Posted on 07/20/2015 6:55:07 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
“It’s over,” he told me (John) grimly. “We’ve lost.”
These words came from a wounded warrior, a pastor who had dedicated much of his ministry to calling Christians to apply their faith in the public square and to opposing things like same-sex marriage...
Informed and articulate Christians can make a difference....
1. We can change our reputation from those who hate gays to those who love them....
2. We must tell the truth about same-sex attraction, homosexual sin, and same-sex marriage.....
3. We can stop implying in our words and actions that homosexual sin is worse than all other sexual sins, and that sexual sins are unforgiveable.....
4. We can defend the religious liberty of all Americans.....
5. We can tell better stories about love, sex, marriage, and family.....
6. We need to expect conversations about marriage and be ready for them when they come...
(Excerpt) Read more at thegospelcoalition.org ...
Why do so many of these discussions begin with tacit acceptance of the Left's calumnious caricatures of us?
I have some disagreements.
The way the satanic left has set things up, anything short of joining them in celebrating their perversions is viewed as ‘hate’, and give homo’s the right to destroy you and your business.
As far as sexual sin, doesn’t the Bible list homosexuality as an abomination to God? Adultery and promiscuity are serious sins as well, but they are not an abomination.
The time for the passive aggressive approach is long gone. We’re too far down the rabbit hole. Something more forceful is necessary.
We didn’t come looking for war. They came to us, and they were relentless.
Reputation among whom? How about this:
Matt 11:16 “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: 17 “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”
There is no way to make them like you first, and then convince them that you are right. The first thing that has to happen is for an enemy of the Church to become a member of the Church. It turns out that God is sovereign about that.
How?? That reputation has been cemented in the minds of the herbivores and cannot be changed.
2. We must tell the truth about same-sex attraction, homosexual sin, and same-sex marriage.....
Whose truth, ours or theirs? Theirs has prevailed, ours has been relegated to a mental disorder (homophobia) which requires aggressive treatment;
3. We can stop implying in our words and actions that homosexual sin is worse than all other sexual sins, and that sexual sins are unforgiveable.....
In other words, capitulate...
4. We can defend the religious liberty of all Americans.....
How can we do that, when there is a full-court press against Christians?
5. We can tell better stories about love, sex, marriage, and family.....
Tell them, by all means, until you're blue in the face - you will be at the least ignored, at the worst burned out of your job, your home and your future...
6. We need to expect conversations about marriage and be ready for them when they come...
I agree with the pastor: we have lost the culture war.
Leviticus 18:22 - “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”
A good approach.
Loving God is a challenge and an opportunity and loving our neighbor also challenges us.
Trust in the Lord should brings us peace.
It is difficult to follow God’s will and treat everyone fairly.
However, it is God’s judgment and not ours. Yet we should not condone sin, sexual or otherwise.
Lead by example and love.
We could turn away from the idea that marriage is primarily about personal fulfillment and happiness.
We could make sure divorce is only a very, very last resort.
We could recognize that marriages are supposed to be fruitful.
We could guide young women away from dreams of being the star of a princess wedding, and towards plans of being a good wife.
We could practice pre-marital chastity - this is known as abstinence.
We could shun adultery.
Heterosexuals have turned marriage into a free-for-all.
“It’s over,” he told me (John) grimly. “We’ve lost.”
There are still 7000 faithful left in Israel.
It is not this world that is important, it will be our life with God in Heaven that we strive for.
Bring back the relationship with God will build a stronger America and the World.
It is not over. The fight has just begun.
Yes - when Elijaih was despondent because he though all was lost, God reminded hum that there were 7,000 left in Israel that had not bowed the knee to Baal.
His remnant church in America is no different - there are many who have not and will not bow the knee to Baal - "...and having done all - STAND!" (Ephesians 6:13)
You defined the difference well. Homosexuality incites a completely different reaction, a revulsion of something deeper than just a sin of the flesh. There is a spiritual evil intrinsic in homosexuality.
We have to fight this as a spiritual battle. The war is not lost, because in Christ, we have the Victory!
>>Same-sex attraction does not disqualify someone from Christian faith or service any more than other temptations do. If someone is living in obedience to God’s will, we should welcome their presence and, if appropriate, their leadership. In an age of such extensive sexual compromise in the church, perhaps God is raising up men and women who are overcoming this temptation to help his people.
How often to pastors preach on the evils of pride, the ultimate root of all sin? Well, the difference between homosexuality and other sexual sins is PRIDE. Gays have PRIDE marches. They use the word PRIDE in their organization names. You never see an Adulterer Pride rally or a “Proud to love my donkey” bumper sticker.
When you say that homosexuality is the same as any other sexual sin, then stop preaching about pride. And once you stop preaching about pride and sin, you might as well shut up and go find a new job.
This one is my "favorite" from the ill-informed. The perception is that homosexual sin is being "singled-out" as though they are more evil than adulterers and thieves.
The main difference with the homosex movement is they are demanding validation of their lifestyle. Adulterers and thieves know that their sin is vile and they did not demand the church to validate it. Now we have the homosex movement infiltrating churches and recruiting people to their movement and demanding that the Holy Scriptures be changed to fit their agenda. The "you're picking on and singling out the homosexers" is a favorite talking point among the lefties. The reason it appears that it is standing out is the tact that the homosexers have taken up against the church.
I don't think Christians are doing that. If it seems as though Christians are condemning homosexuality more than other sexual sins, it's only because homosexuality is the only sexual sin that we are constantly told we must celebrate. The day when there are "adulterers' pride parades" or "pornographers' pride parades" marching down the street, Christians will talk as much about adultery and pornography as they do homosexuality.
It is not uncommon to see churches celebrating sin. A church may celebrate wealth as a sign of God’s favor. A church may preach disobedience against government leaders with whom they disagree.
My church back home justified slavery and Jim Crow along with supporting tobacco use. Churches have frequently allowed culture to drive the message.
My last two churches had to change Scripture to remove language that went against church teachings.
The other kind of homosexual has come to that condition as a result of trauma, mistreatment or even being spoiled by parents, teachers, classmates or relatives. These are the ones who are so broken that they look to others to reassure them that they're okay and what they do is okay. Subconsciously they are begging to be stopped and corrected.
This kind of homosexuality is a psychological disorder called an identity crisis. Psychological disorders need healing, not humoring. But in this country we appease disease. Look at what we've done to Ellen Degeneres, Rosie O'donnell, or even Hillary Clinton for that matter. Nobody loves them enough to stop them. Nobody is brave or skilled enough.
I would say to a homosexual "No. You are a boy or you are a girl, and nature is very specific about the structural function of your genitals." Involving nature and physics reaffirms what they know in their heart to be true about their identity, or at least causes them to start doubting their misconceptions. Then I would start with the therapy: "So what happened to you? Who hurt you? Why are you so stressed out?" There's no need to struggle or debate with them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.