We talked about some pretty intense stuff in my last dual degree class yesterday and I thought I would share one thing that really hit home. The Pastor/Seminary Dean who co-facilitated the class shared that a lot of his students ecclessiology does not match their eschatology. In English that means they believe in being one body in Christ on Earth and reaching out to all people, but they believe that ultimately some will get to Heaven and others will not. This prominent church leader struggles with that and said so well what I have always believed to be true. If Jesus asked the Father to "forgive them, they know not what they do" and if his blood made it possible for our sins to be washed away, how can it be that some will not be able to eat at the table with the Father in Heaven? God conquered sin and death, so why are some in the church still so focused on Hell?
A Christian artist, Jennifer Knapp, recently came out as a lesbian. She shared that this is something she has struggled with for years and the reason she left the Christian music scene years ago. She felt like she had betrayed her fans and like there was not a place for her in the faith community. For more on her story see this wonderfully written article: http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Entertainment_News/Christian_singer_Jennifer_Knapp_Comes_Out/
How sad that someone who has touched so many lives and who is so gifted could feel so alone? The Christian community has been quite vocal since this story broke, both to show their support and to throw scripture and disappointment at her. What ever happened to the one who is without sin casting the first stone? I know I have no place for judgment in my life and that there is plenty of sin I need to work on addressing in myself. What I think people lose sight of is that there are all kinds of sin and some are so common we commit them everyday. Yet as a society we target certain "sins" and deem them unacceptable and unpardonable. I'm not sure how the all powerful and all loving Jesus I know feels about that. It's not my place to speak for Him. What I do know is that there are people in my life who I know and love who I believe Jesus created and called perfect and called to a purpose in this life.
Is being gay a sin? I still struggle with that because yes there are passages that condemn a man lying with another man, but as far as I can tell, Jesus didn't say anything on the topic. I know some pretty amazing gay people with a lot of love to give who are making the world a better place. Who I am I to say that they are wrong?
Is judging a sin? Absolutely! I know Jesus talked about that a lot. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We were all created to love each other and to live in community with each other. We were all given certain gifts, talents, and I believe even struggles for a reason. If we focus more on finding the good in people and less on finding their faults, I believe this world would be a better place. If we stopped worrying as much about right and wrong and simply accepted people where they are at and left the rest to God, I believe there would be more room for Him to do work in all of our lives.
The God I know is good and merciful. The God I know has given me so many blessings in this life. I know that I make Him sad sometimes and that I do not always do what I am supposed to do, but I know that His love covers me.
You don't have to agree with me and I am certainly not one to back away from any conversation where the purpose is to try to understand God more. I hope that if nothing else this post encourage you to think about your beliefs and what your understanding of God in this life and the next looks like. I hope that we can all sit around the table together and finally truly be one and at peace in His presence.
Grace and Peace to all of your lives my brothers and sisters.
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This is one of the most well-written views on this subject that I have ever read! You do such a great job at presenting a balanced argument, and I found myself a little more sympathetic to the christian faith. Good work! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you! I, too, have struggled with the issue of homosexuality and the only thing I can really settle on is that "God is Love". Should the church get to pick and choose who gets to share in that? I think not. Should the church get to pick and choose who can share that love with others? I also think not.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, the Episcopal Church – of which I am a member – has been grappling with this issue for a number of years. Many believe that the church has tried to replace faith with social justice by accepting homosexuality and even blessing same sex marriages. Personally, I believe that God loves ALL of his children. In my opinion, sexual preference or even other sins do not matter to him when considering “what heaven looks like.” What does matter is whether or not one has confessed those sins and accepted Jesus as His son and as Lord and Savior. Scripture says that no one comes to the Father except through the Son. This, I believe, is the criteria and where free will comes into play. I think that Heaven is a real place and that Hell is also a very real place. From what I understand of the Bible, we make the decision ourselves. God has given us the awesome gift of His son. Whether or not we choose to accept that gift is up to us. If we choose to accept Christ’s gift of salvation, then God welcomes us into heaven. If we choose not to accept the gift, then God honors that choice as well.
ReplyDeleteChristian author, Karen Kingsbury, helped me understand this. I find a great deal of truth in what she writes. I am not a student of the Bible, but I’m trying my best to grow in my knowledge of it.