Walking a fine line
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bishops15nov15,1,6913815.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&ctrack=1&cset=true
Catholic Bishops want churches to support gays and lesbians, but would prefer they abstain from acting on homosexual tendencies.
Church denominations - Catholic, Mainline and Protestant - are having to walk a thin line these days in regard to homosexuality, and it's a line that's easy to step away from especially given that we're fallable. It's a line that says, "we cannot condone homosexual acts, but we accept and welcome you as a person."
While at first blush it may not seem like a problem. For instance, if you consider homosexual acts a sin like, say, gossiping or getting drunk, then Christians clearly are called to love the drunkard, gossip, homosexual, etc.
But if you don't consider homosexual acts a sin - like most homosexuals, certainly - that's where the rub comes in: If you don't think what you're doing is a sin, but others think you're commiting a sin every time you sleep with someone of the same sex and then try to tell you they love you even though they think you're sinning, you're not likely to take too kindly to their want to love you. It feels kind of like a back-handed sort of love. That's because you feel as if that someone, who, in one breath, can tell you they love you and, in the same breath, tell you you're sinning if you engage in homosexuality even though you don't think it's wrong, is talking out of two sides of his/her mouth. Make sense?
On the other hand, if you're a person who recognizes what you're doing is wrong - like being a drunkard or being a gossip - and others tell you it's wrong but continue to truly love you like a brother anyway, then it doesn't seem so bad that they're telling you you're sinning. That's because they seem more genuine and willing to look at the sins they've committed without being condemning toward you - it's kind of like the whole 'plank in your neighbor's eye' story that Christ tells.
So how do Christ followers walk this thin line? I submit that from the perspective of homosexuals who don't believe sleeping with others of the same sex is wrong, it's nearly an impossible line to walk. Many will always accuse you of hatred and bigotry because you view something as wrong that they don't consider wrong.
So what's a good Christ follower to do? I say, love them more. Love them like you would yourself, since you yourself were or may still be a gossiper, a drunkard, adulterer or what have you. Extend grace, like you would want others to extend you grace. Be like Christ, the one who ate and associated with everyone and anyone and excluded no one. There's no doubt he was honest - he called a spade a spade and a sinner a sinner, including you - but he also hung out with everyone, loved them, gave himself to them. And that, I think, is all Christ expects his followers to do. How hard can it be?
Catholic Bishops want churches to support gays and lesbians, but would prefer they abstain from acting on homosexual tendencies.
Church denominations - Catholic, Mainline and Protestant - are having to walk a thin line these days in regard to homosexuality, and it's a line that's easy to step away from especially given that we're fallable. It's a line that says, "we cannot condone homosexual acts, but we accept and welcome you as a person."
While at first blush it may not seem like a problem. For instance, if you consider homosexual acts a sin like, say, gossiping or getting drunk, then Christians clearly are called to love the drunkard, gossip, homosexual, etc.
But if you don't consider homosexual acts a sin - like most homosexuals, certainly - that's where the rub comes in: If you don't think what you're doing is a sin, but others think you're commiting a sin every time you sleep with someone of the same sex and then try to tell you they love you even though they think you're sinning, you're not likely to take too kindly to their want to love you. It feels kind of like a back-handed sort of love. That's because you feel as if that someone, who, in one breath, can tell you they love you and, in the same breath, tell you you're sinning if you engage in homosexuality even though you don't think it's wrong, is talking out of two sides of his/her mouth. Make sense?
On the other hand, if you're a person who recognizes what you're doing is wrong - like being a drunkard or being a gossip - and others tell you it's wrong but continue to truly love you like a brother anyway, then it doesn't seem so bad that they're telling you you're sinning. That's because they seem more genuine and willing to look at the sins they've committed without being condemning toward you - it's kind of like the whole 'plank in your neighbor's eye' story that Christ tells.
So how do Christ followers walk this thin line? I submit that from the perspective of homosexuals who don't believe sleeping with others of the same sex is wrong, it's nearly an impossible line to walk. Many will always accuse you of hatred and bigotry because you view something as wrong that they don't consider wrong.
So what's a good Christ follower to do? I say, love them more. Love them like you would yourself, since you yourself were or may still be a gossiper, a drunkard, adulterer or what have you. Extend grace, like you would want others to extend you grace. Be like Christ, the one who ate and associated with everyone and anyone and excluded no one. There's no doubt he was honest - he called a spade a spade and a sinner a sinner, including you - but he also hung out with everyone, loved them, gave himself to them. And that, I think, is all Christ expects his followers to do. How hard can it be?
posted by Jeno at
12:29 PM
1 Comments:
If you are truely a born again changed christian that calling a spade a spade is much easier because the Holy Spirit has gone about sweeping clean the old soul. You now abhor the sin but find new compassion for the one who still has the scales over the eyes. It's up to us only to plant the seed...God will give the increase.
By
Anonymous, at 11:33 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home