Post by marcus on May 14, 2010 23:24:36 GMT -8
You sound as if there is no place for "preaching" or "teaching" it ala:
Straw man. My belief that the church has arrived at a dangerously high ratio of yapping to living does not imply that there is no place for teaching or preaching. And the verses you used were dangerously close to "scripture bombing" as Kirby might call it. Really, you need to point out that the NT includes teaching and preaching? Come on, man!
Yes, Paul taught and preached. He taught and preached and argued and exhorted to the cultures you mentioned. Therefore, he would do the exact same thing in our context, and so should we, right?
Nope. I don't believe you are on the right track here. I think Paul would assess the Church's unhealthy, muddled stance on this issue and come to the conclusion that this is a symptom, not a disease. The Church is too talky. We have no shortage of people seeking platforms and microphones. The culture that surrounds us has tired of our constant public declarations of the parameters of sin. You mentioned the trend that more and more Christians are claiming that homosexuality isn't sinful - no kidding! Name a sin that all Christians agree is sinful. Murder, and all its parameters? Abortion, war, self-defense, capital punishment? Do we agree on that? How about wealth? Is there a consensus that it's okay to live in a mansion, or spend more on internet access than some people spend on health care, or invest in mutual funds that include immoral companies? Are Christians unclear on those issues as well? Of course! This is nothing new. But whenever the area in question involves sexual "icky" sin, well, pass that microphone, because we won't allow false teaching on that one!
The truth is that we're comfortable with other Christians having errant stances on some sins, but not others. This makes us look bad. We pick and choose. We grandstand. Best way to avoid that? Live it. Live the gospel. Let our lives speak truth because the culture we live in is tired of hearing us talk. If Paul were here, I honestly believe his tactics would be different than they were 2,000 years ago. I think he'd be advising us to shut our mouths so we can stop coming across as judgmental to an understandably hypersensitive and skeptical culture.
The threat to Christianity isn't homosexuality. The argument whether homosexuality is or isn't sinful wouldn't make the top 100 list of the Church's biggest dilemmas.
Here's an idea that just might work: How about the Church models healthy marriage, friendship, and family for the world. Meanwhile, nonbelievers who do not follow a Christian model of love or marriage live their convictions. Then, if we are confident in our long-held stance that homosexuality is destructive while traditional Christian marriage is beautiful and healthy, won't that be clear in a few years when homosexual couples compare their dissatisfaction to the joyous marriages that Christians enjoy?
I'm guessing it's easier and far less risky just to tell them that we know what we're talking about because the Bible told us so.
I think you're underestimating how many Christians are beginning to see deny that homosexual behavior is sin. I don't care so much about what the public thinks about it, but I do care what other Christians are saying about it.
Why? I don't see why it's important for you to care what any Christians are saying about it other than those who are in your church.