A couple weeks ago I wrote a blog titled, “Keep YOUR Gospel to Yourself.” I wrote it on the heels of a group of high school students in Pennsylvania that organized an “anti-gay day.” To be honest, my issue wasn’t that they planned such a day. I spent two decades in the military for the very purpose of protecting American’s right to say what they want, not matter how shortsighted or ignorant it sounds. My issue with their ”anti-gay day” was that they used Christianity and scripture to be hateful and violent toward other people. In that article I tried to make the point that if you use Christ and His teachings as the foundation for your hate, it isn’t Christianity and suggested that they weren’t followers of Jesus.
Last Friday I had a friend repost that article on Facebook, to which I had someone comment on it. They even went to my blog and commented there. I was stoked. I don’t get a ton of comments, so when I do, I get excited. After reading it, I wasn’t so excited. The commenter suggested that because I called a kid, that was using the cross as a symbol of hate, ignorant, I was hypocritical because I was being “judgmental and hateful” toward him. He suggested a few other things, but ended with, “I skeptically wonder if the author would also turn his hateful judgmentalism toward Christians gathering for anti-abortion? Or anti-child molesting? Or anti-drug abuse? Or anti-anything else other than homosexuality?” I won’t even start on the ignorance in that thought. I can only assume the commenter doesn’t think through things on a regular basis. You can read my response to his dribble HERE. I could have deleted it, but I’m not afraid of people disagreeing with me.
The comments and questions continued much further on the FB post. Most of what he said doesn’t even warrant repeating. But, toward the end of our back and forth he asked, “Are you not an advocate for homosexuality?” I thought about it for like 5 minutes and responded with,
“I’m an advocate for Jesus. I’m an advocate for not spewing hate at people and choosing to show Christ’s love. I’m an advocate for choosing to let the Holy Spirit deal with people’s hearts and souls. I’m an advocate for being in the world, with people and ministering to their deepest need, Jesus. On my best day, what I have to offer Jesus is filthy rags. I’m an advocate for doing life with people and pursuing Jesus in a community that cultivates love, so that others can meet Him. I’m an advocate for Christians applying the bible to their life before they try to force others to live by the standard it sets.”
That answer wasn’t good enough for him, so he insisted I answer, but I ended it because nothing I could say would be good enough, lest I quote Leviticus and call for the stoning of gays everywhere. But, it did get me thinking about whether I’m an advocate for homosexuality or not, because I’d never put a any thought into it. The short answer is, I’m not and I don’t think any Christian should be, even if you identify as a Gay Christian.
Jesus followers are people advocates.
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An advocate is someone that publicly supports a particular cause. In that case, I’m an advocate for Jesus. The cause that I want to publicly support is the one that He came for; to seek and save the lost. God’s chief cause for sending Jesus into the world was not to “condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” The real answer is, I’m a people advocate. My cause in this world revolves around Jesus’ command to love God and that’s done through loving your neighbor, other people. Jesus made no distinction about who that was. Well, actually He did. In the story of the “Good Samaritan” the injured man’s neighbor was a man he looked down on, so there’s that.
Bottom line is that if you’re a Christian, Jesus requires you to not only serve those you think are beneath you, but commands you to love them. Jesus followers are people advocates. Plain and simple. It doesn’t matter if they’re a different skin color, economic status, gender, religion, sexual orientation or anything else, we’re called to love others. That’s it.
I know some will read this and have issue with the fact that I said “Gay Christian” earlier and may try to use 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 as an argument for their responsibility to tell other Christians how they’re living in sin. But, before we worry about others, let’s remember that Jesus said, “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” I think it’d be beneficial for most of us if we started to worry more about how we’re following Jesus, rather than how others are.
Whether or not I’m an advocate for homosexuality is irrelevant. That isn’t the cause that I stand on. I’m an advocate for loving God, through loving others, so that they can come to know Jesus. And for those that already know Him, I’m an advocate for loving them well, so that others will know we’re His and so that we grow in unity and deeper in our love and knowledge of Him. If you’re a Christian, you ought to advocate for the same. His agenda is people, our agenda is His, so our agenda is people.
*I‘d love to dialogue with you. But, I want to dialogue with you only if you’ve actually read what I said. If you chose to comment, please start your post with “Fish Fingers & Custard.” Thanks.
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Fish fingers and custard….I think this is right on target. The problem with “Christians” crusades against gay people, in my opinion, is that they choose to ignore all the other sin prevalent in all if our lives. They spew their hate at a sin another is committing choosing to be blind to their own sin. It also bothers me that they think it’s ok to treat people who they disagree with as less than human. This is not the way of Christ. Thank you for being brave enough to call out the hypocrisy in the Church. I love reading your posts, keep up the good work!
Sarah, thanks for playing along with the fish fingers & custard. 🙂 You’re so right. It’s so much easier to point out others’ wrong behavior, than to let the Holy Spirit point out where we are inconsistent in following Christ in our own life. My hope is that there are enough people like you that can start conversations, in the church, about what it looks like to follow Christ well and, in the process, love people well. Thanks for adding to that conversation.
Fish fingers and custard. I agree with many of the points you’re making. I’m not sure from what you posted whether you think homosexuality is a sin or not. I do, but I believe you can be gay and Christian just like I can eat too much (gluttony) and still be a Christian. If we loved people first and gently dealt with the effects of their sin when it impacts the functioning of the church, but otherwise let the Holy Spirit deal with it, I think we’d be a lot closer to what God wants than all the condemnation and hatred toward them as a group.
Hey Jen,
I forgot that I put the “Fish Fingers and Custard” thing. Thanks for humoring me. I left it intentionally vague so it didn’t detract from the point I was trying to make. I do, and I agree with you about being Christian and how we ought to approach it. I think it has to be an issue that can is best approached from a relational standpoint. And only after doing the long hard work of building a friendship. Even then, it isn’t our responsibility to convict. We love, hold to and speak truth and let the Holy Spirit lead others into all truth and understanding. People experience conviction as He moves and our place is beside them as they work through what that means. Thanks for taking the time to share you thoughts.