“For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people” (Romans 16:18).
This is my first blog post addressing a controversial issue, but the issues of the day are a part of my journey; thus, I cannot play it safe and shy away from them. God doesn’t play favorites, nor does his Word adapt to suit changing times. The Word of God is an all or nothing deal. Yet it can be easy to approach the Word like a buffet, and even persuade others to do the same. “For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people” (Romans 16:18). Like it or not, same-sex marriage forces other questions of morality, many of them uncomfortable, out into the light.
How many Christians are divorced and remarried for reasons other than infidelity? How many Christians are storing up treasures here on earth? Even with Christ declaring all food clean, and so excluding the ceremonial cleanliness laws of Leviticus, the vast majority of us may still be operating way outside the will of God. I didn’t have to raise any hotly contested issues, such as capital punishment or abortion, because the two examples I did mention should be more than enough to silence wagging tongues. Therefore, if America is the new Sodom and Gomorrah, then it got that way long before the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage back in June 2015.
If it is right to deny same-sex marriage, as a matter of civil union, based on an interpretation of scripture, then divorce and remarriage must receive the same scrutiny; I have a problem with blatant cherry picking. I suspect that I’ll catch heat from supporters and opponents alike. Some may interpret this post as an endorsement of same-sex marriage, while others interpret it as a condemnation, but for this post, both will have missed the point entirely. As I stated in the opening, the same-sex marriage debate forces other questions of morality out into the light, and that introspection is the point of this post i.e. Romans 16:18. We focus on symptoms and lose sight of the cause; what we keep doing isn’t working.
God has made plain to me that we, the church, must get our own house in order (2 Chronicles 7:14), and put on the full armor of God. Therefore, let us carry on the business of spreading the Gospel, while dealing with the issues of the day with prayerful consideration and wisdom. The Gospel has the power to change hearts and minds. I don’t know all the particulars of what godly change will entail, but I do know that with God all things are possible.
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Amazing Tangled Grace 
Being biblically correct versus politically correct is a must for anyone who claims to be Christian. I do believe you have struck a very valid chord in Christianity today that I too see. Homosexuality is an abomination according to several scriptures. But it is the one most Christians call out as sin because they are not guilty of it themselves. That’s a safe sin to point out in others lives because they are not guilty of it BUT they are probably guilty of one of the other sexual sins mentioned in the Bible – fornication ( sex outside of the union of marriage) lust (looking at pornography or having lustful thoughts) adultery ( having sex with someone while married and many need to check the divorce decrees in the Bible – some of you are married to other people other than your current “spouse”)…I get your post. And it is Biblically correct – not politically correct. Searching yourself for sin will always benefit you more than searching others for sin. ❤️ this.
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Safe sins… thank you… you absolutely hit a home run! That was the point of this post to bring out into the light a consideration of all those other sins we’ve grown too comfy with. Again, thank you for your response.
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You really made sense.
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I loved your post. You hit a home run in your own words.
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Thank you!
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As far as the church is concerned, YES. Absolutely. As far as America is concerned… Well, that is a bit more complicated. What does it matter if in the Tower of Babel they have same sex unions? Are we trying to baptize the tower that is built for the purpose of “make a name for ourselves”? The problems there are deeper than same sex unions.
But in the church, it is different.
I got divorced. My wife announced to me that she was agnostic. A few years later she left me. My church friends pointed out Pauls words “Let her go” and so I did.
But divorce wrecked me. I was trashed. Still am…. however, I am not the same mess I was for a few years there.
And I went to church looking for help.
I found “Divorce Care” at church to be a brothel. Church as brothel. Think about that. I had women jumping on me, seducing me, flashing me… and of course, we met at church. We would meet again there later too.
I would like to say I kept myself pure. And I am happy to say that MANY advances I managed to sidestep. But then the idea of being divorced and pure??? Well, in the dead of night, that just don’t make sense. Then it still doesn’t when the sun comes up later…
I guess, my point is that people are hurting. Our way of life is killing us. The church has indulged all the dark ways of our society, instead of leading it or healing it. I found my biggest pitfalls at church! I was snared AT CHURCH! Seriously, go check out the Divorce Care in your church … in your town. I bet it is the biggest mess in town.
And those folx NEED help. They need patience. They need to the forgiveness of Christ. And the church MUST stay on that button. AND WE CANNOT get self righteous about this stuff.
