Approaching Homosexuality?

[039]

I've been turning this issue over in my mind, and I thought the best thing to do is to take council with other Christians on this one. I researched into it somewhat - into if homosexuality was truly labeled as a sin or not (there seems to be some controversy on this one) and I have concluded that given cultural context the bible does label the act of homosexual sexual intercourse as a sin... some other Christians I know would say this isn't true, so for this question's sake let's say it is, if you hold this opinion. This being said...

I've noticed alot of other Christians boycotting and protesting things (Disney and Wal*Mart come to mind) - and in this comes my question:

Is this truly the most effective way at tackling the problem? Yes, we're suppose to be the salt of the earth and stand out against any sin and darkness, but how to tackle a problem like this? Is it surely effective enough to just wave signs and voice our opinion, or should we take it from another angle? What would you suggest?

 

[BrBob]

I believe that protesting and the like does nothing but alienate the homosexual community (don't you just love the term?). Now, just a point of clarification. I do not believe that having homosexual urges is a sin any more than having heterosexual urges. The sin comes from acting on those urges in both cases. I also believe that sin is sin and therefore if Christian people are going to demonstrate and protest against one they should be treating the other the same way. We don't see that.

Sexual sin is sexual sin. It doesn't matter to God what it is.

Now, is alienating a large part of the community the proper goal for Christians to work toward? I think the answer is obvious - NO! Christians need to find a way to deal with homosexuals individually with love without coming across as tolerating their sin. We do this with heterosexual couples, why not homosexual couples?

Our church has young (and old) people publicly confess sexual sin (in a general way, not giving specifics) when the need arises. People who live together without the benefit of marriage are confronted about their sin, as they should be. People dealing with homosexual sin should be treated the same way, with firmness and compassion. The compassion cannot compromise the firmness with which the sin is dealt. People who will not address the sin in a constructive way are not allowed to continue to be a part of the body because they're simply refusing to grow. That is a detriment to the body.

God Bless
Bob
Spearfish, SD

 

[sinneD]

I believe that protesting and the like does nothing but alienate the homosexual community (don't you just love the term?). Now, just a point of clarification. I do not believe that having homosexual urges is a sin any more than having heterosexual urges. The sin comes from acting on those urges in both cases. I also believe that sin is sin and therefore if Christian people are going to demonstrate and protest against one they should be treating the other the same way. We don't see that.

Sexual sin is sexual sin. It doesn't matter to God what it is.

Now, is alienating a large part of the community the proper goal for Christians to work toward? I think the answer is obvious - NO! Christians need to find a way to deal with homosexuals individually with love without coming across as tolerating their sin. We do this with heterosexual couples, why not homosexual couples?

Our church has young (and old) people publicly confess sexual sin (in a general way, not giving specifics) when the need arises. People who live together without the benefit of marriage are confronted about their sin, as they should be. People dealing with homosexual sin should be treated the same way, with firmness and compassion. The compassion cannot compromise the firmness with which the sin is dealt. People who will not address the sin in a constructive way are not allowed to continue to be a part of the body because they're simply refusing to grow. That is a detriment to the body.

God Bless
Bob
Spearfish, SD

I agree totally.. I have several gay teens who send me e-mails and IM's seeking advice and counsel on a whole range of issues, and I try to treat them as individuals...

If they want to get into theological discussions, then I can go there, but I am not in a place to judge them, anymore than I should be judging you...

I think as Christians we do a disservice with all the focused gay bashing, then take a laid back attitude on other sexual matters that are equal in nature.

 

[GoryiaIsCool]

I would pray to God about this.

Ask God about Matthew 18: 19 and 20.

Also what I would suggest is that you pray to God about how you can approach homosexuality.

If you know when to do so introduce those of such to God's Word and pray it will change them but first allow God and his word to do the correcting before any other correction comes from anyone else.

But if you do want to approach homosexuality do so in a humble way but never bash at homosexuality.

