"How can we love the sinner, yet hate the sin and not get fired over it?"
Years ago towards the end of my career, I worked at a large company in St. Paul. It was a great job, and after doing real hard things at IBM, it was a good change of pace for me. One of the leads (I will call "Joe") in the Project Group was hired about the same time I was. A nice and very bright guy, probably in his mid-thirties.
One day I was meeting with my boss on some project issues we were having. When I was describing some of the issues that "Joe" and I were dealing with, my boss said, "Did you know "Joe" was gay and living with a man?" I did not, nor did I care much that he did. All I knew at that time was this - we was sharp and a very nice guy.
One day after a lengthy meeting, my boss, "Joe," and I stayed after to discuss some strategies. For the first time, "Joe" brought up his lover. He said he could not work late, as he and his lover had a diner date. My boss asked if he ever faced any discrimination when people found out he was gay (trust me, I don't know why she asked that in a business setting). He quickly said yes - mostly from Christians. In fact, he had a strong dislike, almost a hatred for most Christians.
I had not thought about that encounter until this week's dust up between A+E and the Duck Dynasty boys. When Phil Robertson was interviewed by Gentleman's Quarterly magazine, he was asked some loaded questions. One question was on homosexual behavior. Phil answered the question honestly, but maybe not as politically tactfully as he could have. However, Phil is very plain speaking and a straight shooter.
Here is where the rubber meets the road. For people of faith, how do we answer the question on homosexual behavior? Is it sinful? It is a tough one for sure. The Bible does address homosexual behavior. The Bible does not condone it. Are we to judge those who practice homosexual behavior? Hold them accountable? Or do we take a laissez-faire attitude and let God be the decider on judgment day?
I do know this. I have enough sin in my life that I am trying to control. The Bible also tells us that we will be judged by the same yardstick we use to judge others. I know that I can be very judgmental, and would hate to have God judge me the same way I have judged others. Whether we like, accept or dislike homosexual people, they are part of our society. They are people, just like us. Created by God, just like us.
Phil Robertson is guilty of only two things. The first is honesty. He was asked a very tough question in today's environment and gave his most honest answer. He was put in a no-win scenario. Any way he answered it would have drawn some kind of response. Second, his show is on A+E - Arts and Entertainment. A+E has a very strong association with GLAD (a politically charged gay rights group). My feeling is the marriage between Duck Dynasty and A+E will end very soon, and another network will pick up this highly viewed program.
The entire issue raises more questions than answers. It is one more thing that can drive us further apart. All I know is this - people of faith, Christians, are to be known by their love, more so than by their words. The fact that "Joe" from my former company had such antipathy for Christians, was a failure. It might have resulted from some showing "Joe" more judgment than love. I don't know, and I never will. All I know is this, every day when my feet hit the floor, my prayer is to love more and judge less than I did the day before.
Here is where the rubber meets the road. For people of faith, how do we answer the question on homosexual behavior? Is it sinful? It is a tough one for sure. The Bible does address homosexual behavior. The Bible does not condone it. Are we to judge those who practice homosexual behavior? Hold them accountable? Or do we take a laissez-faire attitude and let God be the decider on judgment day?
I do know this. I have enough sin in my life that I am trying to control. The Bible also tells us that we will be judged by the same yardstick we use to judge others. I know that I can be very judgmental, and would hate to have God judge me the same way I have judged others. Whether we like, accept or dislike homosexual people, they are part of our society. They are people, just like us. Created by God, just like us.
Phil Robertson is guilty of only two things. The first is honesty. He was asked a very tough question in today's environment and gave his most honest answer. He was put in a no-win scenario. Any way he answered it would have drawn some kind of response. Second, his show is on A+E - Arts and Entertainment. A+E has a very strong association with GLAD (a politically charged gay rights group). My feeling is the marriage between Duck Dynasty and A+E will end very soon, and another network will pick up this highly viewed program.
The entire issue raises more questions than answers. It is one more thing that can drive us further apart. All I know is this - people of faith, Christians, are to be known by their love, more so than by their words. The fact that "Joe" from my former company had such antipathy for Christians, was a failure. It might have resulted from some showing "Joe" more judgment than love. I don't know, and I never will. All I know is this, every day when my feet hit the floor, my prayer is to love more and judge less than I did the day before.
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