17 April 2013

My Social Responsibility – Everyone is Welcome…Full Stop

Greetings Dear Reader,

I recently read an article re-posted by a dear friend.  The title was, “I am Christen Unless you are Gay.”  Whilst I cannot agree with everything the writer said I think that he lays a charge at the feet of Christ followers that we must address.  I am not going to weigh in on what is sin and what is not here.  It is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict the world of Sin, Righteousness, and Judgment.  I have to worry about my own sin too much to try and take God’s job away from him.

What I will address is the failure of the church both universal and local to love people whom they believe are “sinners.”  That the world can charge us with hating people whom we believe are “sinners” is shameful.  We are supposed to be so loving that it is the first thing people say about us.  One could pick any sin that is common among Christ followers and place it into the rhetoric that we use for the “really bad” sins and we would see the absurdity of the position we posit. 

Let us take for example pride.  At some point all of us struggle with this not so silent but oh to prevalent sin.  So let us do a little pride bashing.  Why do we not carry signs that say “God hates the proud” or “Prideful People Burn in Hell” or “The Proud Deserve to be Destroyed”?  We should deny prideful people health care and insurance.  We need to hold rallies demonstrating against anything that allows the prideful to feel loved and accepted by God.

I see much more said in the Bible about pride than I do homosexuality.  If we could justify treating anyone badly it would surely be the proud.  Those who lack humility are told clearly that they are at odd with God.

Pro 16:18 Pride precedes a disaster, and an arrogant attitude precedes a fall.

Jas 4:6 But God shows us even more kindness. Scripture says, "God opposes arrogant people, but he is kind to humble people."

1Pe 5:5 Young people, in a similar way, place yourselves under the authority of spiritual leaders. Furthermore, all of you must serve each other with humility, because God opposes the arrogant but favors the humble.

The growing church in Acts is faced with accepting people outside of the Jewish faith as being equal in the sight of God.  Peter is told clearly to accept everyone who wishes to follow Christ.  How can we ever hope to be seen as loving if we do not stop treating people as lower than us because of the flavor or their particular sin?  Again I am not laying a charge to any individual here.  What I am saying is that I cannot afford to risk tarnishing what is to be my benchmark, love, by judging others.

I do believe some things are clearly wrong.  I do believe it is worse on the human level to kill someone than it
is to lie to them.  I do not, however, think that on the Divine level there is very much difference.  My opinion is not what matters.  It is my place to love every single person that breathes no matter what the personal cost to me.  Any Christ follower who argues with this is not hearing what Christ commands. 

Again I would have you imagine with me the impact of a church free of prejudice and judgment.  I would have you consider the power of a people who were so humbled by Christ’s love for us that it overflowed into every community without consideration for that individual’s particular race, social place, or sin.  Who would not wish to follow Christ were his current followers to act in this way?  I only hope that I can tear away my own pride enough to love everyone to the degree that Christ loves them.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."

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