 

[Elijah2]

You all know that His Word says that homosexuality is SIN, see 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Now it says that they will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Those people who sin can confess and repent, and receive their forgiveness, and when you repent, it means you will do it no more. Repentance isn’t remorse or shame.

Now it's all right for those to say that they have no problem with the church “adapting to the culture”, and then they turn around and say that they must ensure that they remain painstakingly true to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that they remain obedient servants to His truths.

This is the problem that many of us see that is going on within the Body of Christ, and it's time that we stood up and be counted, because we cannot simply "adapt to the culture" as in the case of homosexuality, and remain true to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, because all these beliefs are in complete opposition.

The Church rushes off trying to "be important" and "fitting in" with the world, and because of this is the reason for the state of deterioration of the Body of Christ.

It would be better to confess and repent your sins and "adapt" to His Word instead of "conforming to the world".

“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21a)

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:15-16)

So on this note there is much help for those Christians who are homosexuals or lesbians. There are a number of God-anointed healing ministry teams, who can help. Check this site out:

http://www.sbministries.org/

Or punch in Homosexual Christian Ministry, and you will get all you want.

 

[Sketcher]

I approach homosexuality like I approach anger and lust.

 

[heron]

Separate these:

Legislation
Funding agendas
Personal lifestyle and preference
Education bias
Denying one group and assisting another
Choice of leadership


They are all very different, but are often lumped together. If Christians were able to separate these in their minds, they might not cause such offense and division.

 

[swill8295]

Being homosexual is sin just like all the rest. The wages of sin is death. However, being homosexual does not mean you are automatically condemned. In my experience, it's a terrible idea to go around telling people how bad and sinful they are, that being the only focus. You can insinuate how sinful people are in your speach, but that cannot be the main focus. In most cases, that would make you a proud hypocrite.

For example, my mom herself committed an abortion at an early age, before I was born. Her mother and family advocated it. They didn't really understand what they were getting into. Way later, after I was born, she was walking my grandma's dog and a "good" Christian came up to her asking her trying to find out my mom's life story and beliefs. My mom told her about her childhood and how she was a trouble maker in school, and how she had an abortion later on. This "Christian" she was talking to sensed my mom's regret and fear and jabbed the needle in, in a way she had no right to do. She didn't preach about Jesus Christ's love, she just straight up said with a happy grin on her face "Oh, you know you're going straight to hell right?" Then she proceeded to go on about how much terror my mom would receive in an eternal abyss. This left my mom with a bad taste in her mouth and an aversion to Christianity for the longest time. It hasn't been until recently when I've told her about Christ that she's started to get her ideas straight about Christianity. In a similar way, taking the "good" Christian approach to a gay man or lesbian would probably shock and scare them away from Christianity and give them lots of almost rightful ammo against the proud Christian.

The only way a homosexual can realise the gravity of their sin is to know the love of Christ, which will show them how sinful they are. If you do preach to a homosexual about Christ's love, it is harder to fault you and call you a bigot. If they return Christ's love back to you with a purple robe and thorns, that was their decision. Think about it, what person comes to Christ in perfect shape? Christ came to deal with sad and dramatic cases of sin (like gays), not perfect people.

 

[heron]

That is so sad!!!

 

[BrBob]

I want to make a point about semantics. To us, as Christians, we can make the distinction without trouble but to the world we could be causing difficulties. The distinction is that being a homosexual is not sinful any more than being a Republican or Democrat is sinful. It's just a label. The difference, and the sin, lies in the action, the actively seeking a homosexual partner, the actual homosexual act.

A person who sees him or herself as a homosexual but does not act on the attraction is not sinning. They are at risk but not sinning. Look at it this way, for a man to look at a woman and be attracted to her, it is not a sin. In the same way, a man looking at a man and being attracted to him is not a sin. It's the actual lust and action that makes it a sin.

If we are more careful with our words we can find ourselves in a real dialogue with people with homosexual tendencies without alienating them. If we can do that we might stand a chance of being able to speak into their lives.

