Posted on 11/28/2018 12:26:57 PM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
Too often our churches give the impression that the Son of Man came to seek and save good people, not the lost. Too quickly our churches create a list of sins that are more tolerated and excusable (these tend to be the ones we struggle with) than others (which, conveniently, tend to be those others struggle with).
Real people live in our neighborhoods, sit in our church buildings, and talk with us after our services, and they have real struggles.
In this article, I want to look at the Bible’s challenge to church communities who want to be the people Jesus wants them to be—and who therefore wish to embrace gender-dysphoric members, and reach out to gender-dysphoric and transgender neighbors, with love, loving truth, and truth-based hope.
What will that kind of church community be like?
(Excerpt) Read more at focusonthefamily.com ...
If society tolerates freakishness, it gets more of it.
I have known a lot of gay people in my life. I have never met one that was happy. (I used to work in the fashion industry)
I want to vomit when I read cr@p like this from so-called Christians. FOTF used to be a biblically conservative ministry. Now they are an “emergent” psycho-babble group.
I take it that they want churches to allow and play along with cross dressers by what’s being written.
Not that I doubt you, but how did you know they weren’t happy?
Just interested in your interactions with them.
I like </sarc> how thwe author it twisting Scripture.
What does Scripture say about sexual sin inside the church:
1 Corth. 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
(Emphasis mine.)
Seems pretty clear to me.
I absolutely hate this Emergent Church, Seeker Sensitive blasphemy!
Not that I doubt you, but how did you know they weren’t happy?
___________________________________________________
Anybody who works closely with someone else knows whether or not they’re happy. That is even more so in the church.
In humanity happiness is often defined as being a member of a family and progressing as a unit. Progressing means continuing to learn, continuing to get close to God and even continuing in material wealth. When these things happen we have the opportunities to help others, when we help others we can be truly happy. It is difficult to be happy if we are requiring a lot of help. It is much easier to be happy when we are helping others, at least that is the case in Christianity.
In my opinion people who turned to homosexuality or transgender are too concerned with themselves and not enough about others. Their life is all about them. When we lose ourselves in the service of others we don’t worry nearly as much about ourselves and our own happiness because we help others to find happiness. There is much joy in helping others find happiness.
Can’t disagree with anything you said. Thanks.
I would try to get acquainted with such a person, and at some point ask if this person is interested in hearing, accepting and living the Gospel. If so, we can work on that together.
If not, then I would ask if they were interested in agitating the envelope in some way. In that case, I would ask why and then go from there. I would at some point dismiss them with all the love, peace and favor that is in my heart.
That's a sound approach. If they reject the Gospel then all we can do is continue to pray for them.
We see in the NT there comes a point of moving on if someone is not receptive to the Gospel.
I was deeply affected by the story and testimony of Sy Rogers, a former homosexual and then "transgender" man who became a believer in the midst of that lifestyle. He didn't interject his sexual perversion into a church body. After repenting he said he went out and bought men's clothing with the help of a friend (he had lived "as a woman" for over a year) and then sought out a church body of believers to join with - as a man. He still retained a lot of ultra-feminine mannerisms, but that was ingrained in him from a lifetime of immersion in that sin.
There is nothing more damaging and destructive to a New Testament Church body than an unrepentant sinner in their midst demanding that their sin be normalized.
I actually have mental health issues and go to a mental health center locally.
When I look at this transgender issue, one I worry about recruitement of young people, two I worry about people who are into a lifestyle for political reasons (to jump atop the victim toddem pole perhaps? hmmm), then there are people who feel like their attempts at sexual relations will go better if they transtion, then you deal with the brackdown of gender, not that man and woman are complimentary, rather they are interchangeable, its fluid, etc, what does this mean for bathrooms, schools, lockerrooms, sports and so forth, I suppose also the church. Nothing good, it seems.
And then, yes, you have people who legitmentaly have gender dysphoria, and in that case, what do you do about that? Perhaps radical surgery shouldn’t be the first option. Maybe, just maybe.
Twisting scripture and compromising churches to appease things going on in a moment is dangerous. Putting trust in the whims of man is not a good idea, we’re supposed to put our trust in God and certainly in my life I have learned that lesson the hard way. There’s always been different ways politics and secularism has tried to undercut the church and this is just the latest.
I know recently my church went through a process of finding a new pastor, and then the committee had to look for a new worship leader, and I did hear that one person up for the position was disqualified because some of his answers, which I have to guess, he was saying things that didn’t line up with the bible. The church has to be in a position to provide instruction.
The church needs to be the church.
All sin needs to be called out and sinners should be expected to repent. The loving grace of Jesus is needed by all, but only the repentant will receive that grace.
May God bless you as you seek the care that you need.
I’m saddened to see the change in this organization since Dr. Dobson left.
Same here. I used to be a regular donor, but that was long before Dr. Dobson left. His radio show was always inspiring and hopeful.
I can't imagine the current stuff being spewed out of that organization ever happening in the 90's.
NO! NO wanton, unrepentant sinner should feel "safe" in their sins in the presence of the Lord. Ever.
The crowds witnessing the white hot church after Pentecost feared to join themselves to the Church for the holiness that was demanded (Acts 5:11-13). How unlike that Church we are today.
Since that time, Dobson’s once reliable program took a distinct leftward turn.
To say the programming stinks, is an understatement!
Find Dobson’s “Family Talk” for Christian programming.
Second thing: the author alludes to one category of "lost sheep" here that's often overlooked, namely, sexually-disoriented people who have NOT adopted their problem-area as their core identity. The author puts it this way: "those who struggle with gender dysphoria but who are not actively identifying as transgender."
It's a serious omission. The author did not emphasize this part ---those who are not actively identifying as transgender --- and I think it's too important a distinction to gloss over.
There's a world of difference between one who struts their stuff as an intentional pervert, and a poor soul who suffers from deformed and dysfunctional tendencies but who refuses to identify with them.
The first one cannot be tolerated. He/she is an enemy agent. The second is asking for help--- and the church is he right place to come for that.
>>If society tolerates freakishness, it gets more of it.<<
Precisely, and the same holds true with all forms of deviant and antisocial behavior. That is a fact exemplified throughout history.
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.