Posted on 07/10/2011 11:16:37 PM PDT by Cronos
.. "On this new day the church continues to live into its call to be a house of prayer for all people, seeking reconciliation, calling forth the gifts of all who seek to serve Christ in the world," ..
"While we celebrate this day, we also know that minds and hearts need time and clarity to understand issues that divide us. We pray for God's guidance, humbly seeking to be united in our common purpose -- to live and proclaim the good news of the gospel."
...He grew up in a home and church where sexuality was never discussed, he said. Not until he was counseling a number of gay men "did I come to the understanding that gay is good and that it could be a gift. And then I came to understand that I was gay and I literally prayed to God that it could please not be my gift. I was 24 years into a committed marriage. This was not what I chose at all," he said. Ultimately, the Steeles divorced.
He grappled with Bible verses that he had always understood to condemn homosexuality. He concluded that the term "homosexuality" didn't exist in the biblical languages, and that biblical scholars disputed the meaning of those passages. He believes they refer to the sexual abuse of boys and to cult prostitution.
"I think Jesus' commandment that we love our neighbor trumps everything else. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. There is no modification to say 'except the neighbor whose lifestyle you disagree with,' " he said.
He has known many Presbyterians who felt called to serve God as a pastor but who gave up because of their sexuality
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
Leviticus 20:13.
“I think Jesus’ commandment that we love our neighbor trumps everything else.”
If it trumps everything, it would require us to love the Antichrist. So we could show our love and tolerance for him by taking that silly little mark for our wrists and celebrate his antichristness—so he doesn’t feel bad about being the antichrist. Heck, we should insist that the antichrist be the head of our churches—to make sure we are not discriminating against spawns of Satan.
OTOH, it might be that cannot love a sinner who is spitting in God’s eye by deliberately ignoring scripture and insisting on celebrating his sin by telling him it’s not sin and he should just keep celebrating. Love has nothing to do with the “I’m OK, You’re OK” school of modern Christianity making the sinner feel good about his sin. That’s “loving” the dude right to Hell. And that’s not love. Gifts of the spirit are for, among other things, admonishment and correction.
True love, imo, would convict the sinner that sin is sin so he could repent. That’s hard—everyone hates you when you do it. It’s so much easier to go with the modern diversity flow. But it’s loving him to salvation.
. . . oh but there is. In three places the Bible says we have to live by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. Loving one's neighbor is not the same as condoning. Twice in the gospel of John Jesus warned people to "sin no more" after he had forgiven them and healed them.
"I think Jesus' commandment that we love our neighbor trumps everything else. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. There is no modification to say 'except the neighbor whose lifestyle you disagree with,' "
I'm not Catholic, but a Catholic FReeper recently made an excellent point about the Bible. Protestants tend to believe the Bible trumps all, but the Bible is subject to misinterpretation. This homosexual "Christian" is a perfect example of modern Protestant thought, that each man should read and reach their own conclusions about what scripture means. I mean, some Protestant ministers now teach that unrepentant homosexuality (in committed relationships or worse) is OK!!! The apostles met Christ firsthand. They were able to interact with Him and gain a proper understanding. The apostles, in turn, discipled others. Their disciples helped found the Catholic church and wrote extensively on Biblical issues. From what I've read, many of these early writings helped expand on and reinforce scripture. For example, homosexuality was universally condemned by the early church, so it seems HIGHLY implausible that all of them got it wrong and today's churches are right, doesn't it?
So he’s married for 24 years and he leaves his wife for a man. That’s adultery. And adultery that betrays his wife in the cruelest manner.
There is no way an adulterer is ever condoned in scripture for any position of authority in the church. Homosexual or straight beside the issue, this man should never be in leadership.
And the only people he is able to deceive with this drivel are people who have no understanding of scripture at all.
Sad, sad, sad. All one has to do is look at the Church of England and the ECUSA to see how well things like this are working out for them and their dwindling flocks.
Oh my.
We must try to rescue these fallen sheep, but how does one reach someone who has already heard all the biblical arguments for and against their position and chosen evil? They are the 100th sheep (Matthew 18), once part of the Lord’s flock but gone astray. The Lord rejoices more for one of them who repents and returns to the flock than for the 99 who never strayed.
well, we should love all — but we should not tolerate their sins.
The problem occurs if one accepts pastors who are divorced and remarried.
What is worrying is that even hitherto conservative denominations like the Evangelical Presbyterians recently voted to allow pastoresses. Don’t they SEE that that was the first step on the slippery slope for the ECUSA, PCUSA, ELCA etc. etc?
Today the PCUSA just votes in allowing the gays...
Nonsense..."He grappled with Bible verses that he had always understood to condemn homosexuality."...sounds like he was reading it just fine.
"He concluded that the term "homosexuality" didn't exist in the biblical languages, and that biblical scholars disputed the meaning of those passages. He believes they refer to the sexual abuse of boys and to cult prostitution."
He concluded? He went and found some "Biblical scholars" that would prophecy unto him smooth things.
Not that I don't read and listen to Biblical scholars,but the fact is when I stand before God I won't have any Biblical scholars standing next to me.
Nonsense? A lot of the Protestant denominations do exactly as I described. They let individual churches and members believe pretty much whatever they want. I didn’t make it up. Some denominations ordain openly homosexual clergy who use scripture to justify sexual perversion. These aren’t people who say the Bible is irrelevant. They are “Christians” who ignore the historical and contextual meaning of scripture to back their point of view!
It’s the Protestant way. At least dissenters once had to go and create other denominations. Now being nonjudgmental is considered more important than being Christian, at least for many denominations.
Your point? If you're implying Christians shouldn't resist the ordination of gays, you're way, way off base. Back in the day, “they” weren't Christians. There is absolutely nothing—ZERO, zilch, nada—in Christ's or the apostle's teachings that says heretics should be murdered. The strongest biblical admonition against heretics I know is to have nothing to do with them. The historical fact that some of the murderers claimed to be Christian is about as relevant as unrepentant homosexuals making the same claim today. They aren't Christian. Of course, the truth might interfere with your thinly veiled anti-Christian rhetoric.
And all the people said “Unnngh!”
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