Posted on 04/28/2011 5:55:29 AM PDT by ZGuy
Being gay is a gift from God, asserts one church in Ohio.
That’s the message that Central United Methodist Church is spreading throughout their community via a digital billboard, launched on Monday.
This “simple statement,” the church announced, is “intended to be a gift to those who have experienced hurt and discrimination because of their real or perceived sexual orientation.”
“The Church seeks nothing less than the healing of the world, and Central UMC wants to offer words and acts of healing to those hurt and marginalized,” the website states.
Jeff Buchanan, the director of Exodus Church Equipping & Student Ministries, agrees that the Church must display love and compassion for those in the LGBT community. But he opposes the message that CUMC is sending through their “Being Gay is a Gift from God” campaign.
“Why would God bestow this ‘gift’ only to condemn it throughout the Bible? This would seemingly contradict His character as a God who is loving and just.”
The Toledo church’s controversial billboard ad is directly connected to a long month-long sermon series by its new pastor, Bill Barnard. The church is hoping that the ad will move the public towards tolerance, reported ABC 13, and not perpetuate anti-gay attitudes and behaviors, which were harming the LGBT community.
The purposes of their recently launched campaign are threefold: to offer welcome to all persons who are gay; to challenge the larger Church to fully accept persons who are gay into the life of the Church; and to call on all people to bring all the gifts of who they are to God.
“By welcoming and living in community with faithful Christians who happen to be gay, we have come to understand that being gay is part of who God made them to be,” CUMC proclaims on their site. “And by gay Christians bringing all that they are to God, the body of Christ has been strengthened.”
“In fact, we would experience the body of Christ as incomplete without LGBT persons.”
Barnard told ABC, “We really believe that being gay is a gift from God, and it’s not anything that anyone has to apologize for or be ashamed about. So that’s how [the campaign] came to be.”
Believing sexuality to be a “good gift from God” – or as they declared yet another way in God’s infinite diversity – CUMC defines sin as denying who God created them to be.
“The overwhelming scientific evidence is that people are born with their sexual orientation, that it is not a choice,” the church contends. “Fully accepting one’s sexual orientation and identity is key to leading a normal and healthy life.
“Forcing people to act against their God-given sexual orientation will lead to disordered lives. Allowing people to act in accordance with their God-given sexual orientation leads to reconciliation.”
While deeming the marginalization of LGBT persons as “unjustified” – mentioning that Jesus did not speak directly regarding homosexuality – the Toledo church recognizes that the Church today continues to be divided over interpretation of Scripture related to homosexuality.
Just two months ago, 33 retired United Methodist bishops urged the denomination to remove its ban on homosexual clergy, prolonging the undying debate within the church body.
CUMC hopes to unify believers by focusing more on “things that [they] agree on, such as kindness, justice, and humility,” instead of contributing to hate and discrimination, which they believe leads not to reconciliation, but to self-destructive practices within the LGBT community.
“Holding people responsible for matters in which they have no control is irrational and immoral,” the church declares. “We believe that both those within and without the Church are hungry for dialogue about homosexuality that reflects compassion and humility rather than intolerance and strife.”
Buchanan contends that CUMC’s message “tells people that the only option they have is a gay identity.”
But “people need to understand that thousands of men and women have found there is another way and have found freedom from homosexuality through the power of Christ,” he says.
Even if there was conclusive evidence supporting the theory that people were “born this way,” Buchanan stresses that Christians were called to be “born again.”
“While we may not choose our desires, we do have the ability and responsibility to choose whether or not we act on those desires. Our goal should be living a life that is congruent with Scripture,” he says.
“Genesis describes the fall of man and the permanent effects that sin has on us spiritually, mentally, and physically. Just because something may be inherent does not mean it was intended.”
Despite the outcry of many from the Christian community against CUMC’s campaign, Barnard continues to proclaim that homosexuality is a “gift” and has people come and remain just “as they are.”
Working to accept persons who are gay into the full life of the Church, CUMC is a founding member of the Reconciling Ministries Network, which is the United Methodist movement for gay equality in the denomination.
Two of the volunteer staff members at their church, including the music director and lead team chair, live with their partners and have served the church for over seven years.
Grieved over the misinterpretation of Scripture and false teaching that is being promoted by CUMC and many other churches like them, Buchanan encourages churches to deliver the message of Christ with love and grace, but also with accuracy and uncompromised truth.
“We must always remember that authentic love is built upon a foundation of grace and truth.”
We are all born into a world with our own Crosses, a tendency toward certain kinds of sins (errors) whether it be a genetic disposition toward anger or alcoholism, an abusive parent, or a physical disability etc. But human beings were also born to grow, not just physically and mentally, but also spiritually. We weren't meant to be branded, categorized and to stay the same -- we are meant for growth. People who were born without legs doesn't mean that they were never meant to walk. Someone born blind wasn't meant to stay blind and never see, they were meant to develop a different kind of sight. We are meant to grow and cast aside our disabilities and embrace what struggling with those disabilities teach us.
This is the error in this church's thinking -- embrace the sinner yes, but don't celebrate the sin or act like its natural! Would they do the same for a murderer or a thief? Celebrate "murdering" or "thieving"? No! Even though they must care for the souls of people who do those acts. Love the sinner, hate the sin that's holding these people hostage -- then you can help them free themselves. Celebrating the sin is just keeping them where they are, even if they want to grow past it!
