Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”
Our Bible verse for today: “In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Shine the light and show the love of Jesus.”
In the course of this study I’ve made reference to some books which were instrumental in shaping the thinking and establishing the strategies which have led the gay community to achieve their goals. Similarly, today the Christian community has a wealth of good literature available which is helpful and informative. But in terms of approach and strategy, two of the most helpful that I have discovered are “Love into Light” by Peter Hubbard, and “Same-Sex Marriage” by Sean McDowell and John Stonestreet. These two books provide a roadmap forward for the Christian community similar to what the other books did for the gay community.
As we conclude, I want to offer a few insights shared by Hubbard in his book and by McDowell and Stonestreet in theirs. First of all, culture is shaped, formed, and moved from the bottom up, not from the top down. Cultural elites can make suggestions and promote ideas, but it is average people like you and me who ultimately form and move culture. As the Church our job is to model and promote healthy and happy traditional marriages. Each of our individual examples will make a difference, and collectively we can move culture and change society.
Also, Peter Hubbard urges us to remember that gay people are in fact people. He writes, “We often forget that the vast majority of our fellow citizens who identify as homosexual … are everyday people with jobs, hobbies, family and to-do lists. What they want may be wrong and more harmful than they know, but our tendency to overlook their humanity has hampered our ability to communicate with them effectively and to convey the love of Christ.”
In 2012 Dan Cathy, the CEO of Chick-fil-A, caused a nationwide controversy when he commented to a reporter that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman only. In response Shane Windmeyer, a well-known leader in the Gay and Lesbian community organized a nationwide boycott of Chick-fil-A. He staged protests, “Eat-ins” and “Kiss-ins” at Chick-fil-A restaurants across the country.
Dan responded to all of this calmly and with great grace. At every opportunity and in every interview he affirmed his position without apology or compromise, but he also expressed his genuine concern for gays as people. Dan also called Shane on the phone and they spoke for over an hour. Then Dan invited Shane to be his personal guest, all expenses paid, to the Chick-fil-A college football bowl game. Shane sat with Dan in his private corporate box seats.
Later Shane wrote a magazine article entitled, “Dan Cathy and Me: My Coming Out as a Friend of Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A”. In the article Shane described his encounter with Dan. He wrote that Dan shared stories of his own life and family, and he asked many questions about Shane’s life and family, including about Shane’s husband Tommy.
Dan and Shane ended up spending many hours together just getting to know each other and enjoying each others company. Neither of them ever changed their views about sexual ethics or gay marriage. But they did gain a new respect for each other and they agreed that they could disagree on this issue without vilifying each other. Shane then called off the protests and the entire controversy faded away.
As we the Church move forward into this new cultural setting which is developing all around us, let us not lose sight of the fact that gays are people who are not very different from us, and we gain nothing by being unkind or insensitive. We must remember that our real battle is spiritual and the real enemy is Satan. We must resolve to simply be the Church, we must speak the truth with hesitation and without compromise, and we must love people (all people) in the Name of Jesus and in the power of His Holy Spirit.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 