I felt compelled to respond to Jonathan's comment about evidence of instances where Christians have displayed kindness to the children of same-sex couples.
My immediate thought would be to point out the obvious; that if you're looking for an unbiased "news accounts" of the terms "gay/lesbian" or "Christian" used with positive connotation, you're not likely to find them. Most of our western news today chooses not to report on acts of humility, but to accentuate the negative in our society, regardless of group affiliation. Anyone who strives to live according to the teachings of Christ and the sermon on the mount lifestyle would not be documenting their good deeds, as that is the opposite of humility, which is at the core of the faith in which they subscribe. And any news source reporting on something positive relating to these two groups (which in and of themselves have become their own catchphrases that take on caricature-like meaning) is most likely from a group that is like-minded; meaning Christian new sources are likely to report on the successes and positivity of their group, likewise gay and lesbian news sources. In short, if someone were to provide you with documented examples of specifically how Christians have shown the love of Christ to children of same sex households, you probably couldn't hold any stock in them because the very idea cancels out the humility needed to carry out these acts of kindness. Are there exceptions out there that cast Christians in a positive light that are not reported from Christian news sources? Sure. But the very idea that Christians must go around documenting the goodness of their deeds for the purposes of convincing others is hypocritical in and of itself.
But the real point here is not to confuse the kindness of Christians with the kindness of Christ. Just as there are a plethora of homosexuals who believe in and act out in perverse ways, there are Christians who do the same. Clumping together ever person who exhorts themselves "Christian" and applying the actions of all of those inclusively would be just as inaccurate and inappropriate as clumping all of the homosexual community together, making each accountable for the actions and words of the worst among them. I am more offended when I see someone use the mantle of Christianity in an un-Christ-like way than I am when I hear of some perverse action or word from someone who is homosexual - because it's personal then, someone is potentially representing ME in ways I don't subscribe to.
Christianity is represented in our society in so many conflicting ways that many outside are rightfully confused about its true face. But the reality is, is that if you expect to find an example of perfect Christianity in any person on earth today, you are looking in the wrong place and will not be able to find it in its fullness. The knowledge of God as revealed in the bible cannot be attained through intellectual interpretation; but rather, requires spiritual revelation through the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, to understand. Jonathan, there are many people who call themselves Christians who act in ways that do not honor the beliefs they supposedly subscribe to, and there are many who have only an intellectual understanding of and moral obligation to Christianity - but even the most devout and dedicated Christian falls short of displaying the full grace that belief in Jesus Christ affords them. And that is the point. You see, Christianity isn't about a moral code and list of do's and don't's to live by, it's not about group of people that use religion as a blanket for personal hatred and bigotry (although I understand that that is only face of Christianity many people see); but rather, Christianity is about the worship of one man, Jesus Christ, who is full God and fully man - it is about the revelation of who he is and what he did to offer all of humanity a way to be reunited with the uncreated God, and it's about the transformative effect that a true revelation of the love of God brings to your life.
Mankind is fallen and broken as a result of sin; but most importantly, our sin is what keeps us separated from God. It dulls our spiritual capacity to receive love and knowledge from him. Those of us who are able to get a handle on that and in faith, set our hearts to submit to the will of God are able to establish a connection to God. His love and wisdom and knowledge are perfect, and the more he reveals to us, the more overwhelmed and humbled we are by him. But as he begins to reveal his heart to you, you have a choice to set your heart to obey the truths he shows you or not to obey. And the decision you make directly affects your ability to keep that connection open and alive and growing. Notice I didn't say "when you obey perfectly", but when you set your heart to obey. He knows we are unable to keep our commitment to obey without his intervention; but it is only through our willingness to admit our inadequacies and in humility, pray for his help do we succeed in our efforts. And this commitment has to be reaffirmed every moment of every day of our lives. It sounds like a miserable existence, constantly trying to attain a level of perfection that we can't possibly attain in this age - and for many Christians who have committed with their minds and not their hearts - it is. But nothing could be further from the truth; because when you are lovesick for God, your weakness is replaced by his strength and you are able to empty yourself to allow his endless love flow through you to others. Love your enemies. Serve your neighbors. Exalt others, not yourself. Share the good news of the healing and transforming power of God's love. This is Christianity. Hate is not a byproduct of Christianity, but is a weakness of our flesh and a tool of the devil. God's word teaches us to hate the sin, but love the sinner. So if you are the recipient of a Christian's hate of homosexual sin projected in a non-Christ-like way, that is a fault of that individual, not of Christianity. It is in those moments we are called to forgive and love, because we too fall short.
So I cannot and will not attempt to go into detail about where and in what context God's word says that homosexuality is a sin, because I can tell you my opinions all day but what matters is the truth, and that truth can only be revealed by God and through his word. And if you are unable to separate yourself from your natural reaction to assume that God is prejudice of you and therefore must hate you, and attempt to seek out knowledge and truth for yourself, you will never have the opportunity to find out. But the truth of God is still truth whether you or anyone else ever acknowledges it. People who know the truth speak with absolution not out of the arrogance of men, but from the assuredness of God. The only way to dispute that truth is by personally exploring the word of God and praying for wisdom and revelation of it for yourself. If you are unwilling to do that then you cannot speak knowledgeably on the topic of Christian faith and their beliefs toward homosexuality.
But the biggest point of concern Eric makes in this article is that:
'Tolerance used to be defined as a willingness to put up with the beliefs or practices of those with whom we disagree. Today, tolerance means we must accept the beliefs and practices of others as correct — or risk being called a bigot. It's interesting that this redefinition of tolerance almost always involves debates over homosexuality — and it always seems to be people on just one side of the debate calling those with whom they disagree “intolerant.”.'
Allowing a person or group to have opinions and beliefs that are different from yours is tolerance. But today, Christians that are willing to speak openly about their belief that homosexuality is sin are seen as intolerant, and that's just not true. And in twisting that word and its application, you are actually propagating the intolerance of Christians and their rights to their beliefs and their right to express those beliefs in a respectable, non-violent way. That is the point of this article. The tolerance movement that is mounting right now is a move by society (which is prophesied about in the bible) to institute worldwide, man's version of a "moralistic society" not based on biblical truth but on a false peace and acceptance of all religions and all behaviors. Mankind is putting their wants, desires, and judgement above that of God's; replacing biblical truth with a faith-in-self spirituality that allows for and condones immorality and idolatry. This new tolerance is being used to give mankind permission to tolerate sin and turning the mass acceptance of it into its own religion.
And Christians really need to heed (what I believe to be) the underlying message here, beyond the simple concept of the changes in these word meanings and their implications to Christians. And that is, that the persecution of Christians and Jews is inevitable, read your bible. We are not called to arm ourselves, strike back, defend ourselves to our enemies (by and through any other means but love) and strong-arm truth to others. We negate the word of God by doing so. But, as Eric stated, we are called to love our enemies, serve our neighbors, stand firm in our faith and display the love of Christ to all. We Christians need to stop reacting in anger and hate to defend our beliefs and prepare ourselves and our children for the mounting intolerance of Christians and Jews that will eventually turn to persecution. If we don't get a biblical perspective of what lies ahead and set ourselves to be diligent students of understanding God's plans for mankind and come into agreement with those, we will not have the discernment needed to stay faithful and to not be deceived.
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