This article on Christianity Today's blog caught my attention, during a week when the Episcopal Church in America is voting to approve ordination of gay and lesbian clergy. It makes the point that Evangelicals can no longer take an adversarial position against homosexuals, as if they were outside agitators hell-bent on infringing on the rights of God-fearing church folks. For the most part, they ARE "churched" folks! Interesting research here.
"Hate the sin, love the sinner" has been the Evangelical mantra for a long time on this issue. But how that works out in practice has too often been to emphasize exclusion, not engagement. The church, generally speaking, has not imitated Jesus, who willingly hung out with "tax collectors and sinners" (those considered undesirable by the religious establishment.)
Jesus did call people to leave their present lifestyles (of all sorts) and follow Him. But he didn't call them from a distance, and then check first to see if they have shaped up, before sitting down to eat with them. He mingled freely, modeled a Godly lifestyle all the while, and then took criticism for it from the religious establishment. How many of us are willing to do the same?
We'd best get started.
Oh, hey, while I think of it... here's a cool resource to summarize your Twitter feeds, those of you out there who follow hundreds of people. :)
You can tell a technology is catching on when people have to develop ways for you to cope with it. ;)
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