Homosexuality Round 2

This blog is a follow up to a blog that I posted on Myspace. The blog ranked #2 in myspace's "Religion and Philosophy" category. I found it to be facinating and you may want to read it first. Oh, and what was facinating was the responses, not the blog itself... which may be the case here, too.

I tell you the truth... the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ----Jesus, Matthew 21:31

I think that there are two questions that unchurched people ask most often about Churches. Question 1: "What do you think about other religions?" - or some variation. Question 2: "What do you think about Homosexuality?" - or some variation.

I struggle with writing down any sort of response on this topic. I don't have all the answers, I haven't discovered the formula to minister to the gay community. I, like most people, sense the tension over the topic and I'd rather not live in the tension - sometimes. I think God has called me (and Axis, my church) to be open to dialogue on a variety of issues.

WHAT'S A GOOD QUESTION?
The Question isn't, "Should we let homosexuals into our churches?" - they are already here.

A good question is, "Are we going to let them talk about it?". Another good question is "What is a healthy response?"

UNIQUELY UNABLE?
Do you tell a gay person that they are uniquely unable to receive God's grace? Pornography, materialism, gluttony, greed, murder, rage, lustful heterosexual thoughts - Jesus died to sanctify people with those struggles. Is somehow homosexuality unique among the list?

GAY PERSON: "Am I going to hell because I'm in love him/her?"

JOE: "First of all, I'm not the one who judges who goes to Hell and who doesn't, but I can tell you with certainly that you won't go to Hell for loving someone"

GAY IN GOD'S EYES?
I don't think that God sees people as "Gay". God created humanity with more dimensions than sexual expression or attraction. In God's eyes, you are more than just your sexual attractions. I think that the church (and me sometimes) has polarized the issue.

IS BEING GAY A SIN?
The scriptures indicates that homosexual sex is not God's will. Here are some scriptures for you to consider. Genesis 1:27-8; 2:18-24; 19:4-9, Leviticus 18:22; 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, I Corinthians 6:9-10, I Timothy 1:9-10.

BORN GAY?
Some studies indicate that homosexuality is not a choice. Genetic studies have been inconclusive either way. In rats, late pregnancy trauma causes low testosterone in the brain of the male babies, but that doesn't explain females. Some people note lack of nurture of males by fathers as a source of homosexuality. Sexual abuse has ties in many cases. Psychosocial influences and and biophysical influences may play a part. Evidence for the source of homosexuality points to a variety of reasons... no simple single cause seems apparent.

Many gay people that I've talked to would not choose the same-sex attraction if they could choose.


GOD HATES HOMOSEXUALS AND I'M DOOMED TO HELL:
Homosexual sex is not the unforgivable sin. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. God doesn't condemn people for being in a state that they didn't choose. Many things in life happen by no choice of ours. Rape. Mental Illness. A bent toward Alcoholism, addictions or even rage might be a product of upbringing or even genetics. Clearly our world isn't fair. My answer would be "NO, I don't think that a person is condemned because of ANY predisposition"

Even if you don't seem to be able to choose your sexual attraction, you can choose your sexual action.... we ALL have a choice whether or not to have sex or not.


IS BEING GAY ABNORMAL?
Only in the sense that none of us are as God originally intended us to be.


THE "LEADER IN CHURCH" QUESTION:
I think the only reason a gay person wouldn't be allowed to lead in a church is the same reason that a heterosexual person wouldn't be allowed to lead... because they aren't willing to follow Christ.

If a heterosexual person is engaged in sexual activity outside of their own marriage, then they aren't going to be effective leaders... and won't be asked to lead at church. This topic melts into the whole "Marriage as a man and woman" issue, which we won't get into today.

Leaders should be following Christ in their sexual actions, this includes wrong heterosexual acts and homosexual acts.


CHURCH TODAY:
If we don't choose to live with whatever tension arises then people will be forced to choose between being loved and accepted in the gay community or being isolated and alone in the church.

Let's not make this as much about being gay or not, but rather about how to be human as God intended.


Special thanks to John Burke, author of No Perfect People Allowed.