Ok With Gay

 

 

I wholeheartedly support a civil union – “marriage” –  between same-sex couples who are not followers of Christ.  They are entitled to happiness and fulfillment in their lives and all the legal benefits given to the traditionally married couples.  What business do I have to hold someone accountable to a set of standards they never signed up for; don’t ascribe to?!!? 

 

The apostle Paul when writing to the church in Corinth stated: What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside.

1 Corinthians 5:12-13 (NIV) 

Perhaps Christians should study 1 Corinthians 5 and Romans 1 and 2 before shaking their heads in disgust when gays or non-Christians get married! 

Here’s what C.S. Lewis penned back in 1942…“My own view is that the Churches should frankly recognize that the majority of the British people are not Christians and, therefore, cannot be expected to live Christian lives.  (Let that sink in before you continue reading ….)  There ought to be two distinct kinds of marriage: one governed by the State with rules enforced on all citizens, the other governed by the Church with rules enforced by her on her own members.  The distinction ought to be quite sharp, so that a man knows which couples are married in a Christian sense and which are not.”

Can Christians honestly say their marriages are “governed by the church” and that the “distinction is quite sharp”?  The primary indicator of the "distinction" would probably be the divorce rate.  The latest numbers I have seen indicate a divorce rate of little or no difference between “Christians” and “non-Christians.”   And, I can say with a certain degree of confidence, that the divorce rate among gay couples will be virtually the same within the next 5 to 10 years when reliable data is available. 

The recent Supreme Court decision declaring gay marriage legal not only granted gay couples all the legal benefits they are entitled to but it also opened up a whole new source of revenue for divorce lawyers! 

My primary concern is the gay community’s agenda that for a gay person to be happy and live a fulfilling life they have to be married and, in a vast majority of the cases, it has to be a church wedding.  (Why in a church??!!??  Does that add to the happiness factor?)  Before activist groups make broad, inclusive statements of “fact,” they should consider and listen to opinions other than their own. 

Dawn and I know two gay individuals who are very happy and live fulfilling lives.  They are both followers of Christ and, as far as I know, have remained single and "unattached."  They both had a bitter spirit toward the church; toward Christians.  They both had severe struggles with self-worth and often had thoughts of self-destruction from being beat up and bashed by Christians.  But thanks to a few disciples of Jesus who simply loved them, they are at peace with themselves and understand that not all followers of Christ are “judgmental, homophobic moralist.” 

De-Churched

 

According to the projections based on a recent study completed by the Barna Research Group and presented in the book Church-less, in 2014 53% of American adults were "de-churched." 

 

What does "de-churched" mean?

A small percentage of the "de-churched" are those who attend church on Christmas and Easter only -- often referred to as CEO's.  The majority of "de-churched" individuals are those who were once significantly involved in a church but now do not identify with any particular established church.  Lots of reasons are stated as to "why" they have become "de-churched."  The one that really grabbed my attention was that they no longer sensed the presence of God; that church had become more about the "smoke and lights and the awesome band" than facilitating a connection with the "holiness of God." 

I am the first to admit that the "entertainment factor" became very important to me in my tenure at The River! 

Before you "churched" people get huffy and start making judgments about those "de-churched" individuals, please consider the facts that they still make decisions based on biblical values, still serve in their communities, still gather in small groups for Bible study, donate financially to non-profits in their communities, and consider spiritual growth as a priority in their lives! 

The question, then, for the American church is how to reach out to the "de-churched" and invite them back.  The "de-churched" individuals had a variety of responses to the question: "what would make you consider returning to an established church?"

Here's a list of the top 4 responses given: A church that: 1.  Is intentionally and intently serving the poor and disadvantaged and were addressing the issue of poverty in their community (notice the "their community" and not "somewhere-over-there"). 2.  Is serving the youth, families, and elderly.  3.  Is cultivating biblical values.  And, 4.  A church that is assisting those in recovery. 

So, if you are "churched," the question I have for you is: "What is your church doing to invite the "de-churched" back to church?" (And, fyi, only 8% of American adults are truly "unchurched.")

And, if you are among the "de-churched," would you like to have coffee with a fellow "de-churched" individual?  Message me on Facebook.