I have yet to have anyone in my church condemn gay people. In fact we were discussing it in Bible study this weekend; that we are to be inclusive and welcoming to ALL people..we all sin and have our vices, nobody would want any of us in the church if we all had to wear our vices on the outside.
I haven't experienced hypocrisy within the church. I have yet to see a church drive out a homosexual member, or demand they not participate in church activities. A homosexual wouldn't be able to function as a deacon or minister, but that's because there are strict guidelines to who exactly is named a church leader....people who are openly in the midst of sin aren't typically going to be sought out.
But a sports team? None of the churches I've been in would reject a player because she is homosexual. That just isn't what the southern baptist church is about. We go to the most depraved spots in the nation and plant churches...we don't kick out sinners, we welcome them.
Here's what I'm talking about. This is the resolution we passed last year at the annual meeting in New Orleans. I say "we" because I was there as a messenger, though I did not vote for it.
Why? It's simple: WE may see it as "standing up for God," but THEY will see it as a personal attack which makes reaching them with the Gospel that much harder. They don't see us a representing Christ, but as representing bigotry and judgementalism. If you don't think so, go ask them.
The point being that Jesus Christ never told us to take public positions on political issues (which this is, though couched in Biblical terms). He never told us to organize protests or write letters to the editor or pass resolutions representing the whole denomination. In fact, He never even spoke out against the laws of perhaps the most evil government in history, Rome, even when given the opportunity to do so. He told us to be good citizens and submit to the government, not fight it. Paul did the same thing and submitted to the law even to the point of death.
And, both Jesus and Paul told us what to do: Preach the Gospel AND NOTHING ELSE.
When we pass resolutions like this, we shoot our own evangelism efforts in the foot and I think it's past time for the SBC to decide which is most important to us: Is it to do the work Christ commanded us to do in the Great Commission, or is to to stroll through the marketplace showing everybody how "righteous" we are and how unrighteous they are, like a pack of modern-day Pharisees?
Then, after we've passed a resolution like this one and later find that we remained totally silent as an openly gay player led our favorite university to a national championship, we look like what we are: Hypocrites.
I'm not suggesting that we should have condemned Ms. Griner and kicked her off the squad. I'm suggesting we ought to quit passing resolutions like this one and get on with the business of doing what Christ told us to do.
Whereas the Bible teaches that God is the author of marriage, and that he established marriage as an act between a male and female (Mt. 19:4-6),
Whereas the Apostle Paul affirmed that marriage of a man to a woman is patterned after that relationship of Christ to his church (Eph. 5:22-27),
Whereas marriage is an institution established by God rather than simply a human social construction,
Whereas the Scriptures indicate that all sexual behavior outside of marriage is sinful,
Whereas homosexual behavior is sinful, including what tis current age calls “same-sex civil unions” and “same-sex marriage,”
Whereas the Southern Baptist Convention has a long history of affirming marriage between one man and one woman,
Whereas, the Southern Baptist Convention previously recognized, “Redefining the concept and legality of marriage to mean anything other than the union between one man and one woman would fundamentally undermine the historic and biblical foundation of a healthy society (Genesis 1:28; 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6),” and “equating same-sex relationships with heterosexual marriage would create a host of religious liberty and freedom of conscience conflicts; now, therefore, be it” (SBC Resolution “On Protecting The Defense Of Marriage Act (doma),” June 2011),
Whereas the sitting President of the United States previously formally certified a repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, allowing for public recognition of homosexual persons in the military, instead of honoring Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice which precludes homosexual behavior among active service personnel,
Whereas the President now has publically voiced his personal support of same-sex civil unions, and that the legal approval of such unions is a matter for each individual state of our country to decide,
Whereas support of same-sex civil unions has been portrayed as a Civil Rights issue akin to the overturning of slavery and security of equal treatment under the law of African Americans,
Be it resolved that the messengers reaffirm our historic and consistent support of the biblical definition of marriage as the exclusive union of a man and a woman; and be it further,
Resolved, that we encourage individual churches to engage the culture with redemptive acts that will portray ChristÂ’ love toward all members of society, and be it further,
Resolved, that we stand against any form of gay-bashing, hateful rhetoric, or hate-incited actions toward persons who engage in acts of homosexuality; and be it further,
Resolved, that we urge the individual governors of each of the states not yet legally supporting same-sex civil unions to refrain from signing into law any bill that would affirm such unions and/or define such unions as “marriage;” and be it further,
Resolved, that we oppose any attempt to frame same-sex union as a civil rights issue; and be it further,
Resolved, that we reject the notion that race, as a by-product of birth given by the CreatorÂ’s design, and gender-orientation, as a behavioral choice made by individual persons, are to be compared as equal social issues, or that acceptance of the equality of races necessitates the equality of sexual preferences, and be it further,
Resolved that we encourage Southern Baptists everywhere to fight for the civil rights and human rights of all people where such rights are consistent with the righteousness of God, and be it further,
Resolved that we affirm that pastors should preach the truth of GodÂ’s word on marriage, homosexual behavior, purity, and love with all boldness and without fear of reprisal, and be it further,
Resolved that we proclaim that Christ offers forgiveness for homosexual behavior for those who turn from their homosexuality and believe on Christ for the forgiveness of sin.
