How Christians Should Treat Gays

Recently, the Wardrobe Door started a series where they invite someone from a group outside of Christianity to answer the question "how could Christians better communicate and reach out to your group?" The first post is from a gay individual, and it is thought provoking. Here is my response to that article (you should read the article first!)

I'm sure you'll get lots of feedback on this, from bible thumpers to the other extreme. I'm a born-again Christian, with gay friends and family, but feel that homosexuality is a developmental gender identity disorder which can be healed through therapy.

I think, however, that there are some important takeaways from the thoughtful posting by Louis:

1. Gays feel attacked and beaten down by Christians

We need to address this with acts of compassion. I recently saw a program about a missionary woman who lives in Afghanistan. She has started a home for widows, of which there are many, in order to help keep them from starving, and to teach them marketable skills. She does not preach much at all, but when they ask for prayer, she tells them that she prays in the name of Jesus, and she asks if that is ok. They see her compassion in action. Her best friend is a muslim woman, whom she hopes will one day receive Jesus - but until that time, she is comitted to serving these women. Perhaps we need to do that with the gay community.

2. Deeply Listen

Seems like this act of kindness might do more than anything. It means seek to understand first - it might even involve reading some pro-gay theology or lifestyle books.

3. Refuse Judgementalism, but Speak Truth

I don't think we can omit the clear teaching of scripture regarding the sinfulness of homosexuality and maintain that we are being true to the spirit of Jesus. My favorite example is when the woman caught in adultery was taken to Jesus. Even though the "law" said she should be stoned, Jesus didn't call for it. He wanted mercy, and after saying to her accusers "he who is without sin, cast the first stone," he turned to her and said TWO things. (1) neither do I condemn you, and (2) go and sin no more. We must not abandon the biblical view that sin is to be identified and forsaken.

I heard a preacher recently say, regarding the relationship between love and truth, "Most preachers preach TRUTH, TRUTH, TRUTH, TRUTH, LOVE, but my conviction is that Jesus wants me to preach LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, TRUTH." That's a great admonition to us all.

4. Biblical Objections to Homosexuality May Only Refer to Pagan Rituals and Sexual Exploitation

This is an interesting perspective, and worthy of scholarly investigation and discussion. I don't think it is a good interpretation of scripture, but perhaps we should hear the arguments first.

5. Christians Should Know How it Feels to be Persecuted and Marginalized

Now, some Xians may say "Christians have been persecuted for their faith since the beginning, and we know what it feels like to be persecuted, even in the US." I say, while negative media attention in the U.S. might seem like persecution, very few of us in the U.S. have suffered any personal attacks by strangers, public derision, or any other serious persecution for our faith, unless we are one of the few who has been courageous enough to get out on the front lines of our culture war by putting our own reputations on the line through open-air preaching, publications, or other overtly public acts. We would do well to realize that most gays would be softer to Christianity if they weren't always having to defend themselves on every side.