I’d like to look at homosexuality today from the standpoint of the local church after looking at it from a political standpoint yesterday (post HERE).
A couple weeks ago I wrote a post on how Christians have been known to treat gays and lesbians and it got a pretty wide response. I looked at it from two different standpoints but I think they need to be somewhat isolated and looked at separately.
Please read today’s post with my post (link above) a few weeks ago in mind.
You could probably say that homosexuality already has, is, and will continue to divide Christians. Kurt and I were talking last week about how denominations and churches split over slavery and civil rights. We also talked about how the issue of churches having homosexual pastors will become a 21st century issue for the church like civil rights was in the 20th century.
Why? This isn’t just a no-big-deal issue to most Christians. This is an issue with very stark contrasts based on the Bible, as odd as that is. Both sides say the other is using poor hermeneutics and Bible study. Both sides say the other is misunderstanding the context of the verses where homosexuality is referenced. A great example of that is this post that goes into each Biblical reference to homosexuality in the Bible and then explains it in a pro-homosexuality way. He (meaning the writer of that post) and I would disagree on how he views the context in every instance but the point is that well educated, God fearing men and women are on both sides of this issue. It will divide the body, sadly.
My church recently got out of the PCUSA (the big Presbyterian denomination), in fact we are in the midst of a 90 day transition period. Let me first say that our reason for leaving has little to do with the PCUSA’s recent approval of some pro-gay pastorate amendments. Our process of leaving began long before of the passing of these amendments within the past couple years. But the PCUSA is a great example of where a lot of denominations and churches are going on this issue.
To me it seems very clear (as I said yesterday) that God designed marriage as between one man and one woman only. The Bible also seems to outline homosexuality as a sin and it also states that sexual sin is a dangerous one. It is not an outward sin, it is an inward sin. Dangerous indeed. But like I said a few weeks ago, it really isn’t any different any other sexual sin.
My problem is this: if churches and denominations are going to allow homosexual pastors we might as well encourage pastors to have affairs and to promote marital pluralism. It would be no different. Just as much as the Bible speaks to homosexuality and adultery as sexual sin, it also speaks to the importance of church leadership having a higher calling.
A church can love and respect people living homosexual lives and do so without having pastors living that lifestyle.
For me, the road churches are going down regarding this is frightening. It promotes equality for sure, but it also promotes sin.
OK, my rant is done.
