was not gay. Once again, I find social media active with Christians posting their opinions on homosexuality. Why? Because another well-known evangelical (Tony Campolo) invited homosexuals to the party. “You can’t just do that,” say some of my evangelical friends, “some people don’t belong at the party!” Here are two things I would offer my brothers and sisters for consideration.
The one man Jesus turned away was not gay. He was rich (Mk 10:17-31). American Christians live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Many churches spend far more money on their buildings, programs and worship services than they spend on giving to the poor. Yet Jesus said to the rich man, “Go and sell all your possessions and give money to the poor and you will have treasures in heaven.” This is the passage that keeps me up at night. This is the issue of obedience that I struggle with daily. I… we… look a lot more like the rich man than Lazarus.*
Secondly, please recall that there was a time when you weren’t invited to the party. Peter went against direct testimony of the scriptures when he opened the door to the Gentiles who wanted to follow Jesus. You may be tempted to say, “But that’s just because the religious community misunderstood the point of the OT statements about gentiles.” I agree with you, but the religious community was upset for the exact same reason: “They aren’t invited to the party!”
Peter was skeptical, but what convinced him was seeing the love of Christ and the power of the spirit moving in the house of Cornelius. Is it possible that we have misunderstood the point of some passages of scripture? Is it possible you are ignoring the movement of the spirit in people because you have judged them? Are you “standing for Christianity” or standing in Jesus’ way?
I’m not God. I’m not here to judge you. I find the judgment seat uncomfortable… and crowded. These are questions I’ve asked myself along the journey to understand and love Christ. This is not ultimately about agendas on one side or the other, not about political or religious ideologies. This is about real people who are trying to love Christ and follow him with their lives.
*Technically, Jesus didn’t even turn the rich man away, he walked away of himself. There was also the demoniac, but Jesus didn’t turn him away so much as redirect him to a different purpose.