BUT. That said… we also must NOT as a church continue to indulge this nonsense. We absolutely MUST NOT cave to it. We absolutely MUST NOT endorse it.
And that has begun happening too.
I just want to clarify these caveats. Basically, I think your post is right. And I encourage you to take your stand with courage. Our world is a mess, and the church of late is guilty of endorsing it all so we can still be at the table with the goodies. But that is not our calling. And whatever else, your post highlights that.
X
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Thank you for your response; these are conversations we need to have. I’ll probably read it again just to make sure I’ve fully grasped your points.
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Thank you!
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This is a tough one. As a Roman Catholic I am against abortion, but I don’t have the right to tell another woman what to do with her body. Doesn’t the bible tell us to not judge, lest we be judged? As for same sex marriages, I’m not against them because once again, I cannot judge someone else’s life. Also, not to be funny, why shouldn’t gay people be miserable in love like the rest of us who’ve been dumped by boyfriends , girlfriend’s , wives or husband’s ? I hate to say it but some of us need to go that Michael Jackson route and look at the man or woman in the mirror , because all of our houses of worship need to get their houses in order before we can judge anyone else.
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I wanted to revise my original response to your response to the two posts. I was at work and unable to give your comments the consideration they deserved. You seem to have put a lot of thought into what you shared, and I feel as though I owe you no less in return. I anticipated that both America, the New Sodom and Gomorrah? and Jeremiah had the potential of being controversial, because both posts deal with hotly contested issues. Although I let my opinion show in Jeremiah, I tried to be mindful not to take an attack stance. Instead, my goal for both posts was to present a broader discussion, and I appreciate you for sharing your thoughts. Concerning judging, I don’t believe Jesus commanded us not to judge; he commanded us how to judge. I shared my thoughts on judging in Hollow and Deceptive Philosophy and Pearls Before Swine. Thank you again for taking the time to read my posts as well as for adding to the conversation. God bless!
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I am Catholic too, btw (in case that matters), and my first comment could have been more thoughtful too.
Sorry, I keep babies almost all the time – certainly when I am near this computer. So, I am easily distracted.
But I really appreciate 2 things about this post (sorry, I have yet to read any others on this blog). One – I appreciate your guts in taking on controversial stuff. On the one hand, it really helps that I (mostly) share your views. I come to similar conclusion. I have great sympathy with your position. So… I especially like seeing my position being appreciated. (Its not JUST a matter so selfish, but this angle cannot be denied either).
Two – I appreciate the “discussion” aspect of this post. In fact, this is the part that allows me to mix in the parts I bring that are not actually the SAME. Similar means almost same, but not quite. I have a fair bit of that not quite going on too, and the discussion allows me to bring that part to bear as well.
I will not amend my previous comment at this point. It comes close to representing what I wanted to say. So unless someone comes along to exercise those thoughts with a bit more scrutiny, I will just leave them be. But I will visit here more in the future. I like this vibe. I want to be a part of it.
God bless…
X
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Wow, thank you X! That really means a lot! I put a lot of prayer and love into this blog and everything I write. God bless you as well.
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Keep going forward. Something that I’ve stated for years, a lot of Christians around me have a hard time accepting, cause I’ve already said I won’t see it another way, is my belief that America was NEVER truly FOUNDED on God.
Silence. Questioned looks.
“Jesus didn’t rebel.” I answer. “He said, Give to Cesar what is Cesar,” which to me includes taxes Americans stopped paying to the king. Moving to a new country for “religious” freedom isn’t exactly what Jesus taught. Having slaves, using violence, killing almost an entire nation (Native Americans), etc is NOT one nation under God.
I’m not saying I don’t understand the reasons for why Americans decided to go the route they did. But the CHRISTIANS who supported it, and thought they were being Christlike in that manner, that I question.
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Now, you’re going to go and make me have to think lol. I think that’s deep as well as legitimate. Thank you for sharing. God bless!
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I’ve considered writing about my thoughts on it, but wasn’t sure how others would take it. I’m fine if others disagree with me. But this is something I personally feel very strongly about.
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I’d pray and see where the Spirit leads. Trust me, I’m probably not gaining any friends with some of what I’ve shared in this blog. More likely, I may get myself committed. But a good friend gave me some advice, and I’ll share it with you: if God gives you a voice and something to say-speak!
