A fellow bogger, Steve McCoy posted an article on his blog a couple of days ago titled, "I Am Gay Friendly" by Christi Avanat that got me to thinking. To read the article go to http://www.stevekmccoy.com/sbc/2005/07/on_being_gay_fr.html
Being the pastor of a church that meets in a movie theater, has a full band, relaxed atmosphere, and welcoming spirit, we tend to attract people from all walks of life, including homosexuals open about their lifestyle. Many of you reading this have never been in this situation or at least you didn’t know that there may have been homosexuals attending your church. When most pastors think of someone who is homosexual attending their church, they cringe and start thinking how will they oust this person. That brings me the title for this blog; it shouldn’t be Should Christians Love Homosexuals, but Should Christians Love and Embrace Homosexuals.
It is easy for believers to say yes I love the person, but I hate the sin. That statement has been seared into our conscience. Let me say upfront that I believe based on scripture that homosexuality is a sin and is a lifestyle choice that displeases God. If my goal on earth is to follow Jesus’ teaching and life, then not only will I love homosexuals, but I will embrace them as well. Don’t read into that sentence what is not there. I must embrace them as Christ would embrace them – to love them and to share the truth with them. I did not say embrace the lifestyle and sin of that lifestyle, but embrace the person.
About the homosexuals that attended our church. In early 2004, when the Episcopal church was debating on homosexual priests in their denomination our worship leader made mention that we needed to pray for those leaders in that denomination that they would not embrace that lifestyle into their ledaership. I received an email from a young lady who was disturbed about that prayer request and our stand on homosexuality as a church. In love I shared with her the biblical reason for our stand and invited and encouraged her to continue to attend our church, but shared that my goal would be for her to leave the homosexual lifestyle and seek repentance and forgiveness from Christ. Unfortunately, this young lady believed that she was genetically predisposed to the homosexual lifestyle and could not accept our stand on the issue. Her and her friends left our church a few weeks later. I have tried to make contact since via email, but with no response.
I believe that Christians must love and embrace others who live a homosexual lifestyle. There are members of my extended family who are homosexual and I love them, but do not embrace their choice. I want to end with a personal tragic story. I had a brother-in-law through my wife’s sister who was a great guy and we thought a model husband. Not long after their marriage, my sister-in-law discovered that R. had been viewing gay pornography over the internet and decided that he was gay. Divorce happened and R. began frequenting homosexual hangouts in his hometown. I remember the day my wife received the call from her Dad that R. had been found beaten to death in the trunk of his car at a local homosexual hang out.
I know from experience the guilt, frustration, and mixed up emotions that homosexuals have in regard to theor lifestyle. Many want out of the lifestyle and don’t remember how they entered it. For more information go to http://www.exodus-international.org/default.asp