I did not say you weren't christians in the visible church, you obviously are. I can't judge if you are christians in the invisible church of the elect, I hope you are.
Those in your camp are people who profess to be christians yet are in open rebellion against the direction set forth in scripture, and you prove it by approving of the actions of those who refuse to repent of sin yet claim christianity. You encourage their activity and try to pawn it off as normal behavior by posting the sarcastic "agenda" you just posted. If you really loved them you would not encourage them to sin, but would encourage them to trust Christ and repent. That doesn't mean you bar them from coming to Church or that you treat them with disrespect. It simply means that you are upfront with them that you do not have scriptural authority to condone their sin. Unrepentant sin is a sign of being lost and unregenerate. It is not a sign of liberty or anything to be proud of. It is a sign that one is still a slave to sin. You as a leader should do what you can to lead people out of sin, not encourage that they continue in it.
FINALLY!
I'm surprised this thread has continued this long! Especially before someone actually said this! Thanks, brother!
As far as I'm concerned, this is really the issue....
Do homosexuals belong in church? ABSOLUTELY!
Where do they sit? RIGHT BESIDE ME, ASKING FOR FORGIVNESS.
Should the homosexual repent? ABSOLUTELY, JUST AS I DO FROM MY SINS!
What if the pastor stated that my sins of covetting and idolatry were only sins if
I thought they were? I'D ASK HIM TO SHOW ME THAT IN SCRIPTURE!
What if he couldn't show me? I'D LEAVE, NOT RETURNING.
Well, what if the pastor had covetous idolaters came in front of the congregation and state to all that what I did was not sin? ONLY IF HE WANTED TO WISH HE'D GOTTEN THE MILLSTONE INSTEAD!
Would it be different, then, if the pastor married two gay men? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
SO SAD to see that some Christians have allowed political correctness to determine what is scripturaly sound!
I admit that I have not read all 90 pages in this thread; so I'll ask.
Has ANYONE been able to argue SCRIPTURALY that homosexuals should be joined in marriage? Has ANYONE been able to ague SCRIPTURALY that marriage is not between a man and a woman?
p.s: I would hope that a church elder debating here would do so scripturaly, to teach the rest of us.
My $.02