Following my thinking here I was asked, "But Vic, where is the Theives' Christian Association, or the Liars' Christian Association, or the Adulterers' Christian Association, or the Fornicators' Christian Association?"
The answer is that there's a branch in every congregation - people just don't feel the need to advertise as it loses them friends and it is still considered by the general (i.e. non-churchgoing public) to be unacceptable too!
I can find hundreds of lairs and thieves who are also Christian - problem is, when one forces a person into a corner they can either deny it or embrace it! They can seek repentance and restoration or can continue, openly or covertly, in their particular flavour of sin. Sometimes they will beat themselves up as they struggle with whatever the issue is and other times they will seek excuses and caveats to permit and legitimise their actions. After all, 'everybody' steals paperclips!'
I have been dealing with a person who was pushed into thinking they were homosexual by their church family (who lovingly made a big issue off the situation and turfed them out!). Now (oddly) they find themselves attracted to the opposite sex and wonder what's wrong with them, because after all, they are homosexual!
The answer is that in fact they never were and the person who was grooming them was admirably aided and abetted by the church on this one.
As for proclaiming sins as good - our society has done it for years when we underwrote the capitalist society! Times and attitudes change and now it's probably done more tacitly down at their clubs and the like and despite the vilification of bankers and the finance sector, nothing has really changed - just the newspaper headlines and editorials.
I know of a Christian drug addicts group and an alcohol group who have Christian and alcoholic badges - they do exist, but first there needs to be an acceptance of the situation (most of those who lie also lie to themselves about it ).
So here I am at an interesting place for there are indeed people who identify themselves as gay Christians and I am sure God sees them as Christians with a sexual sin as their 'persistent sin of choice'. What's ours?
I am sure that many Christians who are also homosexual see themselves as flawed in the same way as those sex addicted christians of the heterosexual kind see themselves. Then again just as I counsel Christians who see their sexual activities as making Christianity 'difficult' they don't see it as stopping them being Christian, just more difficult!
I think there is a certain naivety in the "if they wish to be Christians they either accept the Bible or they don't" comment for many accept that they have the sin present and yet continue to believe that they are still Christian - sex (hetero or homo), theft, drink, drugs, whatever - still Christian, flawed and fallen Christians.
The comment was made of homosexuals that, "The problem is are they in the church in the first place, the church is the body of believers."
I don't know what this means but surely the joy is that they are in the Church because here they might find love, acceptance and a relationship which will address their sin (whoever and whatever sin it might be that we're speaking of here) and seek to restore them (gently)
Here's a shocker - I actually think God loves gays, and adulterers, oh yes and alcoholics and those paedo people too - He doesn't agree with what they do and He doesn't like it and He never condones it and He never sanctifies it but He always leave the door open and the ring and fatted calf are but a handgrasp away!
I'm hiding under the table and have pulled the blinds :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment