Well the church has made it onto the front page of the news again … and for all the wrong reasons.
In Melbourne a few weeks ago (17/7/03) the Uniting Church of Australia voted to allow homosexual ministers. They are the first (but probably not the last) Australian church to do so.
But the issue isn’t just a hot one here in Australia. Recently we have seen the appointment of Gene Robinson as Episcopal (Anglican) Bishop of New Hampshire in the USA. Robinson is a gay activist who left his wife and two children, and now lives openly with a male lover. His appointment was confirmed by 62 votes to 45.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the Archbishop of Canterbury (Rowan Williams) said that he would not stand in the way of or obstruct the appointment of Canon Jeffrey John as the new Bishop of Reading. John is also openly homosexual and has been in a relationship with another man for 27 years, though says that he is now celibate. After mounting pressure Canon John withdrew from the position.
The Anglican Church worldwide is split over this issue. The newspapers and media in Australia have latched onto the issue. There are those in the church and in the media who see this as further evidence that the church is intolerant, and out of step with society.
This is one of those issues where I think the media often misrepresent the church’s view (wittingly or unwittingly). But I think that it is also an issue where the church does an equally good job of misrepresenting itself and misrepresenting the message of the Gospel. Now I want to be the first to agree that the Bible says the practice of homosexuality is contrary to how people ought to live. Passages like Romans 1 make it clear that homosexual behaviour is evidence of man’s rejection of God. It is a sin. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that sex is intended for a marriage relationship. Anything outside that marriage relationship between a husband and wife, the Bible calls sexual immorality. Homosexuality is not a lifestyle that is compatible with faith in Jesus. It is not acceptable for members, let alone leaders within the church.
But very often the message the church presents is clouded and confused by other issues. We are seen as being ‘anti-gay’. We march against and speak against homosexuality. Demonstrations in England saw protesters carrying signs with the words “Homosexuality is an abomination before the Lord“. People often think Christians would like to get rid of homosexuality in much the same way Hitler wanted to get rid of the Jews. The church can give the impression that homosexuality is the enemy of Christianity, and that we have to try to eradicate it.
But I think that we often get it wrong in the church. I think we make two mistakes:
- We give the impression homosexuality is the worst of all sins;
- We give the impression we have been called to stamp out homosexuality.
But that is not the message we get in the Bible.
First of all we have to realize that sexual immorality is placed in the same category as theft, envy, greed and slander. They are all evidence of being hardened toward God. They are all attitudes that are contrary to how God wants his people to live.
Jesus gives a list of things that make someone ‘unclean’:
He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” (Mark 7:20-23)
The Apostle Paul echoes those same words in what he says to the Corinthians and Galatians:
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor 6:9-10)
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21)
If we are going to march and protest against homosexuality then I think we need to do the same thing with greed, envy, jealousy and slander. They are just as much evidence of a heart hardened toward God. To march against one thing and not the others sends a very unhelpful message to the community.
And that brings us to the second issue. Yes. We should be standing up and saying that God expects his people will live and act in a certain way. Those who trust in Jesus have a reason to live a changed life. And we should expect them to. In fact if they are not willing to change when confronted with their sin then the Bible says we should not associate with them:
I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)
Again, notice that it is not just sexually immoral people or homosexual people Paul mentions here. It applies to greedy people, slanderers, etc. And it is only Christians that he expects to behave in a godly way. They have the reason to live a different life.
But what about the non-Christian world? What should we expect from it? After saying that we should expel the immoral brother Paul says this to the Corinthians:
What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.“ (1 Corinthians 5:12- 13)
We shouldn’t expect those in the world to act any differently than the way they do. Nor should we judge them for the way they live. They have no reason to live any differently. People need a reason to live a changed life. And we can give them that reason. God has not called us to be the moral police for the world. He has called us to preach the good news about his son.
The biggest problem that the non-Christian world has is the fact that they are not Christians. Their behaviour is a secondary issue. They real problem is that they don’t know Jesus.
The thing that people will be accountable for on the day of judgement is how they have responded to Jesus. For those who want to ‘march’ against homosexuality it is helpful to remember what Jesus said to his disciples:
If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. (Matthew 10:14-15)
Those who reject the Gospel will be in a worse position than the homosexuals of Sodom and Gomorrah.
As Christians we need to make sure that we present a clear and consistent message to the world.
We are not ‘anti-gay’. We are pro-Jesus. We do not have it within our power to stop people from being homosexual or liars or slanderers or thieves. But we do have a message that can bring people into a relationship with God through Jesus. Once they have that relationship they will have a reason to live a changed life.
So what are you going to say to people when they ask? What opinion are you going to give at work on this issue? Have you thought about what you will say? There are some great opportunities to explain the Gospel to people here. Make sure you take them.
