lifestyle, marriage cause families pain’
By Karl Schowengerdt
This April marked our 47th wedding anniversary. My wife, Judy, and I have been blessed with an enduring love that has brought us through the ups and downs of nearly five decades together. We raised three wonderful children, and now enjoy being grandparents. Ours has in many ways been a storybook life. The single most tragic event in our years together has been the untimely death of our oldest son, Randy.
Our firstborn was a blessing that brought so much joy into our lives. He was extremely smart, he participated in extracurricular activities, graduated with many honors and went on to college.
After college, he moved to Omaha and took a job. It was while he was living in Omaha that one of Randy's co-workers recruited him into the homosexual "lifestyle." We loved our son as much as any parents have ever loved a son. Even when we became aware of his homosexuality, we assured him of our love. That is not to say that we condoned or accepted what we knew to be a dangerous "lifestyle," but we always maintained our relationship with the son we had raised and the man we prayed would be delivered from homosexuality. When we discovered that Randy was sick, we invited him to come home to seek medical attention. We suspected the worst, but hoped for anything else. Either way, we wanted to help our son and see his health restored. We knew the tests would leave no doubt, but there simply are no words to describe the pain of hearing your firstborn say, "Dad, I'm HIV positive."
As a parent, nothing can prepare you for the loss of a child to a terminal illness. It's somehow worse when that illness resulted from your child's reckless decision and his own actions. Witnessing the daily physical deterioration of our son caused great pain and sadness to us as parents and on the extended family as well. It was interesting to note that once Randy was diagnosed HIV positive, the homosexual community who had actively recruited him and had claimed to be his "family" were nowhere to be found. As his health declined, he spoke frankly about the homosexual experience. Randy said, "It is not an alternate lifestyle. It is a cult."
For years, my wife and I have watched the media and homosexual activists work together to redefine family and marriage in our society. The consistent message has been that homosexual "marriage" will hurt no one, and that those of us who support marriage only between one man and one woman will not be impacted. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our hearts go out to people caught up in homosexuality. The destruction and pain that homosexuality leaves in its wake is deep and impacts so many more than just the individuals caught up in the activity.
We now know several other couples who are struggling with a son who chose to engage in homosexuality. We know the pain they endure, and understand when they reach out for help. One person's homosexuality causes stress and strain on every friend and relative who truly cares about them. For the Iowa Supreme Court to sanction homosexual "marriage" is to encourage and underwrite the negative results that naturally come from the homosexual "lifestyle." Aside from the physical destruction inflicted on those who practice homosexuality and the incredible stress homosexuals cause their extended families, society often pays a hefty price as well. Randy lost his job when he was no longer strong enough to work. With the loss of that job, he lost his ability to insure himself. As a result, you the taxpayer paid for more than $250,000 in medical bills for this one AIDS patient.
For those still uncertain about homosexual "marriage," please understand that the more accepting we are of homosexuality as a society, the more likely it is that your family, and society in general, will suffer the pain that ultimately results. Homosexuality took the life of our son. We oppose homosexuality and homosexual "marriage" in the hope that we might help another family avoid the pain that we have endured.
HT: Des Moines Register
This April marked our 47th wedding anniversary. My wife, Judy, and I have been blessed with an enduring love that has brought us through the ups and downs of nearly five decades together. We raised three wonderful children, and now enjoy being grandparents. Ours has in many ways been a storybook life. The single most tragic event in our years together has been the untimely death of our oldest son, Randy.
Our firstborn was a blessing that brought so much joy into our lives. He was extremely smart, he participated in extracurricular activities, graduated with many honors and went on to college.
After college, he moved to Omaha and took a job. It was while he was living in Omaha that one of Randy's co-workers recruited him into the homosexual "lifestyle." We loved our son as much as any parents have ever loved a son. Even when we became aware of his homosexuality, we assured him of our love. That is not to say that we condoned or accepted what we knew to be a dangerous "lifestyle," but we always maintained our relationship with the son we had raised and the man we prayed would be delivered from homosexuality. When we discovered that Randy was sick, we invited him to come home to seek medical attention. We suspected the worst, but hoped for anything else. Either way, we wanted to help our son and see his health restored. We knew the tests would leave no doubt, but there simply are no words to describe the pain of hearing your firstborn say, "Dad, I'm HIV positive."
As a parent, nothing can prepare you for the loss of a child to a terminal illness. It's somehow worse when that illness resulted from your child's reckless decision and his own actions. Witnessing the daily physical deterioration of our son caused great pain and sadness to us as parents and on the extended family as well. It was interesting to note that once Randy was diagnosed HIV positive, the homosexual community who had actively recruited him and had claimed to be his "family" were nowhere to be found. As his health declined, he spoke frankly about the homosexual experience. Randy said, "It is not an alternate lifestyle. It is a cult."
For years, my wife and I have watched the media and homosexual activists work together to redefine family and marriage in our society. The consistent message has been that homosexual "marriage" will hurt no one, and that those of us who support marriage only between one man and one woman will not be impacted. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our hearts go out to people caught up in homosexuality. The destruction and pain that homosexuality leaves in its wake is deep and impacts so many more than just the individuals caught up in the activity.
We now know several other couples who are struggling with a son who chose to engage in homosexuality. We know the pain they endure, and understand when they reach out for help. One person's homosexuality causes stress and strain on every friend and relative who truly cares about them. For the Iowa Supreme Court to sanction homosexual "marriage" is to encourage and underwrite the negative results that naturally come from the homosexual "lifestyle." Aside from the physical destruction inflicted on those who practice homosexuality and the incredible stress homosexuals cause their extended families, society often pays a hefty price as well. Randy lost his job when he was no longer strong enough to work. With the loss of that job, he lost his ability to insure himself. As a result, you the taxpayer paid for more than $250,000 in medical bills for this one AIDS patient.
For those still uncertain about homosexual "marriage," please understand that the more accepting we are of homosexuality as a society, the more likely it is that your family, and society in general, will suffer the pain that ultimately results. Homosexuality took the life of our son. We oppose homosexuality and homosexual "marriage" in the hope that we might help another family avoid the pain that we have endured.
HT: Des Moines Register
4.28.2009
When Friends Seek a Church That Won't Disrupt Their Lifestyle
How should a Christian respond to a friend who has entered a homosexual relationship and moved to a church that accepts his lifestyle? Listen to or read John Piper's response to this important question.
HT: Desiring God
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