This week I found an old friend on the internet and began a dialogue with him. He "came out" to me via email on Monday and I was very careful with my terminology but made sure he knows that I'm a Christian man. We're still talking. It's a good thing.


Thanks
Bob
Spearfish, SD

 

[CShephard53]

I believe that protesting and the like does nothing but alienate the homosexual community (don't you just love the term?). Now, just a point of clarification. I do not believe that having homosexual urges is a sin any more than having heterosexual urges. The sin comes from acting on those urges in both cases. I also believe that sin is sin and therefore if Christian people are going to demonstrate and protest against one they should be treating the other the same way. We don't see that.

AMEN! Too often we do things that alienate. And I fully agree with your view.

 

[ThorninHiscrown]

The problem is people being identified by sexual preference. What if someone has no sexual preference? Some people, even according to the bible, have the ability to not seek after the fleshly things. But does society allow that to be taken into account? What if your love is for your closest friend, before you know Christ? Does that automatically mean sex? Society needs to look at things differently and see that people can't be forced into boxes. Childhood fears stemming from mother/father and male/female role models can infkuence how someone relates to the world. Many things can. But the bottom line is that God rejects the unnatural use of His creation and everyone needs to respect that. Celibacy for the unmarried is something that's a hardship and all of us have the tree not to be picked from. Some is gambling or drinking that makes life a constant discision toward God. The sins of the heart are the most condemned and obvious while liars and swindlers go unnoticed. And prayerlessness is the leastfelt sin. The point is God is the only One every one of us are accountable to.

 

[FenderElctrc]

Saying "God hates Gays" and attacking people and say that they will go to hell, is sin in itself. Just say the truth. If they don't believe you and persecute you, get out quick and leave it behind. It's there choice.

Matthew 10:14:
And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

 

[ThorninHiscrown]

I think that saying it and leaving it at that is in itself uncommon. But your right.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

 

[Moana]

I approach homosexuality like I approach anger and lust.

So love is the same as anger? Hmmm, I have no idea how you came to that conclusion.

 

[Glorianna]

This thread was moved from the Edification - Christian Advice subforum.

 

[Sketcher]

So love is the same as anger? Hmmm, I have no idea how you came to that conclusion.

I just chose the "impossible" sins that I deal with every day. God accepts me, but I have to respect His commands. Homosexuality is against the Bible, and homosexuals are convinced that they can't help it. Granted, but they're not alone. I received my short temper from my father, who got it from his before him. There's as solid a case for that being genetic as homosexuality is. But that doesn't give me an excuse to blow my fuse. Or let's take heterosexual lust. Many Christian guys struggle with that, masturbation and wandering eyes. Those are against Scripture, and it seems that we can't stop those either. But that's not an excuse for us. Though we are weak against temptations, we are still responsible for saying "yes" to the temptations. I didn't choose to be weak, but I do choose to curse, touch, whatever. If that's not alright, there's no reason that homosexuality would be right. And according to Scripture, neither of them are right. Jesus' blood covers my sins past, present, and future. This is not an excuse to continue to sin, but a reason to stop sinning and tell others to do the same.

 

[VCViking]

I just chose the "impossible" sins that I deal with every day. God accepts me, but I have to respect His commands. Homosexuality is against the Bible, and homosexuals are convinced that they can't help it. Granted, but they're not alone. I received my short temper from my father, who got it from his before him. There's as solid a case for that being genetic as homosexuality is. But that doesn't give me an excuse to blow my fuse. Or let's take heterosexual lust. Many Christian guys struggle with that, masturbation and wandering eyes. Those are against Scripture, and it seems that we can't stop those either. But that's not an excuse for us. Though we are weak against temptations, we are still responsible for saying "yes" to the temptations. I didn't choose to be weak, but I do choose to curse, touch, whatever. If that's not alright, there's no reason that homosexuality would be right. And according to Scripture, neither of them are right. Jesus' blood covers my sins past, present, and future. This is not an excuse to continue to sin, but a reason to stop sinning and tell others to do the same.

 

[VCViking]

And Living Sacrifice rules!