Over at God's Politics Brian McLaren has a good post with a link to a USA Today editorial by Jonathan Merritt.
I very much agree with the conclusion of Merritt's editorial that our Christian duty is to love our neighbour, all our neighbours, perhaps especially those with whom we disagree. Too often debates about human sexuality become offensive name-calling exercises which display nothing of the love of Christ or the grace that should characterise Christian living. This is espeically important for those claiming the title of Evangelical as we should be people who not only preach grace but live graciously.
I generally don't like theological slogans, which are often theological reductions. 'Hate the sin, love the sinner' is one of those slogans I find less than helpful.
'Love your neighbour as your love yourself' is not a slogan of this type, it is a command of the Lord Jesus. I think it would make a real difference to our debates if we committed to this love of neighbour. If we recognised and confessed that too often homosexual people have suffered abuse and found only alienation from the Church and Christians we might understand our duty to be loving towards such sisters and brothers - even if, as I understand the Scriptures, we must seek to show them that we believe God has a better way for them to exercise their sexuality.
It is not loving to allow someone to continue on what you believe is a wrong path. It is also not loving to so speak to someone, or speak about someone, in ways that are rude and offensive.
Love your neighbour as your love yourself.
2 comments:
Thank you for this, Gordon. I also read that article in USA Today last week and was quite impressed. It echoes very clearly with the sentiment I found from a younger generation of evangelicals when I was in the USA last summer.
I entirely agree with your sentiment re 'hate the sin, love the sinner' and your appeal to Jesus' own words, and furthermore I appreciate the inclusion of your caveat re the Scriptures.
There is a lot that can be unpacked from the phrase "exercise their sexuality". Are you referring to celibacy here? Which, I suspect you will agree, is a pretty weak form of exercise!
That being said, I do thank you for this post. In the great words of Cher: "Love can build a bridge"... (not quite Bruce Cockburn, but hey.)
Thanks for a thoughtful and gracious post Gordon. I hope everyone caught up in the current discussion in the CofS will take heed of your wise words.
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