Tuck In Your Fears, Christians

After watching a video clip of Michelle Bachmann answering several questions over the rights of same-sex couples to wed, I got angry. She equated the rights of gays as being special privileges based on sexual relations. She said there is no room in this country for that. Okay, but using that logic, straight people have federal marriage rights based on with whom they have sex, so why can’t gay people?

She then went on a rant about how Christians are being persecuted and silenced in this country when asked a question about religion. Now, while I agree that there is some silencing going on, it’s nowhere near Iran as a lot of Christian conservatives are making it out to be. The springboard for all of this was gay marriage.

Then I thought about The Salvation Army and their statement for their Christmas donation that needlessly explained their position on homosexuality. Then Chick-Fil-A released a statement saying that while they respect homosexuals as people, they cannot bear to see them get married and will donate money to make sure it doesn’t happen. It’s part of their belief system. The Salvation Army has the same belief system. So does Michele Bachmann. I’m supposed to have the same belief system, and I do (Jesus is Lord), but stuff like this really gets on my nerves for several reasons.

1. I don’t know who started it, but it needs to stop. When did Christians move from keeping interracial couples apart (unless you’re these people) to picking on gays? It seems to be everywhere. Christians are taking a stand against gays and giving their all in the fight without saying one word about reaching out to gays.
2. Michele Bachmann, Salvation Army, Chick-Fil-A, et al, your Christian witness does not hinge on homosexuality. It never did. Please stop acting like it does.
3. There are an alarming number of avowed and casual Atheists and Agnostics in the gay community and I’m the only one concerned about it?
• The main reason they don’t believe in God (or Jesus) is because of how Christians in the public arena and their private lives act and treat them. If all you hear from a Christian when you tell them that you’re gay is how they’re a sinner bound for hell just because they’re gay, how would that make you feel if you were in their shoes? Don’t give me that “I’d want to find out how to avoid Hell!” crap. You’re human and you’d be just as hostile.
• Why are you content with not reaching out to understand what you don’t understand about gay people? Why are you not sitting down to find out why they’re attracted to someone of the same sex and how it comes as naturally to them as opposite sex attraction comes to you? Why are you not trying to understand something and just outright dismissing it (and a fellow human being) as being worthless?
• Why do you say you love someone yet do nothing to show compassion toward them? You can say you love them, but I guarantee you that you’re loving from afar with no plans whatsoever to fully engage.
• Why can’t you see that Jesus NEVER told anyone who followed him to get right first and then follow him. He said, “Follow Me,” “Go and sin no more,” and “You must be born again” after doing what with Nicodemus? TALKING TO HIM AND ENGAGING HIM!
• Why are you not participating in gay pride marches telling everyone that Jesus loves them just the way they are?
• Why are you concerned with gays living as they do and equating that to a Spiritual decay problem yet not allowing the Holy Spirit to fix it (if it can be fixed) or clean it up just as He did you when you became a believer? Why are you demanding the world when it was not demanded of you?
4. All you’re charged to do (by Jesus himself in Matthew) is to go and teach all nations about Him, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptizing can now be done by churches after a decision to accept Jesus has been made, but you can still go and teach all nations. Start at home. Why are you neglecting your commission? You’re not telling gays about Jesus. If someone is straight, you have all day to talk about Jesus. They mention they’re gay? You zone in on that and try to get them to change before they even meet Jesus. Talk about backward thinking. Why are you holding back from gays? They need to know that Jesus loves them enough that he died and rose for them, too. He’s not just about straight people.
5. Stop trying to change people overtly and subtly.
• The moment you hear “gay” and say “You know Jesus can change that,” without trying to meet their immediate need, you lose.
• The Salvation Army says (now) that homosexuality does not agree with God’s plan for life and if a person is a Christian and feels they cannot change their orientation, then God has called them to a life of celibacy. So, let me get this straight. You don’t like gay people and want nothing to do with them; however, there are brothers and sisters in Christ who are gay, but in order to be used in the body of Christ they now have to pass a sexual activity litmus test in order for you to be satisfied? You didn’t require that of Eddie Long, Herman Cain, Jimmy Swaggart, or Sandi Patty, so why require it of gays? Why are you so focused on what two dudes or two women do in their bedroom? Even if they are celibate you won’t believe it and still will think that gays are icky based on that Christmas statement alone.
• While God can do anything, the people I’ve seen “change” their sexual orientation are those who had sex with the same sex as just sex, and nothing more. They had no emotional bond or connection with someone of the same sex. I’ve never seen anyone who had the emotional connection break out of homosexuality. For everyone who did or attempted to, one thing remained: they were/are still attracted to those of the same sex with varying degrees of resistance. I’d say it’s probably over 90% who don’t change, though.
• That’s the rub that you don’t like, Christians – some folks won’t change because they can’t and refuse to go back into the closet or live in denial of what they want and who they are. Sexual activity outside of marriage is forbidden in the Bible for anyone (straight or gay), so unless you’re married, everyone should be celibate or abstinent while serving the Lord, right? Listen, I once sang in a choir where there were more philandering praisers of the Lord than…but I digress.

All I want is some true love shown to gays from fellow Christians just like you would anyone else with whom you’d want to share the Gospel. Give them a fighting chance – it’s what Jesus told us to do. If they accept, great. If not, okay, at least either a seed was sown or they heard. We have to do better and stop picking on vulnerable groups.