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Homophobia Church
Posted under Church, Diversity, anxiety, fear, homophobia, institutions, same sex by FPeatrossThere’s a subculture within mainstream society today that is extremely antagonistic toward communities of faith because they perceive them as oppressive, homophobic institutions. I’m part of that Christian community and I love God’s people, but I’m also brave enough to stand up and admit that at times the church has been homophobic, unjust, and downright mean.
Do we extend grace to the people who have tasted the pain of divorce? Do we show grace to people who are divorced and remarried, an area Jesus specifically called sin? If so, then how do we not show grace to people in a sexual relationship that Jesus never mentions?
If we’re going to stamp out the lingering antagonism and have any legitimacy to speak out on the issue of marriage, it will have to come out of the reality of our lives, not simply our doctrine.
Here’s a thought.
Is the church brave enough to step out of the box and champion the call for justice on behalf of gay and lesbian people? If we stand on the other side of the aisle and allow discrimination against homosexuals and lesbians to continue without a hand raised or a voice uttered, we’ll find it’s difficult to say convincingly, “But we love you in the name of Jesus.”
To show the love of God we must stand up for the civil rights of those whose orientation is homosexual on the basis of discrimination. When we stand with them they’ll see us as their friend. It’s not compromise, neither is it a statement that says we have bought into homosexual eroticism. We simply recognize that discrimination is wrong and stand with them on the matter.
When we minister to this growing population of God’s creation, in that setting, and on their turf, we’re going to be surrounded by people not living the biblical ideal. I don’t affirm that, but neither do I condemn them.
Part of the discussion is why we need to make “sexual orientation” part of our constitution of protected rights. When you begin to get such a narrow view protected rights, you need to also champion justice for polygamy and same sex marriages. What people do in private is between them and God. To make it a political and legal issue is a whole different ball of wax. If it is an issue of discrimination, I assume you would have no problem with a gay pastor. You would not have the right to say he/she coul;d not be hired (or fired) based on their sexual orientation.
When you champion such a personal issue, where do you draw the line? Is that much different than saying, “Let’s champion legalizing prostitution because we want them to know we love them…” or what about legalizing drugs. I am asking what are the core issues of personal rights and whether we should include “sexual orientation” as one of them. It is not about whether we agree with their choices or not. There are already laws against violence and libel and slander. I wish there were laws against stupidity, but then we all would have a record… I am referring to those who think that their view/opinion is the only one that counts. A lot of people rail against the church. I have seen athiests and secular governments do some pretty horrible things - it is a joke to think we Christians have a corner on innapropriate behavior… I digress…
I live in Canada. Sexual orientation is one of our protected rights. Homosexuals have the right to practise what they want, but they didn’t need a law to affirm that. Personal rights, though, extend only so far as they infringe on someone else’s personal rights. How democratic is it for the government to begin to set laws about each and every personal right? Do we need the government to tell us our rights? I would suggest other ways to show a group of people the love of Jesus.
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