I’m not going there on this thread. It’s unrelated. You can FReepmail me if you really want to pursue the discussion.
Your sect’s perversions have led you to gripe at this woman.
Shame! Shame! Shame!
I don’t see how to interpret “One does not have to INTEND to have that thought.or go looking for a woman to lust after” in any way other than “to be tempted is to sin”....
I was referring to this.....I'm not entirely clear where you picked up this whole "temptation≅sin" thing....
I still don't see where she said temptation = sin. I guess I'm not reading her posts the same way you are, or I'm missing something else.
Regarding homosexuality, there are countless numbers of former homosexuals. So they were able to not only renounce same sex sodomy acts, but also focusing on such acts in their minds, to one degree or another. It is a simple fact that when we “entertain” thoughts, they stick around. If such thoughts are like unwanted visitors, we show them the door. The mind is not always easy to tame, but we can change our thoughts to a large degree by what we focus on. And when we continually dwell on subject matter, we generally wind up acting on such thoughts.
If someone struggling with homosexual desires continues to watch or look at homosexual porn, go to homosexual bars, read books about the “gay” life and hangs out with those practicing it, he or she will have a very hard time not thinking about such things.
We can control our association, what we read, hear, watch, where we travel to or hang out at, and who we associate with. Imagine trying to diet while reading “foodie” magazines, poring over cookbooks, and loitering in the aisles of grocery stores, in front of bakeries (or whatever kind of food is the tempation) and hanging out in front of restaurants to smell the food smells; or going to “all you can eat” places with a bunch of friends and not eat a thing. The diet won’t work.
And someone truly repentent, who changes their behavior (and associations etc as described above) will find their desires changing as well. Doesn’t happen overnight, harder for some than others, but eventually such thoughts dwindle and become only past memories.
I have never had the problem with attraction to the same sex for which I am very thankful, but naturally other things have tempted me. And the above method is universally applicable.
Of course, begging God for forgiveness and strength and guidance is essential for those faithful to Him. But we have to do our part.
Are you finished? Actually I gave lay talks on Crusillo and Karios catholic retreats.. I lectured at mass and I taught Sunday school , played in the folk group, served on the liturgy committee, and served on several other committees ...no I was not a "Sunday Catholic." Educated in RCschools and colleges.. I have more than a passing knowledge of the false doctrines Catholicism..
Now I will give you a little protestant education.. both the Charismatic church and the nazarene church have the same Wesleyan roots and holds the same doctrines on salvation ,...
Presbyterians are Calvinists..
Good on you not being afraid to display ignorance
Jeremiah, I believe that a truly repentant man that comes to the cross can and will be saved.. and He will be healed.. that is the work of Christ
So how long do you have to look and “think “before it is a sin of Lust?? 20 seconds? twenty five seconds? a minute? What is your level of looking BEFORE it becomes a sin?
Can it be lust in say 5 seconds?
How long do you have to look and think before it is sin? 5 secs? 10 secs? a minute ? ... how long before it is sin?
Yes, in fact, Rnmomof7 did
equate
“a temptation to lust”
with
“actual lust.”
But her belief is NOT biblical.
Christ never said that.
So when does “temptation” turn to Lust? 5seconds of looking and thinking or 10 seconds ? 1 minute?? ...
If you don’t lust and are earnestly seeking to conquer any temptation to lust, then you might hafve to look for a long time.
One can be placed in such situations.
As a cadet who spent a summer in Germany under the tutelege of s young lieutenant, I once went out in the big city with him as my ride and guide. We spent some time enjoying the night life. He kept insisting that he was going to “get me laid”. He was bothered by my loyalty to my longtime girlfriend (now my wife) and my chastity. He ended up going to a brothel (they are legal in Germany), knowing that I was dependent on him for a ride and to even find my way out of that section of town and back to my barracks since I did not know any German. Of course since this was a shady part of town I went inside the building, but I waited in the hallway for him and all sorts of tarted up sluts tried to encourage me to spend some of my money on the sexual favors they were selling.
This seemed to last for an hour. I will never forget the temptation and my determined victory over it through and for God.
The lieutenant never harassed me about my loyalty to my girlfriend or my chastity again.
A confused person is someone who is:
lazy Catholic
then a
born-again Catholic
then a
Full Gospel Tabernacle sect
then a
Nazarene sect
then a
Calvinist sect
then a
Presbyterian sect
then a
what-ever-happens-to-tickle-the-ears-next-sect
I think Jesus was making a point here ... Women do not understand the strength of the sex drive God gave men .. We do not understand that a man may have sexual thoughts over what to us seems innocuous .
I have a very strong Christian friend who will not go to see that new “christian “ surfer because the movie has a lot of girls in skimpy swim suits.. he is a grandfather, not a kid.. yet he keeps himself from that “occasion of sin”
Most of us are not good at making a decision when a mental temptation turns into a sin .. when admiring your friends new car becomes covetous.. or when looking at a woman becomes covertness or lust..
Jesus was more pointed earlier in the chapter when he said we do not even have to think about killing our brother in order to be guilty of it.. all we need do is think he is a fool..
The dividing line between Temptation and mental sin is very thin ... much thinner than actually acting on our thoughts
To paraphrase your own attitude:
Who cares what you think?
The Word of God is clear.
It says what it says.
You have added a manmade doctrine to it,
which is worth spittle.
Examples?
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