Tuesday, March 08, 2005
How Do We Evangelize The Hostile?
Ragamuffin Ramblings has a really interesting post wherein, "Jesus Talks With A Gay Man" (HT: Internet Monk)
The post is a creative and well done recasting of Jesus encounter with the woman at the well in John 4. The post is entitled "Just how shocking is the gospel?"
I'm not sure I now what to make of this. Is it really shocking that Jesus would love and cherish a gay person? It may be shocking to some, but I don't think it is shocking to anyone that really knows the gospel.
Jesus' love and saving work is for all. We are all sinners. After all, homosexuality is just another sin. The church is full of sinners, of all varieties, and it should include the particular variety known as homosexual.
To my mind the problem is not that we are to include homosexuals among our number, it is that they demand we do so without pointing out their sin. Many will argue that the church "overlooks" a lot of sin. That is probably true, but does that mean we are to overlook all sin, or maybe instead correct the fact that we have been overlooking some sin?
On Sunday Adrian Warnock quoted Charles Spurgeon:
The post is a creative and well done recasting of Jesus encounter with the woman at the well in John 4. The post is entitled "Just how shocking is the gospel?"
I'm not sure I now what to make of this. Is it really shocking that Jesus would love and cherish a gay person? It may be shocking to some, but I don't think it is shocking to anyone that really knows the gospel.
Jesus' love and saving work is for all. We are all sinners. After all, homosexuality is just another sin. The church is full of sinners, of all varieties, and it should include the particular variety known as homosexual.
To my mind the problem is not that we are to include homosexuals among our number, it is that they demand we do so without pointing out their sin. Many will argue that the church "overlooks" a lot of sin. That is probably true, but does that mean we are to overlook all sin, or maybe instead correct the fact that we have been overlooking some sin?
On Sunday Adrian Warnock quoted Charles Spurgeon:
So, when a man has to speak for Christ, if he is not in earnest, let him go to bed. You smile; but is it not better that he should go to bed than send a whole congregation to sleep without their going to bed? Yes, we must be in downright earnest. If we are to prevail with men, we must love them.......It is not at all shocking that the gospel is for homosexuals. We must love them.We must love them enough to welcome them, and help them overcome their sin, as we help all who enter to overcome sin.
