Facing Tough Issues with Honesty and Love

At a recent conference I attended at Northeastern Seminary, keynote speaker, Dr. Fred Antonelli commented, “There are four issues the church does not like to talk about: addictions, sexuality, 
sincere doubts, and mental health. We think about them, but we don’t talk about them.” Christians are not immune from these issues. We struggle with these concerns in very real, but often isolated and personal ways, that are made more heart wrenching because we don’t openly discuss them in the context of the loving community of faith of which we are a part. It’s like the 800 pound gorilla in the room that everyone knows is there but nobody wants to admit it.

I give permission for us to admit it, and talk about these things. One of the biggest issues facing the church is homosexuality. Culture and society have moved in the direction of openness, accepting homosexuality and same sex marriage as a normal and celebrated reality. Homosexuality has become the new “civil rights” issue of our country. Those who hold a more traditional view of marriage and sexuality often find themselves in conflict with these trends. The question the church must ask is, “How are we to respond?” 

I cannot resolve the tension created by this discussion in a short blog. However, I hope to nudge us in a positive direction of engagement about the issue. Because the topic is sensitive, it would be easy to have a knee-jerk reaction that causes more harm than good. The subject “touches a nerve” so to speak, depending on your perspective. Just like when the doctor tests your reflexes by tapping your knee, our tendency could be to “kick out” at whatever, or unfortunately, whoever, is in front of us, damaging relationships and limiting the possibility of future honest, compassionate, and open dialogue that is non-combative.

As a basis for dialogue and positive engagement with the gay community, a book published in 2009 makes a lot of biblical sense. Andrew Marin wrote, “Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community.” The premise of the book is that rather than isolating or stereotyping gay people, Christians and the church in general, should be seeking to befriend the gay community in ways that enable us to show the love of Christ. Our job is not to attempt to “fix” people, or even make them Christian. The biblical mandate is to love all people, and to let God work in their hearts and lives. Unfortunately, all too often, the world’s perception of the church is that it is judgmental, hypocritical, harsh, and even cruel, especially when it comes to the issue of homosexuality. 

One of the accusations leveled against Jesus was that he was a “friend of sinners.” He spent time with those the society, particularly the religious elite, looked down upon, ignored, or flat-out despised. Adulterers, tax collectors, demon-possessed, lepers. I wonder who he would be spending time with today. Our responsibility is to figure that out and to spend time with them, for we are his body, literally the hands, feet, voice, and presence of Jesus in this world, with all its hurts, heartaches, and brokenness. Perhaps we need to take a harder and longer look at ourselves in the mirror before we judge others. Remember that Christ’s grace has been given to us, and he calls us to be channels of his grace to others, even if, or especially when, that is difficult. Thank God Jesus is a friend of sinners. If not, I would never have been able to call him 
Savior. I invite you to join me in the journey of learning to love others as Christ has loved us.

Mend

At Valley Chapel our mission is to Reach people for Christ, Teach a Christ-centered life, Mend broken lives, and Send our people into the world.

Over the next few weeks we are locking onto our mission to Mend broken lives. To do so we'll be looking at the Bible's hymn book - the Psalms.

Martin Luther said, "If you wish to see the holy Christian church depicted in living colours, and given a living form, in a painting in miniature, then place the Book of Psalms in front of you; you will have a beautiful, bright, polished mirror which will show you what Christianity is." 

In the Psalms we come face to face with human brokenness because we look in that mirror and see ourselves. But in the Psalms we also come face to face with humanity's healer. The one who Mends our brokenness. 
The One who hears confessions and forgives our sins. 
The One who shepherds us through the valley of the shadow of death.
The One who hears our laments in times of trouble, and stands ready to save.
The One who lifts us from the pit and puts a new song of praise on our tongues.

The world would prefer not to know about our brokenness. It's awkward. But in the Psalms we have an honest and strange double mirror. On the one hand it reflects the unflattering truth of who we are. On the other hand it projects the hopeful image of what God is making us.