I’ve always maintained that Christians who believe gay sex is a sin shouldn’t be casting homosexuals out of their churches; on the contrary, they should be welcoming them in and praying that the transforming love of God will help them to see the error of their ways. (that’s not my view, but at least it would be scripturally consistent, in my opinion).
When Fred Phelps’ gang* showed up at an evangelical church in Oklahoma to protest because the church had a publicly acknowledged gay member (a young member of their congregation had been profiled in a Washington Post article about the struggles faced by homosexuals in the Bible belt), the congregation came together to defend one of their own–even though most members of the congregation felt that homosexuality is sinful. And in the process, it sounds like some of the congregation members even came to question that belief. It’s a powerful story about community.
* I’m not going to dignify the Phelps Klan with a link. If you don’t know who they are, suffice it to say they’re about the most hate-filled folks you’ll ever hear about.
Categories: Religion