As I was watching the news this morning and they were talking about how SanFransico legalized gay marriage, I felt angry and sick. Not because of gay marriage, but because there were people outside the courthouse protesting the legalization with signs that said "God Hates Fags" and "Fags Will Burn In Hell." These signs made me disgusted because of what they say to our society. and more importantly, what they say to people we know and love who are involved in homosexual relationships.
I became so angry and disgusted, wondering who these people were. Where do they come from? Who told them that nasty, hateful signs are how we engage our culture? They portray the stereotype of Christians who think everyone (except them) is evil and unloved by God. I do not want to be lumped in with these people, but every time someone pulls a stunt like this it happens to me anyway. In the eyes of many, I become a gay hater even though I am not. I wish these protesters would wake up and gain an understanding of the heart of God. I wonder if they know anyone who is gay. I wonder if they have any friends or family members who are gay. I wonder if they have ever just listened to their gay friend speak about their life.
I personally have a conservative view on homosexuality because there are parts in the Bible that we can't just ignore. We cannot choose passages we like and leave those we don't like. However, I think we need to be careful in how we express our beliefs. We can be open and honest about them, we do not need to hide them. But we need to make sure we are entering into discussion with people who don't agree with us, not just yelling and waving signs. Open dialogue is needed if we are to gain an understanding and the ability to have compassion for our world that is required of us as Christians. We also need to be careful that we don't focus on one issue. In 1 Corinthians 6 where homosexuality is mentioned, heterosexual immorality is also mentioned, as are slanderers, theives, alcoholics and those who are greedy. We need to be careful, when we cast stones at the courthouse, that we are also not among that list. Jesus warned us over and over about the dangers of self-righteousness, so how have Christians, Jesus' followers, become so good at it? Many other issues are mentioned throughout the Bible and I've become convinced over the years that pretty well everyone has their thing that they struggle with. Why have we elevated homosexuality as the unpardonable sin?
It appears to me that the protesters do not care too much about transformation but more about condemnation. But, just like the protesters don't know the people in the courthouse, I don't know the protesters either. So I guess I need to wait to jump to any conclusions until I get a chance to speak with one of them. What I wish the world knew is that NONE of the Christians I know personally (and they are many) hold the belief that "God Hates Fags", nor would they ever hold a sign stating it.
Tuesday 17 June 2008
Thursday 12 June 2008
Blogging Democracy
So why do some people hate bloggers? Blogging is quite possibly the truest form of democracy that exists in our society today. Through blogging, anyone can have their say and others can get informed and hear different points of view. I don't like hurtful blogs or when people plaster their views on the internet without thinking about what they are saying. We need to be thoughtful and considerate in our blogging while at the same time being free to give our opinions. Transparency and asking questions are important to my generation and probably will be to those coming after me. Blogging is becoming a way of life and we need to get used to it. Just look at news programming and political talk shows. These guys are always discussing bloggers' comments because blogs often demonstrate the attitudes of the masses - something that those of us leading the masses must always consider.
Dave sent me the link of Keith Drury's blog (http://wesleyanstuff.blogspot.com/)on the General Conference of the Wesleyan Church. Every four years delegates from the Wesleyan Church worldwide gather to deal with issues affecting the church at large. This is an event that most people will never get to, but Drury delivered a play-by-play on his blog. He talked about elections and which memorials passed. He also talked about the overall atmosphere and attitude of the conference. Drury's blog provides a way for anyone who has access to the internet an inside look into General Conference. To me this is enlightening and important. The shroud of mystery that surrounds GC no longer exists thanks to bloggers. That might make some people uneasy, but isn't it important to have people thinking about important issues and how they relate to their local church?
At the close of the conference yesterday, Drury said that the people he talked to were encouraged by the direction of the WC. He says this is because the people believe they took some of their power back. This is demonstrated by some of the memorials which were not approved by the delegates. The memorials not approved were mostly those which would give more power to headquarters and decrease local autonomy (If you care to know what the memorials were, you can find them at http://www.wesleyan.org/gc/). Local churches and districts want to have their say. Many of the memorials approved increased the power of local chuches and districts. This is a very positive move in eyes of many (obviously, they voted for it!).
Another thing that people apparently felt positive about was the election of JoAnne Lyon to the upper ranks of the WC. You can read Drury's comments about this on his blog as well as the views of those who left their comments. I think I'll comment on this tomorrow because it is an interesting turn of events. Not because she is a woman, but because she is seen as the peoples' candidate - once again, the masses taking a little bit of their power back.
Dave sent me the link of Keith Drury's blog (http://wesleyanstuff.blogspot.com/)on the General Conference of the Wesleyan Church. Every four years delegates from the Wesleyan Church worldwide gather to deal with issues affecting the church at large. This is an event that most people will never get to, but Drury delivered a play-by-play on his blog. He talked about elections and which memorials passed. He also talked about the overall atmosphere and attitude of the conference. Drury's blog provides a way for anyone who has access to the internet an inside look into General Conference. To me this is enlightening and important. The shroud of mystery that surrounds GC no longer exists thanks to bloggers. That might make some people uneasy, but isn't it important to have people thinking about important issues and how they relate to their local church?
At the close of the conference yesterday, Drury said that the people he talked to were encouraged by the direction of the WC. He says this is because the people believe they took some of their power back. This is demonstrated by some of the memorials which were not approved by the delegates. The memorials not approved were mostly those which would give more power to headquarters and decrease local autonomy (If you care to know what the memorials were, you can find them at http://www.wesleyan.org/gc/). Local churches and districts want to have their say. Many of the memorials approved increased the power of local chuches and districts. This is a very positive move in eyes of many (obviously, they voted for it!).
Another thing that people apparently felt positive about was the election of JoAnne Lyon to the upper ranks of the WC. You can read Drury's comments about this on his blog as well as the views of those who left their comments. I think I'll comment on this tomorrow because it is an interesting turn of events. Not because she is a woman, but because she is seen as the peoples' candidate - once again, the masses taking a little bit of their power back.
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