The Church & Homosexuality: Right or Wrong?

As I read the story of a minister accused of a homosexual liaison, it was clear to me that -- regardless of the particular details -- it provides a clarion call to the church to engage in meaningful dialogue. We must construct effective paradigms to deal with this issue.

No matter where we land on the issue of homosexuality, the church has been INEFFECTIVE in its treatment up to this point. One of the respondents to this story wrote: “Homosexuality is prevalent inside the black church.  And it’s that sort of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ crap that is the hypocritical Achilles heal of most religious institutions.”  The way we’ve dealt with it up to this point (from the pulpit to the door) is as if we believe that hiding it will make it go away.

Well, Newsflash! It hasn’t happened.

 What has happened instead is (1) preachers have preached vehemently against it from the pulpit and then engaged in it behind closed doors, (2) Deacons and other church men have gotten married and then gone to Broke Back mountain once a year for you-know-what, (3) DL men have met in parks and other places and brought STDs – and even HIV back home to their wives, and most tragically, (4) boys with emerging sexuality who felt this way had no where to turn for constructive guidance.

Two things have happened with the young men who got no guidance from the church: (1) they felt invalid at the core for who they were and therefore pursued all kinds of destructive behaviors and lifestyle choices (some of which resulted in death); and (2) many left the church with profound bitterness, anger and confusion about God, church people and themselves.

Years ago I was a young Bible School teacher and a defining moment occurred in my life. A young boy went running through the church misbehaving. I hollered out in my young arrogance, “If you do that again I’m going to put you out of here!” Mrs. McDaniel an older lady, pulled me aside, and with utter grace and kindness said, “No son, we can’t put him out. You see, the Church is a Saving Station. Probably the reason he’s acting that way is because everyone has put him out. We don’t put them out; we take them in.” Until the day I die, I’ll never forget that lesson.

Proverbs 6:16-19 says,  “These six things doth the LORD hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”

As the body of the one who gave His life for us all, let’s not be an abomination unto Him.