Recently a sister in Christ posted a link to this article on her Facebook wall.
I’m Christian, unless you’re gay.
Give it a read. After, I’d love to hear your comments. Here’s the discourse I had with her about it:
ME:
I like the premise of this article, but the hardest part for me is when he says:
I think it doesn’t matter if you or I or anybody else thinks homosexuality is a sin. It doesn’t matter if you or I think anything is a sin. It doesn’t matter if homosexuality is a sin or not. In fact, it doesn’t matter if anything anybody else does is a sin or not.
Because sin is a very personal thing! It always has been and it always will be!
And it has nothing to do with love. Absolutely nothing.
Sin is personal, yet also global. No one is without it. And most importantly – without Jesus, sin separates us from God. Should Christians go around pointing fingers and call everyone “sinner”? I don’t think that’s the best way to love people, after all, Christ never did that. But one must know he is a sinner for him to see his need for Christ. And so helping someone to see their sin, whether it be a lifestyle, a particular action, or whatever, is actually an act of love. The problem is when Christians don’t do this with grace. Christians forget that we’re sinners helping sinners. Christ died for more than preventing me from getting what I deserve (eternity in Hell). He died so he could give me what I don’t deserve – a relationship with Him.
When a boy is caught playing with matches, his mother doesn’t allow it and then say, “I love you,” does she? Of course not – that would reinforce the bad behavior. Instead she stops him and says, “This is not okay, you could get hurt. I love you, and I don’t want you to get hurt. Let me help you light the candle.” Although she knows her son could be upset with her, maybe even hate her for awhile, she chooses to chance offending him (which means she could be hurt, too) because protecting him is a higher priority.
Too often, Christians have a judgmental approach, and lack the grace to admit they are in the same boat. For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. We all need Jesus. And we all need Him in the most personal way. What’s the best way to say that? In my opinion, use your own life as the example. Live out grace. Call yourself a sinner. Explain why you need Jesus in your life, and how he’s changed it. Then simply ask, “have you ever thought you’d like to know Jesus in this way?”
HER:
This is very well said Zach, but I also think he does a good job of saying everyone is in the same boat. I don’t think he was saying to condone anything…just that because people have different opinions about sin and what is right and wrong but it isn’t our place to judge. You live in what you see is the truth, the light. To those of us with faith, that is our “fact” as well…however to someone of a different faith or lifestyle we are the ones that are wrong. I just thing he makes a great point about people being treated equally and not bullying people. Like you said, people go about it the wrong way. I agree with you that sharing our faith is an act of love…absolutely. but I think the article is addressing “fake” christians. Just bc you don’t agree with someones lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to stop showing them love or be cruel. And, while I believe in sharing the truth, I have to know the boundary of respecting their beliefs too.
ME:
Agreed. The premise of the article is good. I would like it more, though, if his solution was more than “let’s love instead of be prejudiced, because being prejudiced hurts and love doesn’t.” Loving each other is great, but can it really be accomplished to its full extent without Christ? If it could, then Hell wouldn’t exist, and for that matter, neither would sin.
Instead of saying people need Christ, he says people need to love each other. That’s my qualm. Obviously I can’t expect that from a non-Christian author, so I’m cool with the article as is. But since he comments so much on Jesus and Christians, I thought it worth pointing out there is a deeper message: our need for Christ outweighs our need for love, and when we receive Christ, we receive the ultimate source of never ending, unfailing love.
HER:
I agree with all of that about Christianity, but the article wasn’t about being a Christian so I get why all of that wasn’t in there. However, I agree maybe that paragraph about sin could’ve been researched a little more bc saying sin is personal is partly true like you said, but in a Christian’s eyes it’s not that simple and not everyone that wants to help you find Jesus is being mean or judgmental. Its such a long article I didn’t think that deeply into it. I just loved the overall message and glad you did too 
So basically I agree with you, Zach!
(end of quotes)
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These topics are never easy to talk about, but it’s important that when they are discussed, Christians can speak about them with each other and non-believers alike with sensitivity. If you tend to have any inkling of disgust for a homosexual person, I would suggest you try to aim that disgust at the sin instead – in both their life and your own.
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