Members of over 40 religious groups met in Colorado Springs, Colorado in August (1999). They were gathered together to do some "brainstorming."

"For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." (Romans 1:26,27).

What was the topic? They wanted to find ways of winning more acceptance of gays in the religious community. (I would suggest that once God accepts it, the rest of the religious community will be much easier to win over). This group included Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Quakers, Methodists, Lutherans and Mennonites, but evidently no Christians. The group claimed that "support for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transexuals has been strong among religious organizations for years and is growing." I do not doubt it. In fact, the pagans used sexual deviancy and prostitution of both heterosexual and deviant sex practitioner varieties as a part of their religious worship experience in the temple of Diana. I wonder what it would take to convince Jesus that God is the designer of deviant sex practitioner relationships?

"And (Jesus) answered and said, "Have you not read, that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said,' For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh'? "Consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." (Matthew 19:4-6).

Laura Montgomery-Ritt, one of the leaders at the convention, said, "Part of our message is that the religious right absolutely does not speak for all people of faith..." That is true. Neither does the Bible speak for these people. Jimmy Creech, a Methodist minister who had blessed the union of two women, said the church has not fulfilled its duty "because we have excluded certain children of God from God's grace." Perhaps this man should make it a higher priority to fulfill his duty to the Creator.

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor deviant sex practitioners, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

There. How's that for the church fulfilling its duty to all children of God? When deviant sex practitioners repented of their sin, they were received, loved and accepted as fellow sharers of the grace of God.

Creech also said "So while I cannot tell you when its going to happen, I can tell you the Christian churches one day will be open and inclusive of all people regardless of sexual identity." Well, I can do him one better and tell you when this will happen. It will happen as soon as these said churches lose all respect for the authority of the word of God on moral issues. As long as we respect the Scriptures, we will patiently and with love urge repentance on the parts of all who transgress the teachings of the Scriptures. But if we lose this respect, as some obviously have, then our churches will become whatever we choose them to be. But then, they won't be "the Christian churches" anymore, will they?
 

By Jon W. Quinn
The Front Page
From Expository Files 6.10; October 1999


 

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