Y'know, I am a resident of the state of Kansas. In two days, we are having a referrendum vote on adding a marriage amendment to the state constitution, that would define marriage as between a man and a woman.
For the record, I'm in favor of it and will vote for it. But that's not what this post is about.
This post is about not being a "gay-basher" -- and I wish I could come up with another phrase, but I cannot.
I precisely do not know how to best minister to those who live in a homosexual lifestyle. In fact, I'm not even sure I know how to get even close to best. But given the opportunity, I want to reach to everyone--so I guess I'll minister in a way that is not perfect, or even really close to perfect.
Ever heard the phrase "love the sinner and hate the sin?" Gay people hate that. It sounds like we, the "evangelicals" are "talking down to them." Because, by and large, we are.
Now I'm not saying that we should approve of the homosexual lifestyle. Just remember this: there's a lot of things that all of us have in our lifestyle that God doesn't necessarily like, yet He accepts us anyway.
Nancy Ortberg told me once that people tend to create in their minds the "A-Level Sins that are really bad" and the "B-Level Sins that aren't so bad" -- and guess what: we think the "A-Sins" are really bad and those are the ones that we don't do and the "B-Sins" that are bad but not really as bad are the ones that we do.
God doesn't classify "A and B sins" -- if we miss the mark, if we are not following his word, then that's sin.
Also, "looking down on someone" has a backfire effect: if we don't accept someone where they are then they won't accept us as we are.
So I hope and pray that we can all truly accept people where they are and perhaps in return then they could truly accept us where we are. Let us promote our beliefs of Christianity and have respect for others where they are.
For the record, I'm in favor of it and will vote for it. But that's not what this post is about.
This post is about not being a "gay-basher" -- and I wish I could come up with another phrase, but I cannot.
I precisely do not know how to best minister to those who live in a homosexual lifestyle. In fact, I'm not even sure I know how to get even close to best. But given the opportunity, I want to reach to everyone--so I guess I'll minister in a way that is not perfect, or even really close to perfect.
Ever heard the phrase "love the sinner and hate the sin?" Gay people hate that. It sounds like we, the "evangelicals" are "talking down to them." Because, by and large, we are.
Now I'm not saying that we should approve of the homosexual lifestyle. Just remember this: there's a lot of things that all of us have in our lifestyle that God doesn't necessarily like, yet He accepts us anyway.
Nancy Ortberg told me once that people tend to create in their minds the "A-Level Sins that are really bad" and the "B-Level Sins that aren't so bad" -- and guess what: we think the "A-Sins" are really bad and those are the ones that we don't do and the "B-Sins" that are bad but not really as bad are the ones that we do.
God doesn't classify "A and B sins" -- if we miss the mark, if we are not following his word, then that's sin.
Also, "looking down on someone" has a backfire effect: if we don't accept someone where they are then they won't accept us as we are.
So I hope and pray that we can all truly accept people where they are and perhaps in return then they could truly accept us where we are. Let us promote our beliefs of Christianity and have respect for others where they are.
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