As is often the case for me, I was inspired to write this after reading the following article:
I would encourage you to read the article to give a fuller context to the rest of this article.
Words have meanings. And though there was never a time in history when we all agreed on the meaning of all words or statements, there has never been a time in my lifetime that “meanings” have been so diverse. The statement below is a great example. The article above is about a United Methodist minister from Pennsylvania who had been suspended from the church for 30 days after performing a marriage ceremony for his son to another man.
There are three statements that I want to address, with the intent of showing how important it is to define terms and clarify meaning.
Rev. Schaefer (the minister in the story) said, “The church needs to stop judging people based on their sexual orientation and we have to stop the hate speech. We have to stop treating them as second-class Christians.”
While it’s accurate to say that “the church needs to stop judging people based on their sexual orientation”, the assumptions that follow are very likely quite diverse. “We have to stop the hate speech” is another example of definition diversity. And thirdly, “We have to stop treating them as second-class Christians.” I will address all three.
The author’s position and definitions of these statements are clear in the complete context of the article. And, while I would be able to nod my head at each statement, if taken individually, I would have to disagree with each statement in context of the author’s intent. This is another great example of why we need to define our terms and why it is important that dialog take place rather than all of us staying in our little cocoons, safe with our own assumptions based solely on information attained from the sound bites put forth by the particular choir we sing in.
What is required here is an actual dialog, as opposed to a monolog. In order to come to an accurate understanding of any subject, one has to ask questions of the other involved in this dialog. Most questions would be for the purpose of clarification. “What do you mean by that?” would be an invaluable question in most conversations nowadays. Let me expand on this idea.
“The church needs to stop judging people based on their sexual orientation,” is a statement that I can agree with. If we judge a person based on their sexual orientation we are wrong. Scripture has made it clear that we are not to judge those in the world, those outside the church (regardless of the sin). Jesus set this example for us. John 3:17 is clear in its meaning. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” And, “I Corinthians 5:12, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?” As we are followers of this same Jesus, are we not to follow His lead? Certainly we are. Our primary message to the world is one of salvation not condemnation. I can hear the author of the article I’m addressing saying a big, Amen! Not so fast.
If I were to ask the author, “What do you mean by that?” His answer would most assuredly be different than what I would mean if I were to make that identical statement. In today’s society, when someone talks of not being judgmental, they aren’t simply saying not to judge, they are also (in most cases) saying, accept. Not only are we not to judge the people, we are to accept the behavior. This, of course, would not be consistent with the example that Jesus set forth. One of the best examples of how this is supposed to be applied is in Jesus’ conversation with the woman caught in adultery in John 8. There is much that we can learn from that conversation, but for brevity sake, I would just point out His final statement to her. And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” It is the second part of that statement that the world does not accept. It is precisely that, that distinguishes us and the message of the Gospel.
The second statement, “and we have to stop the hate speech” is like the first. We should ask the author, “What do you mean by hate speech?” Again, if you read the entire article, it is clear what is meant. Kirk Cameron found out what the world means by “hate speech” when he was interviewed by Ann Curry. What was clearly stated was that if he spoke against the “lifestyle” he was guilty of hate speech. It really didn’t matter if he loved, was kind to, associated with, cared for, the person. If he didn’t accept what they were doing he was being hateful. This is a perfect example of John 3:20, “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” When we speak kindly of a person they perceive love. When we speak the truth, no matter how kindly, it is perceived as judgment. And, they are correct. The difference is, it is not our judgment, but God’s. It is the Holy Spirit that shines the light on their (and our) evil deeds. And, though it is our desire to love, it is our responsibility at the same time, to speak truth with that love.
Finally, the last part of that statement is probably the hardest to come to terms with. “We have to stop treating them as second-class Christians.” Here again we have to define terms and make distinctions. If we are talking about a Christian person who struggles with homosexuality, but is committed to living a righteous life to the best of his or her ability (though they may fail and fall into sin from time to time, as we all do), then I would agree with the statement. However, if the person is insisting on living in sin (whatever the sin) we have an obligation to “put them out” after following the proper procedures seeking repentance and restoration. Simply put, there are no “second-class” Christians. There are Christians and non-Christians. God will be the judge. Though, as Paul made clear in I Corinthians 5, it is our responsibility to discern when discipline is called for.
Though it is often a difficult thing to love, judge not, and speak the truth all at the same time, it is incumbent upon us to do just that. It is the way that Christ presented the Gospel. It must be the way we present the Gospel. It is simply arrogance and haughtiness that is at the root of our judgment of others. Until we see ourselves as we see others, this will always be a problem. For Bonhoeffer, ministry began with repentance. He writes in Life Together, “How can I possibly serve another person in unfeigned humility if I seriously regard his sinfulness as worse than my own?”
To be continued…