Having to Speak Up a Bit

A good friend of mine recently re-posted a blog piece written by Paul Raushenbush which declared he was done viewing anyone who disagreed with him about the gay agenda as anything but a bigot. Needless to say, I was a little disheartened because I fall into his bigot category. Such accusations get one thinking obviously. I don't think I am a bigot, but then again, isn't that what a bigot would say? How many bigoted statements start out with "I don't mean to sound ... but ..." or "I'm not a bigot, but ..."? So, I want to unpack what moderates on the issue of homosexuality in America believe. I understand this will not make many people happy. Some will say I am a bigot because because I have gone too far, while others will say I am another mouthpiece for the secular agenda because I have not drawn a line in the sand. Yet, this is what moderates do. We stand fixed in place being blown by neither set of winds. We go down deep in culture and we reach for growth. History is littered with extremists who accomplished nothing except strewing the land with the debris of that which is blown by some wind or another.

I remember being in college. It was a conservative institution. I can remember the run up to the Kerry/Bush election. I remember distinctly the bumper stickers declaring that marriage is between a man and a woman. What was striking about this was people's desire to turn this into a political debate. I remember discussing with a classmate the need to carve out some sort of political area so that people could be able to pass on inheritances to whomever they desired. If a person wanted to think of themselves in a relationship with anyone, was it our business to force them otherwise? We live in a society where people are allowed to believe whatever they want, why should the government control the purse strings of this group of people? Would we Christians disavow Muslim, Jewish, or Atheist weddings because their beliefs were different than our own? I don't see how we could. I still don't. 

This point was driven home years later while at seminary in Columbus. During the day I would have school officials attempt to compel us to tow a certain political line. I can still remember when my former denomination informed us we were going to attend an "open discussion" about the new viewpoints about homosexuality that had just been ratified. I was excited because I was finally going to hear an open discussion by intelligent people from all sides. What I found when I got to the meeting place was a panel of four people ranging from enthusiastic towards the new position to wildly enthusiastic. Suffice it to say it was embarrassing that an institution charged with equipping people charged with care of souls, theological quandaries, community outreach and Biblical interpretation deemed it necessary to spoon feed us our dogma. It was at that moment that I realized I did not have a future with them not because of their beliefs about so called tolerance, but because of their lack thereof and their failure to do their job. 

This may seem a harsh attack, but let me explain. I worked down the street from the seminary at Starbucks. This was world's away from the institution even though it was less than an eight minute walk. People here didn't know or care that the seminary existed. The seminary had its dogma, but it didn't see the need in sharing it with the world. I often said of Starbucks that it was the best seminary class I ever had. It was here that I had to defend or promote my ideas to a needy world. It was also a place where I was forced to listen to others who were outside the church. I had no leverage on them and they had none on me. I worked with people of all sorts of backgrounds and lifestyles. (Cue, I can't be a bigot because I have non-like-me friends.) 

One such person and I usually closed down the store. He was agnostic and a homosexual. I was straight and a Christian. We discussed everything from politics to sexuality to religion. Talking with that practicing homosexual coworker taught me more about what a Christian's response should be to the homosexual community than anything at seminary. Neither of us would change our viewpoints, but we respected one another. This is more than I can say for many on the so-called Christian left who appear just as intolerant as their boogey men on the other side of this issue.

So here is what I have learned. If you are an orthodox Christian, you must love your neighbor. You are commanded to love your gay neighbor, your atheist neighbor, your Muslim neighbor. There is no wiggle room. You must also debate them in love. You must not look to win an argument or chaulk up another soul. You must get to understand why they believe what they believe. While working at Starbucks, I would often listen to the confessions of coworkers. They would have ethical and theological questions. I never demanded that they "come to Jesus," but like Joseph, I made sure they knew that my insights were from God. When you care about your neighbor, they may be open to caring about the One who cares for you.

So, I cycle back to Raushenbush's article. He declares he is done "accommodating." He declares he is through (in vulgar language) with "love the sinner, hate the sin." In essence, we infer that he is done with humanity. He is done with people who disagree with him. He is done with trying to live amongst messy human beings trying to figure out the answers. He is done, in essence, with love. I am not willing to go there. 

As a person who comes down on the other side of this issue, I know I am not popular. I have my beliefs. I have my sins that I wrestle with. ("Love the sinner, hate the sin" applies as much to me as to my neighbor as I root out the sins in my own heart while attempting to feel God's love for me.) I have kept silent because I believe it is best to talk with people one on one. Yet, when society is divided between talking heads who spew hateful vitriol and moderates who feel the need to keep silent about the issue since indoctrination is not the way to change people's hearts and minds. So, let me put it to you this way. I am an orthodox Christian, am I going to be hated for my worldview? Am I going to be dismissed because of the decision I have reached? Or are we all going to afford people the single-minded focus on civil law that we say have.