I just realized that I'm behind in doing journal entries for my writing class. I give him this blog as my journal, so I figure that I should probably write a little more.
This may be something I write for nonfiction next semester, I think I'm taking that class. But I want to write about my personal experiences here at UMM as a Christian. I had another interesting class period yesterday in which assumptions about the Christian faith were being made based on one preacher in a news story in which he was placed to look completely wrong and antagonistic. Even though they were using the words this preacher said, it's still completely possible for the station and the interviewer to twist everything into the way they/he wants it to be seen. And for the people who had personal experience with the Christian faith who were speaking in class just didn't quite know the truths of the Bible.
And it's my fault for not speaking up, for not saying anything, I know that. I was completely overwhelmed, my heart was hurting with what was being said, and I didn't speak up. That was the wrong thing to do, I know. If I could go back and change that fact about yesterday, I would. But I know God will give me the opportunity again and give me the opportunity to clear the air about a lot of what was being said. Perhaps this is why I feel the need to write this blog.
One of the assumptions made in class yesterday was that almost everyone, if not everyone in the class, believes that homosexuality is "okay," meaning that they support the homosexual lifestyle and see nothing wrong with it.
To clear the air now, before someone yells at me for hate, I love people. God has given me a heart of love and I believe I have to use it. I love people no matter what, no matter how much the frustrate me, no matter who they are or what their background is.
That being said...
I firmly believe that homosexuality is wrong and is a lifestyle of sin. I can sit here and quote Bible verses at you, both from the Old and New Testament (yes, person in my class, the New Testament says a lot about homosexuality being a sin as well), but what difference would that make to you? I'm sure you've heard it, been completely repulsed by it, been angry at the people who have done this. And in this instance, we are on the same page. So many of the outspoken Christians have said hurtful things to this community and had an overall attitude of hate toward them.
Sidetracking a little bit:
I was raised in a Christian (more precisely, Lutheran) home. I went to a Lutheran grade school and a Lutheran high school. I was going to go to a Lutheran college and become a Lutheran youth worker.
Then God told me no. But that's a different story.
In that Lutheran high school, we had the opportunity to go, as a school on a few different buses, down to the capitol to protest gay marriage. I will not lie to you, at the time I wanted to go, I was going to go. I mean, get out of classes for a day to go protest something God says is wrong? Pssshhhhyeah I was all about that.
But for some reason I didn't go and I'm not sure why.
Fast forward to now.
Christians are called to love (Mark 12:30-31; John 15:12-13, 17). We are called to love our neighbors, not just those fellow believers. We are called to make disciples out of all nations and teach all nations to obey what Christ commanded us to obey (Matthew 28:19;20). All nations, all people. We're not here to just make the body of believers that already exists stronger, we are here to reach out in love! Christ came to save the lost, not the righteous- the sick, the downtrodden, the miserable. Those without a saving faith, those in sin (Matthew 9:12-13). And quite frankly friends, that's all of us. I am the lowliest of sinners, I sin constantly and I know that. I need a Savior because without Him, I would not have the hope of eternal life (John 10:27-28). I would not be forgiven (Mark 2:1-12). I would not be living a life of complete joy (John 15:11).
As a Christian, I know that all sins are equal in God's eyes (James 2:10; 1 John 3:4; John 8:7-11). This means that we as Christians are on the exact same page as people living an alternative lifestyle. We sin, just like they do. We are in need of a Savior, just like they are. We sin, but why isn't our sin protested on the steps of the capitol? We are all people on this earth, dealing with temptations. It's the outcome of how we deal with those temptations that makes us different.
I leave you with one last thought on the matter and I encourage you to seek what God is trying to tell you through these verses:
"Jesus answered, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.'"
-Luke 13:2-3
No comments:
Post a Comment