More on: homosexuality and the community of faith

I worked at Hume Lake Christian Camp in the late ’90s. This is the largest Youth Camp in CA, and likely in the US, and quite evangelical/conservative. While there, one man, “came out” in private to me. Why me, I don’t know. Perhaps I felt safe. He was fired when his “status” was made public. Shortly thereafter, one of the longtime and revered leaders of the Camp, a single man in his 50s, came out, likely in response to the ousting of the homosexual man earlier that year. This man was also fired. What it showed to me in part is that “they” are amongst us, often in hiding, and often the very best amongst us. We all struggle and are perplexed by something in our life. Secret indiscretions that make us feel less than worthy. To spotlight the homosexual as the one with the problem that disqualifies seems somehow naive. How many divorcees are in your community of faith? How many who have cheated on a spouse? How many commit sins of pride, covetousness, untruth, adultery - in the sense that Jesus taught. Those of us who are heterosexual can throw the stone at homosexuals when our lives are perfect. How many raise their hand to that? The point is not whether or not homosexuality is wrong but when we, as a community of Christ Followers, are going to stop trying to control right v. wrong and let the Healing Shalom happen as we submit to God’s shaping and healing hands. We likely won’t any time soon because despite our claims that God is Sovereign, we like to be in control. We prefer to wield authority with certainty. Theological discourse is much more preferred to the life of prayer and the "passive growth" growth of listening and responding to the Spirit of God. I exhort us to embrace that if there are problems and misdirections with each of us, and there are, God will begin the repair as we seek him individually and together. In the meantime, we might try humility and lovingkindness as a trump card to Definitive Theological Stances. We might try allowing God's sovereignty in each of our own lives and allow the same for others. If we err, lets err on the side of generosity and let "he without sin cast the first stone." If you rally that the homosexual is a sinner, meet and know one or two before you silence them in explicit ignorance to their plight. Become familiar with the lives of many homosexuals. Typically opinions shift, and/or, become less adamant when we are faced directly with an issue. It is so easy to be an arm-chair QB. As in my last post MILK, I recommend to you a film that communicates to the emotions of the matter: The Dead Poet's Society. Take note of the boy who wishes to be an actor (he is not struggling with homosexuality), and his father will not abide by it. This is just the sort of occasion that reflects the common treatment of homosexuals. That is, we know how all things should go, and we cannot abide with disonance and things we disagree with. Each of us should strive to be an authentic reflection of Christ in a confused, misdirected world. When we try to coerce the world in the way that we see right, we will become embittered through failure, or hate filled and retributive, or isolated - as a group or individual. In any of these cases, the love, mercy, justice, and righteousness of Christ will not be seen or felt.