Tomorrow there will be a “coalition of local and national LGBT activists will hand-deliver a petition to leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention at their annual meeting calling on the SBC to apologize for the harm its teachings have caused the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Prior to delivering the petition, an historic ‘Teach-In’ will take place outside of the SBC’s convention.”
You can read about it here.
I believe that the SBC will probably respond by holding its stance on homosexual behavior as being sinful. That stance is one that I agree with. However, I hope that we (SBC believers) do more than simply state that homosexuality is wrong.
I have a picture in my mind of what I would love to see happen. On one side of the street various LGBT protesters are condemning the Southern Baptist Convention for its harmful, hateful, and bigoted stance against homosexuality. On the other side of the street are gospel-drenched Jesus-followers with equally large billboards; but rather than saying things like “God made Adam and Eve NOT Adam and Steve” these billboards are invitations to lunch.
Not invitations to go debate homosexuality over a burger and fries, but a legitimately sincere invitation to just have lunch together. We do not have to budge on our position that homosexual behavior is harmful, destructive, and ultimately idolatrous and God-belittling. But we do come to realize that the Law is powerless to convert and it is powerless to sanctify.
Let the LGBT community continue to call our theology wrong and harmful. Let them continue to say that we, “promote religion-based bigotry and start recognizing the enormous pain and suffering caused by its mistreatment of LGBT people, particularly vulnerable youth”. But may they do it trampling over us with out-stretched arms.
“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”
Thoughts?
What you have to understand is that not everyone believes in God. And a godless life is a respectable thing. Besides, not every church condemns homosexuality.
What you must realize is that there is more than one way to make your life meaningful. Love is one of them. And in that respect a gay relationship can be just as beautiful and true – or dishonest and damaging – as one of the straight variety. So please do not be so santimonious and try tolerance for tolerance’s sake.
Anon,
First of all thank you for your comment. I appreciate you reading the article and even taking it a step further and interacting.
However, your comment is very hypocritical and itself quite intolerant and sanctimonious. Here are 4 reasons why:
First, you make truth claims pertaining to morality in your comment. “a godless life is a respectable thing”. “…there is more than one way to make your life meaningful”. So, who says? You? Everything that I said in my article above I am saying in surrender to what I believe Scripture teaches. Could I be wrong? Certainly. But at the end of the day I’m not making truth claims based upon my own authority. You are. That to me is “claiming to be morally superior” which is the definition of sanctimonious. You are defining beauty and truth. I’m saying lets consider what the Lord has said.
Secondly, you state, “there is more than one way to make your life meaningful”. I suppose though that one of these ways is not believing Scripture, placing faith in Christ, etc.? This in itself is a fallacy. The claims of Christ are either true or false. If they are true then it means that this belief that “all ‘truths’ are valid” is contradicted. If His claims are false then it also makes that claim false. Yet from the tone of your comment it sounds as if you are saying, “I will tolerate every view except for the Christian one…it cannot be valid”.
Thirdly, I agree with you that not everyone believes in God. I also agree that not every church condemns homosexuality. I just do not see why that matters. Just because everyone does not believe in God or because not every church condemns homosexuality does not mean that there is no God or that homosexuality is not sin.
Fourth, Your definition of tolerance seems to be–I must accept what I do not agree with as if it were just as valid/true of an opinion as my own. That’s historically not the definition of tolerance. Tolerance is actually closer to what I was aiming for in the article above. I know we disagree on these matters. Yet, I still see you as a human. I see you as valid and having valid (though I believe wrong) claims. I’d still take you out to lunch. Would you do the same?
Now I will readily confess that I am NOT immune to intolerance, hypocrisy, pride, and being sanctimonious. Jesus disapproves of those things in me just as much as he does those things in you. My pride is listed as an abomination in the exact same category as homosexuality. But the beauty of the gospel is that Jesus came and died for rebellious sinners like you and I. He did this in part so that the guilt and foolishness of our pride and hypocrisy would no longer be a barrier between us and true and everlasting joy in God. I pray that the God who created the universe will cause the light of the knowledge of the glory of Christ to shine in your heart. I pray that you–and I–will come to see Christ as more beautiful and precious. I pray for your joy.