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Monday, March 29, 2010

Memo to a Homophobe

This post has been simmering in my thoughts for a while and a couple of recent conversations have finally made it boil over and steam up my blog. Take caution.

In the past seventy-two hours I have heard two Christians on separate occasions call gays “queer” and suggest that they may be pedophilic. (Excuse me while I throw up.) This is the kind of thing that makes me embarrassed to align myself with chrischuns and makes us more persecuted than necessary. Jesus said, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake.” Last I checked, name-calling, insulting, shunning, snubbing, profiling and stereotyping are not righteous.

I know some gay people and they are very kind. Matter of fact, I could totally be friends with the likes of Ellen DeGeneres (don’t you dare play games with her last name) and Rosie O’Donnell. Admittedly, I’m not a TV watcher and don’t know all the details of their lives, but from what little I’ve seen, those women seem fun and funny. I’d rather spend time with them any day than with a bunch of dried-up religious prudes or hypocrites who separate themselves from gays and their TV shows, yet spend hours watching trashy heterosexual back-seat behavior, violence and swearing to boot. Pharisees aren’t “fair, you see.” (Did you know the New Testament Greek word for Pharisee is “separate?” Selah.)

Besides, Jesus likes Ellen and Rosie. If that bothers you, you don't like Jesus. You just think you do. Re-read the New Testament. It was the religious He condemned daily in the temple; after that He enjoyed the company of His sinner friends in their heathen homes--not excusing their sin, but setting them free from destructive lifestyles of every kind, loving them to the Truth. (If you've never cracked open the New Testament, I challenge you to read about this God-Man called Jesus and see if you don't fall in love with Him.)

If you are still reading this, you may wonder what my stance, as a professing fundamaniacal Jesus freak, is on homosexuality. I don’t believe it was God’s intent, and I believe the Bible clearly condemns it (for good and loving reasons, but that's another post). But that has nothing but nothing but nothing but nothing but nothing but NOTHING to do with how I view or treat gays. If the sin factor plays such an important role in choosing your friendships, you should have nothing to do with me.

11 comments:

gaileh718 said...

Well, you won't be losing me as a friend over this. I say yes, and amen to what you wrote. I know that I am not in any position to be casting a stone at anyone. Jesus commands us to love EVERYONE, not just the ones that make us comfortable. I agree that gays can be some of the most kind people out there in the world. Love on them with the love of Jesus!

Juli said...

Amen! While I struggle with the how to hate the sin and love the sinner, it frustrates me when I'm "supposed to" shun people b/c their sins are "public" or not one of the acceptable sins. Thanks for sticking to the scriptures and being honest with the lukewarm righteous.

Daniel said...

At the risk of sounding like a fanatic (worlds word not mine)
I would like to give a loud
AMEN to that.

I could not have said it better.

Jesus is definatly proud of you this day.

Anonymous said...

You say always treat people like you'd like to be
I guess you love being hated for your sexuality
You love when people put words in your mouth
About what you believe
Make you sound like a freak

'Cause if you really believed
What you say you believe
You wouldn't be so damned reckless
With the words you speak
You wouldn't silently consent
When the liars speak
Denying all the dying of the remedy

Tell me, brother what matters more to you
Tell me, sister what matters more to you

If I can see what's in your heart
By what comes out of your mouth
Then it sure looks to me like being straight
Is all it's about
It looks like being hated
For all the wrong things
Like chasing the wind
While the pendulum swings

'Cause we can talk and debate
Till we're blue in the face
About the language and tradition
That He's coming to save
And meanwhile we sit
Just like we don't have give a shit about
Fifty thousand people who are dying today

Tell me, brother what matters more to you
Tell me, sister what matters more to you

- Derek Webb

Jayce said...

I thought your sin was the reason I moved to Indiana in the first place!

Oh, burn!

:]

gigimae101 said...

Well call me a "freak lover" because I have friends that are all in the closet about at least one sin in their life that they don't want made public. My dad has told me that I love the un-love-able well so did Jesus.

gigimae101 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
CCK Media said...

I call this the plank and speck problem. In my old church it was not homosexuals, it was unwed mothers who got the wrap. Those irresponsible, living off my tax dollars women who needed to be sterilized so they didn't have yet another love child.

I fumed at this characterization. How dare they, when most of these teen moms had been denied the father they so desperately needed. Besides, save grace, I could have easily been in their shoes.

Then in the next breath they were angry yet again about abortion! I'm a very, check that VERY pro-life Christian, but you cannot be pro-life and anti-children. We are to take care of the widows and orphans, and these women are sometimes both.

I say yank the ships hull out of your own eye, so you can clearly see what you are condemning. Truth be told, I have to do this daily, as I sit here condemning the condemner.

Anonymous said...

I had missed this one. I really, really appreciate it. <3
MB (still not getting into my own account. phooey.)

Mary said...

Well said!!

Anonymous said...

Well my son is gay and has been struggling to do what says in the bible. He feels guilty about him being gay. At the beginning when I found out I went beserk and through him out the house. That night he came back to apologize and I cried and told him he had nothing to apologize for. I love him so much.