Veroni's Views

The answer is simple: Love them!

Over the last number of years we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who profess to be gay. That may be because more people are gay, or that more gays are “coming out”. In addition, there is growing official recognition of gay relationships for legal reasons like privileges that were formerly reserved for unions between people of different sex.

The church can no longer avoid the issue. Some have responded by becoming more legalistic about it, like my friend who denied his son access to their home “until you are straight again” (sic!) and the pastor who denied a professing gay membership in the local church. There are others who have come to the conclusion that gay relationships are quite in order from a Biblical point of view.

Today I want to address that part of the church that believes being gay is not the ideal, or, at worst, is sinful. My point is that whether you agree with the lifestyle or not, you are still obligated by command of the Lord, to love gays as you are obligated to love all people.

I am always amazed at how the church assumes for itself the role of grading what it considers to be sinful. As I understand the Bible, there is only one sin that is unforgivable, and that is the sin against the Holy Spirit. Yet the church has often taken it upon itself to identify other transgressions as the ultimate. Smaller groupings have been more outspoken, condemning people for such things as smoking, dancing, going to the movies, drinking alcoholic beverages etc. More general has been the condemning of people who have been divorced. One denomination barred all divorcees from ever participating in any kind of ministry – that in spite of the fact that 30% of their members had gone through a divorce. Similarly, many now regard being gay as the ultimate sin.

Speaking of grading sins: The Bible promises liars the same punishment as a few other serious transgressors, among whom are murderers (Rev 21.8) – interestingly enough, gays are not mentioned here.

Let us continue to proclaim the Word of God, based on sound exegetical principles and not according to our own likes and dislikes and fears. Let us proclaim the truth in love so that we may all grow in every way to be more like Christ (Eph 4.15).

Let us create an environment in which everyone may feel free to worship God with us, trusting God to move in people’s lives to make of them what He wants them to be. In the “bounded set” concept of church there are two groups of people: The “we” group that consider themselves to be better than the “they” group, based on a set of attributes, real or imaginary. Let us rather be a “centred” set, in which all are striving to serve God, with Jesus Christ at the centre.

Let us be careful not to sin more seriously by our judgmental attitude than those whom we assume we are entitled to judge may be sinning.