Attending EMU moved my opinions on homosexuality all over the field. I love my friends dearly, regardless of their sexuality, and would stand for their rights. When a gay acquaintance put on a senior theater show depicting the discrimination he experienced at his church after coming out, I remember seething with anger at this superficial judging of a person.
And now I recognize that this is justified, but not like the LGBTQ community may want to see it.
The issues portrayed in the theater show were helpful, painting a picture I hadn't seen, helping me see pain I hadn't seen. These things were good. It also brought to light the issue of how members of the body of Christ are supposed to address homosexuality. And it is not through discrimination.* I say this with a disclaimer. I do believe if a person is not following the word of God, and also the will of God, there is room for guidance. But guidance has love, and relationship. Discrimination has neither of these. Discrimination shows fear and dances on the line of hate. Hate is the product of fear.
If a person is attending a church and comes out as homosexual, instead of labeling, the fruit need to be examined. Is this person following Christ fully, do other members see the fruits of the Spirit in them? If the members do, and the person continues to serve God in all aspects of their life, truly seeking God's will in their life rather than their own will in their sexuality, then I feel there is no need to remove them from leadership positions or participation. What I think is the issue in churches is that people spend too much time worrying about 'a certain person who is homosexual' in leadership rather than being prayerful and careful about all of the other people put into leadership who are heterosexual, and have the capabilities of sinning and leading others to sin as any person.
It's hard to read the Bible, believe it as the word of God, AND follow it. While I was at EMU, I found myself deciding that certain passages were only culturally relevant* (and there are some that are just culturally relevant, but it is not reasonable justification to say that all of Paul's writings about women and men's relationships or homosexuality are simply cultural. Remember "Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever." This means that what He said through Paul in the 1st century is also relevant now, and should be followed as such).
I've committed my share of prideful sins with my relationship with Ben prior to being married. We didn't wait. We "couldn't find the reason" in the Bible, because it didn't state anywhere that sexual relations in a committed relationship was wrong. I knew it was in the back of my head, but that messed with my desires, and I didn't let the little voice of Wisdom speak most powerfully in my heart. Eventually, we recognized our sin and regretted our poor decisions and lack of repentance prior to marriage and after parents and friends came to us in Christ, reminding us we could always turn from it. So now, as you probably well know, we are expecting our first child in September. We will always have a humbling story to tell this child.
The point I make with these past two paragraphs is it's very easy to frame the Bible to meet our desires or our hopes, the easier way of doing things, our way of doing things. I feel that this is the way it is with homosexuality. First of all, the world that we live in is sinful, fallen because of Adam, so there is corruption in everything, including sexuality. I'm not saying that a person with homosexual tendencies is "more corrupted" than a heterosexual person: we are the same in corruption. Just as someone with homosexual tendencies has the capability to lust after, and have sex with someone of the same gender, so does a heterosexual person.
The path Christ has called us to live is separated from our sex-soaked society. It is a path of purity, where sex can be enjoyed and love made, within a marriage between a man and a woman. That's a hard statement for most people who are heterosexual. I can only imagine how depressing and harsh and discriminating that can seem to a person who is homosexual. Is life fair? No, we live in a fallen world. But is God just? YES! and you know what else? God promises not to let us be tempted for more than we can handle.(1 Corinthians 10:13).
So just as many heterosexual Christians can handle being chaste for their entire lives if they do not find their Christ-given human soul mate (and instead Christ fills that role for them), so can homosexual Christians.
This next idea (which has been displayed in action by this story http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/when-homosexuality-became-a-man) seems impossible, to all people who are homosexual and probably to most heterosexual people. But it's the idea that a homosexual man or woman falls so in love with Christ that they leave the life and love sucking lifestyle that they used to serve and seek unconditional love with Him. So much so they seek relationships like God and the Bible describes as holy. I found this story beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, but you could see the fruit of God in them! Amen to that!
Relationships aren't just about the sexual aspect. Anyone who has been in a relationship or a marriage understands that, and I know that homosexual couples also understand that. But can a person who is homosexual find the unconditional love of Christ as the third cord braiding their relationship together? Can a couple seek first God's kingdom and His Word FIRST and still be in that relationship? You know what the Bible says, God says, and I feel the Holy Spirit speaking for me now? The answer to that is no. Why is the answer no? Because God is just. This world is sinful, corrupted, cultured to say "Do what YOU want, do what feels good."
But instead "Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2
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