Who's the sinner?
Homosexuality is such a scary thing to talk about in the Christian world. It’s divisive and evokes such strong emotions from people. Just dropping the “H” word is guaranteed to stop all conversation in a 10- foot radius and make every single person uncomfortable. But why? It’s a sin, sure, but no more than any other one, right? At least that’s what we tell ourselves until we are faced with a lesbian asking questions about Jesus or a gay man wanting to know why Christians keep shying away from him. What makes it so much more scary or difficult to understand as opposed to gossip or lying?
Homosexuality evokes sin on both sides of the lifestyle. A person choosing to live in that lifestyle is sinning by not following God’s word. “I was born this way,” or “God made me this way,” are very good lies people tell themselves to negate the fact that they are making a choice. I know because I lived this lifestyle for over 10 years; but I had struggled with my sexual identity for far longer than that.
On the opposite side, homosexuality creates sin in many Christians because of the sheer judgment and angry rhetoric they spew. “Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10! Homosexuals go to hell!” I’ve had people tell me this before during an AIDS walk; they weren’t happy when I told them that list included drunks and the greedy. Beware of using the Bible against people, you never know they might know more of it than you. Besides, God’s Word isn’t supposed to be used as a beating stick. As Christians we are supposed to love those who disagree and be ready to walk them back to Jesus.
Most people reading this are probably nodding their heads, but is it this easy when it’s an LGBT person that needs the love? Well, I guess the bigger question is why is it so hard when it’s a homosexual as opposed to an alcoholic or thief or gasp, a gossip? I think the reason that many Christians are so uncomfortable with the LGBT community is sex. For years, people used to think of gay people as perverts, closet pedophiles, and worse, so in defense against such baseless ideas the LGBT community espoused flamboyant sexualized lifestyles. Whatever way they could push back against the society that demonized them was applauded.
This casual sexualized lifestyle appalls many mainstream Christians. We have been taught that anything dealing with sex, intimacy, or the human body is evil, unnatural, and vile. We are more scared of a gay man than a heroin addict who uses dirty needles. Why? Because the moment we read the word gay, homosexual, or LGBT our brains began to think of sex. Homosexuality is one of only a few sins that almost immediately stimulates sexual thought. Another is pornography, hear the word and immediately our minds begin to wander. This makes us uncomfortable, and it’s easier to judge and separate ourselves from the discomfort than to push past it and learn to the love the very real, very hurting person behind the label. This is the crux of homosexuality, the nexus sin between both Christians and the LGBT community; it divides us. All sin separates us from God, but this double-sided sin separates us also from each other. It tells each side it’s better than the other while driving shame and flinging hate on both simultaneously.
How can we combat this? Mark 12:31, “And the second (greatest Commandment) is this: ‘You must love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.’ You will never find a greater commandment than these.” Love others, all others, the way we love ourselves; love doesn’t mean agree with everything. It means be different, be willing to love them to Jesus. It’s rough, messy, and at times heart-breaking, but take it from this former lesbian, with God all situations and people can be made new! And as for the old 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 chanting crowd, here’s verse 11: “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” If God gave me a new identity, I know He will do it for anyone, homosexual or hypocritical Christian!
Homosexuality evokes sin on both sides of the lifestyle. A person choosing to live in that lifestyle is sinning by not following God’s word. “I was born this way,” or “God made me this way,” are very good lies people tell themselves to negate the fact that they are making a choice. I know because I lived this lifestyle for over 10 years; but I had struggled with my sexual identity for far longer than that.
On the opposite side, homosexuality creates sin in many Christians because of the sheer judgment and angry rhetoric they spew. “Read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10! Homosexuals go to hell!” I’ve had people tell me this before during an AIDS walk; they weren’t happy when I told them that list included drunks and the greedy. Beware of using the Bible against people, you never know they might know more of it than you. Besides, God’s Word isn’t supposed to be used as a beating stick. As Christians we are supposed to love those who disagree and be ready to walk them back to Jesus.
This casual sexualized lifestyle appalls many mainstream Christians. We have been taught that anything dealing with sex, intimacy, or the human body is evil, unnatural, and vile. We are more scared of a gay man than a heroin addict who uses dirty needles. Why? Because the moment we read the word gay, homosexual, or LGBT our brains began to think of sex. Homosexuality is one of only a few sins that almost immediately stimulates sexual thought. Another is pornography, hear the word and immediately our minds begin to wander. This makes us uncomfortable, and it’s easier to judge and separate ourselves from the discomfort than to push past it and learn to the love the very real, very hurting person behind the label. This is the crux of homosexuality, the nexus sin between both Christians and the LGBT community; it divides us. All sin separates us from God, but this double-sided sin separates us also from each other. It tells each side it’s better than the other while driving shame and flinging hate on both simultaneously.
How can we combat this? Mark 12:31, “And the second (greatest Commandment) is this: ‘You must love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.’ You will never find a greater commandment than these.” Love others, all others, the way we love ourselves; love doesn’t mean agree with everything. It means be different, be willing to love them to Jesus. It’s rough, messy, and at times heart-breaking, but take it from this former lesbian, with God all situations and people can be made new! And as for the old 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 chanting crowd, here’s verse 11: “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” If God gave me a new identity, I know He will do it for anyone, homosexual or hypocritical Christian!
Comments
Post a Comment