The great debate

One thing that really bothers me is the fact that when some Christians hear that a person has admitted to being gay they no longer like that person. A perfect example right now is Clay Aiken. There are many Christians who followed his career closely and loved his music and were his "#1 fan" until they heard he was gay. Now they no longer like him or want to listen to his music. This irritates me sooooo much! It reminds me of a similar experience in high school when Amy Grant came out with the song "Baby Baby" and it was played on secular radio... "Oh no!" (insert sarcastic tone).

You see, I had grown up being an Amy Grant fan, since the first time I heard "El Shadai" I was hooked. She was the first artist that I purchased an album from, and the first artist that I religiously purchased each and every album that she ever made (except now I don't buy her "greatest hits" albums, I have that mix on my iPod already), and the first one I wanted to go see in concert. I was known as a Christian at my high school, this was not hidden. People often called me the "God-girl", which I am sure was intended to be a put down, but I was glad that people associated me with God. Just as the early church in Acts was first called Christians as a derogatory term and then they kept the label and wore it proudly. Anyways... back on track. I remember a boy in school, that was also a "die hard" Amy Grant fan and a Christian, coming up to me during P.E. one day and mentioning Amy Grant going secular and that he was no longer a fan and ASSUMED that I must feel the same way. I basically yelled at him and thought he was an absolute moron! Needless to say he never shared his thoughts with me again about Amy Grant or any other Christian topic. And I was happy to not be associated with him.

I thought then (and still think now) that it was stupid to just drop your fan status based on a song going secular. Its not like she was writing graphic songs about having sex with multiple partners or something, I mean the song was inspired by having her baby girl folks! Lets get things in perspective here. I thought that her "crossing over" was great. Perhaps people would like her song and then check out some of her older albums and find she sang about God too, and perhaps at a concert they would find out she is a Christian and that would be a way to plant the seed in their heart and get them one step closer to knowing God them self. I guess that is why some people coined the phrase "taking the cross over" instead of saying "crossing over."

Back to Clay Aiken... so I think its silly in the same way to one day be a fan of Clay Aiken and then magically you don't like anything he has ever done in the past because of who he says he is in the present. Its ignorance, in my opinion. Just plain ignorance. I don't even think that you need to be a supporter of the gay community to be able to still like Clay Aiken. His music is still the same, he is not singing about gay sex, he is not rubbing it in your face, he is the same person today as he was yesterday... you just know something new about him that you didn't before. And I think that if you don't support someone being gay that you can still be loving towards that person. As a Christian I would think that is exactly what this situation calls for... to love Clay Aiken and pray for him instead of all of a sudden hating him. God still loves him. God died for the WHOLE world, even the gay community. Its just so close minded it makes me boil! I can't handle it. That's why I even wrote my thoughts down in an earlier post about Christians and gay marriage. I had to say my piece.

So I talked to some of my Christian girl friends about my blog entry on gay marriage. It was a good conversation. Though they may not agree that being gay is genetic and not always about choice, they do agree that we need to be loving towards them and are glad I am praying about this and researching it from all sides. My main point to them is that in Romans Paul may be talking about homosexual behavior but he is also saying that God is offering salvation to everyone (even the gay community), see Romans 1:16-17, and that the second chapter in Romans (after that famous first chapter) talks about not judging. The end of chapter one in Romans sums up all the evilness of the people that chose not to worship God or give him the glory due to Him or to thank Him. Then chapter two starts with, "Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgement, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things." Those "therefores" in the Bible are very powerful, don't you think? Leave that out and its very easy to stop at the end of chapter one and start walking around wagging your little finger at every one around you. Keep reading Romans chapter two and you will see that the judgement of God is a serious thing, and we are not going to escape it... none of us are! Chapter two even says that we are practicing the same things as what was listed in the chapter previously. Jesus did say that if you lust in your heart that it is the same as committing adultery, after all (see Matthew 5:27-28). We are ALL sinners, so stop looking at the spec in the other person's eye and start looking at your own sin and deal with that first (and that should take a life time and be a daily process).

Bottom line, none of us has all the answers, and no one should presume they have all the answers. Even I admit that, although I have a strong opinion at this point on gays and same-sex marriage, I don't know for sure if I am right or wrong. I am confident that what God intended to be abundantly clear He did so in His Holy Word, such as Jesus Christ being the son of God and our only hope for salvation. What was not as important was not made clear and we are left with that leap required called "faith" on many subjects and left to follow our convictions on many issues. And although the issue of homosexuality seemed to be a clear issue, obviously its not, or we wouldn't be debating it. I just pray that the Holy Spirit leads me in my convictions and that the Devil will not get a foot hold on me. I pray that for all my gay friends as well, that the Holy Spirit will do the convicting where needed and/ or release them of the guilt that lays heavy on their hearts. And I will continue to love my gay friends regardless of their convictions or my convictions. Above all else I KNOW that I am to love everyone and to be careful to be a judge of anybody, because as I judge others I will also be held to that standard by God. And I encourage you, my straight Christian brothers and sisters in Christ, to focus on that part, loving your neighbor as yourself and not being quick to judge and allow God to do that part. Even if you don't share my opinions on the subject you can still do that and be friends, even sit next to a gay person in church. That day seems to be far off for the majority of the churches at this point, and I don't know how to change that. But one day I would like to feel that I can invite my Christian gay friends to church and know that people will not be judging them or pointing fingers and instead approaching them in love and with humility. And I would like to be able to invite my un-saved gay friends and feel the same way.

And here are some tough questions to consider: is being gay a choice or genetics or perhaps a bit of both? And where you come down on that issue definitely colors your opinion and the way you read the Bible and view gays. And if same-sex marriage was not even a concept that was conceived by people in Biblical times does that mean it is possible that it is okay today? Are the verses that cover marriage applicable only to a man and a woman or applicable to same-sex marriages as well? Is sex within marriage, mentioned in the Bible, just about procreation or about a suitable helpmate or both? Your thoughts on the answers to those questions will land you in all kinds of places on the issue of gay marriage. I guess what I am saying is that there is plenty to talk about and think about. There is more than one side to the story to consider. And perhaps we will never agree on the answers (actually I can guarantee that) but then what do we do about how we approach the gay community and our witness to them to bring them to salvation? And what should we expect from them once they do become a Christian? Are we holding them to different standards than ourselves? Can't the rules of Christian Discipleship apply to them even if they are gay? Yet another question that, when answered, will land you on different sides of the fence. Do you really know the answer to that question? Are you sure? I know I have my convictions about the answers to those questions, but I am sure you have yours too, and they probably aren't the same.

As a freind so eloquetly put it (and she said I could use her analogy if I wanted)... the Christian community is like being an American citizen. We are all Americans and live in the USA, but we are made of Democrats, Republicans, Independants and everything in between. We all have different opinions on many issues and yet we are all still called an American. Think of all the differnces that exist between you and your neighbor, your friends, your co-workers, yet you don't begrudge the title of "American" to them just because you may disagree with where they stand in politics or Roe v. Wade or whatever... Perhaps we can apply that same principle to the idea of being a Christian. We all have salvation through Jesus Christ, the son of God, and have the Holy Spirit dwelling within in our hearts, but we may also disagree on hundreds or even thousands of issues that divide the churches into the many denominations that exist. Lets not withold the title of Christian to a person based on their sexual orientation or to a person with an opinion on wether being gay is due to genetics or choice. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and we need to treat each other with love. That is the commandment that fulfills all others, and perhaps one of the hardest to follow.