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If I ever wrote the piece, it would only be to make people think, as well as provide scripture to point out why I feel the way I do. And I completely agree with your friend! One of my favorite bands, Jonah33 has a song called, “God gave you a voice” it’s my favorite.
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And if you do ever blog about it, please let me know in a comment on one of my posts, in case I miss it in my feed. I’d love to read what you have to say!
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I definitely will 🙂 even before you commented, I made a mental note to let you know if I do.
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Then I will be extra honored! 🙂
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Own it. Make your case.
Like I stated on this post elsewhere, there are similarities between your remarks here and the way I think too. I am all the way with you on the notion that this nation was not founded on “Christian principles”. This is not now, nor was it ever a Christian nation. Blessed by God??? Sure. I will go with that. But we are no Christian nation. Our forefathers very purposely cut God out of the governing business with what T. Jefferson termed a “separation of Church and state”. That’s not asking God what he thinks. That’s kicking him out of the power business and relegating him to matters of personal piety.
I will quibble about the meaning of Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but I will totally agree with you that rebelling aganst King George is also not Christian. And Jesus certainly paid tax.
We have invented a world without God and then tried to let him have the private areas. But look at our society. The church is splintered into bits. Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and at least a dozen others including Satanism are all vying to “coexist” with the “Christianity” that used to hold sway here. Then look at our behaviors. We enslave (used to back when we were still “a Christian nation”), wallow in greed and lust and are actually proud of our PRIDE. How much of this reflects Jesus in the slightest???
So… yeah.. for the most part, I am with you. And I hope you will write about this.
I hope you wont be timid either. It’s okay to risk being wrong about something. But you can own it. You have a case to make. Make it. Make it like a lawyer arguing to defend an innocent defendant. It doesn’t boil down to what you feel. Your thoughts play a part. Logic plays a part. Feelings play a part, but it cant be boiled down to them.
What is democracy (we don’t really have that either btw) in the face of THE KING? (And here I am not talking about England.)
BUT…
But let me warn you. I know this from experience. You can expect worse than just silence and questioned looks. I took an American flag to church with me on Fourth of July Sunday a few years ago because I knew there would be patriotic lapel pins and colors etc in that sanctuary. But I took my flag so that I could prophetically/symbolically make it bend the knee in the house of God. So, I held it by the tail in my left hand along with my Bible in the same hand and let it drag around on the floor of that church house everywhere I went from Sunday school to the worship assembly.
Fortunately I did not start a physical fight. But leadership there was stunned and feared it. I got a stern talking to afterward! Funny, they could not provide even the slightest biblical answer to it. But the sure were scared.
Yeah. God’s leaders, shepherds of the flock, scared of a man dragging a flag in the house of God! I exposed the demons in the synagogue like Jesus that day. We found out who worships God and who worships some syncretized civil religion.
But sadly, it got me shunned.
So… beware. There is a cost to discipleship. And that cost can be deadly. But I am sure I read that somewhere.
God bless you…
X
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One of the main ways I always approach how I write and talk to people is to follow Christ’s example. Look at how He interacted with people, answered them, and witnessed to them. If I wrote the piece, I’ll be careful in how I approach it. I’m not trying to make a scene with the post or stir the pot, there’s no need to, and I suppose in that regard I feel the majority of my readers will be okay with the post. I’ve covered hard topics on sin and prayer, which are more important, and more convicting than this idea of mine. But the reason for sharing my idea is so that as the body of Christ we stay accountable to Him. I don’t want people to hide behind ideas they grew up with thinking, even as Christians we need to seek out the truth, and consider what we once thought to be true. Is it really true? Thank you so much for taking the time out to respond your thoughts 🙂 and concerns. You are right not everyone will accept everything, and I’m okay with that. I just want everyone to know, even if they think differently that’s ok.
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It appears I got the wrong idea from your comment. I wont push it. If the idea I had was mistaken, then you definitely don’t want my encouragement/advice. I am certain it leads to trouble.
May you find peace.
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https://fatbeggars.wordpress.com/2017/05/05/drag-a-flag-sunday-and-the-breaking-of-fellowship/
https://fatbeggars.wordpress.com/2016/02/06/the-church-i-love-part-2/
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