Gay Pride and Prejudice

It came to an end with Facebook. For years I have been fence sitting on the issue of homosexuality, and its growing acceptance in some quarters of the church. I had wondered deeply about how best to approach this incredibly thorny subject. About a year or so ago, I was contemplating visiting 'Gay friendly' churches (Not that all churches shouldn't be friendly to gay people), in order to understand for myself what that would look like and how I would feel about it. For changing the way I thought about this issue would lead to some huge changes for me, generally in regards to my faith and, crucially, my understanding of scripture, and how we arrive at our interpretations of it. If we had got this wrong....then we had got it VERY wrong.

I say it ended with Facebook for a reason. I have always generally held to a traditional evangelical viewpoint on the issue of homosexuality, in that all sexual acts between two people of the same gender, are sinful.  On the issue of orientation, I was a little more ambiguous. I have met enough people who have struggled, and not struggled, with their same sex attraction to know that this is pastorally and socially a hugely complex issue. One that calls for compassion and sensitivity at every turn.

I found myself, and indeed still find myself despairingly frustrated at Evangelicals who's homophobia (lets call a spade a spade) is entirely backed up and justified by their rather convenient (for them) theological understanding. In the same way some pro gay folk will jump on an Atheist argument, because it rids them of the need for the accountability to a higher personality and justifies a disregard for the rules of religion. Sometimes your beliefs back up your prejudice and you may think the two inseparable.

I want to see genuine attempts at welcoming and encouraging people who have SSA to engage with the life of the church and the gospel. Not just lip service. And those who feel all the more strongly about this issue...well then, perhaps they are the most in need of serving the gay community and expressing Gods love to them.

I do not consider myself at all homophobic. Phobic means fearful. The bible says that perfect love casts out fear. I love homosexuals. As does God.

Let me bring you back to Facebook. Sorry. I have to. You see it was Facebook that bought an end to all my pontificating on this subject. I was so uncomfortable taking the moral high ground but unable to turn my back on the plain meaning of Scripture. Facebook did it because they introduced a rainbow filter to celebrate Gay pride, at the ruling of the US Supreme court to make it compulsory for all states to endorse same sex marriage...or marriage equality, as it is referred to by its proponents. I was forced into it.

Now, in my own country, the 'Marriage Equality' issue had been put to bed, legally speaking, a while back. And although I was a little uncomfortable with it, I had decided that this was just a civil issue and that I didn't want the right to be able to discriminate. It may not be marriage as I see it...as I believe God sees it, but let them call it what they will. You see, as a British Christian who has grown up in a rather secular era, I have never been under any illusion about this being a 'Christian country'. It may have been heavily influenced by Christianity, but that is not the country I grew up in. I have been ridiculed for my faith since day one. I have felt like an outsider ever since I first opened my mouth in Mrs McGowan's class and talked about God as though he really existed. But in America, where many Christians often still see their nation as being founded on Christianity, this seemed to be an even bigger deal. And it felt like it. The White House turned rainbow, the internet turned rainbow, a lot of peoples Facebook profile pictures turned rainbow. And some of my Christian friends, even some with, what I thought to be, strongly held evangelical beliefs, turned their profile pictures Rainbow.

Some of these did so in an act of bravery that has to be acknowledged. It is not easy to change your mind, or to nail your rainbow colours to the steeple of your  evangelical church.

This is such a huge issue. One that would (and maybe will) require many blogs. I don't want this post to be an exploration of the scriptural basis for refuting or embracing homosexuality. I don't want it to even be condemnatory in anyway of those who sit on the opposite side of the fence I was previously sitting on. I just want to say this. When I saw my friends abandoning their convictions, my heart felt sick. I felt grieved. It is not a feeling I get very often. Hardly ever, in fact. But there it is. Grieved to my core for the abandonment of the holiness of God.

I know how I know what is right. It is not because my prejudices are backed up by my theological beliefs, or because I have to twist scripture to make it say what I want it to say. It is the opposite. Scripture doesn't say what I want it to say. I am a man of compassion over holiness. But I can tell you this, without flinching or looking to the side. I know that to make it say what I want it to say, I would have to twist it and bend it.....and I can't do that. I know now, in the same way I knew when I saw that first Christians pride filtered flag on their profile pic. This is wrong.

I believe, when we come to Jesus, we lay down our rights to decide what is right and wrong, and we submit ourselves to a holy God and his holy word.

And we so often think that to love someone, that we embrace them and all that they are. We talk ourselves into understanding grace in terms of forgiveness and acceptance. We see love as tolerance. And yet, we fail to see, that Gods love does not leave us in our sin.

I love that picture of Jesus, in John chapter 8, where the woman caught in adultery is bought to him. The religious leaders are looking for a way to kill two birds with one stone, To trap Jesus, and kill the sexually immoral woman. And Jesus famously stoops down and writes (what we will never know) in the sand, and then says 'he who is without sin cast the first stone'. The religious drop their stones one by one until he, the holy one is left. The only one who could stone her. But its laughable, right? Jesus is never going to stone her. Lets imagine, he says 'where are your accusers?', 'Gone, my Lord'
'Then neither do I condemn you.' he says. Smiles and embraces her. Then they walk off laughing and joking about the bigoted Pharisees.

But we know that is not what he says. He says 'Neither do I condemn you. Now. Go, and leave your life of sin.'
I have immense love and empathy for my more liberal Christian brothers and sisters. Moreover I do not doubt for a second that they have good and decent motives. And I would call on you to never give up on that radical expression of Gods grace and love.
But love confronts as well as accepts. And if something isn't good for you, we shouldn't condone it.
You say this is an issue of justice. I say it is an issue of holiness. And, as the story form John illustrates, it is his kindness that leads us to repentance. But it is repentance that it leads us to, not mere acceptance. Love wins, by freeing us from our sin.