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| I never thought I would say this, but here goes...
Today I was spiritually inspired by Elton John.
Yep, you read that right. In the article (link below) he says, "From my
point of view, I would ban religion completely. Organized religion
doesn't seem to work. It turns people into really hateful lemmings and
it's not really compassionate."
Before I go any farther, let me get this out of the way... I don't
agree with the homosexual lifestyle. I don't believe it is what God
intended when he created us.
But I also think that it is a tragedy how we, as Christians, have
handled the issue. To put it bluntly, we have used it as an excuse to
judge. I can't tell you how many sermons I have heard against it or how
many consecutive weeks I've heard it mentioned in a sermon. (Which
always baffles me... Don't you think most, if not all, of the people
sitting in the congregation have a pretty good idea what the
"Christian" stance on homosexuality is? I'm pretty sure everybody in
American, believer and nonbeliever alike, knows we are against it!)
The scriptures paint a picture of Jesus with open arms welcoming
sinners and saints a like. He wants everybody to have a chance to know
their heavenly father! (In fact, there are times when Jesus is scolded
for being welcoming!) Naturally wouldn't it seem logical that our
churches have the same characteristic? Yet most homosexuals would agree
that the church is one of the last places they would feel at home.
Why? These men are here to hear the word of God. Yeah, their lives
aren't perfect ... but neither is mine. We are all living in sin.
That's why we are in continual need of God's grace. So, why is their
sin treated with such disregard?
Think about this... The Bible speaks against pride hundred times more
than it speaks against homosexuality. Why aren't we getting upset about
pride? Why are we picketing the homes of those living the prideful
lifestyle? Why are we voting to ban pride in Arizona? Hmmm... I'm not
looking to start an argument. I'm just saying that our immature
handling of this sin has given Elton John a reason to be upset.
http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?...
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The
election is finally over and unlike many of my Baptist colleagues, I'm
perfectly fine with the results. Let me explain why...
The secular world holds the idea that change always begins at the top.
It's a concept that says if you change the government, or the leaders involved
in that government, then you change the people living under the
government. Many Christians have fallen into this realm of
thinking. That's the reason you hear CNN talk about the power of the
"evangelical vote" or your church bulletin is filled with
"helpful information" about key issues. Many Christians, entire
denominations, have given way to the idea that political change is the key to
spiritual revival. But I have to disagree.
Christianity has often been called a "backwards" faith, meaning we do
things contrary to the "normal" secular methodology. (You've
probably seen a few Christian bumper stickers that mentioned "going
against the flow". It's kind of like that.) Christ taught that
change begins at the bottom. Think about it... How many times did
Jesus say something like "blessed are the meek" or "the last
will be the first"? He was introducing a completely new
concept. He was saying that true change, true revival, begins when the
people, not the government, start setting holier standards.
Let me give you a modern example of this... Even if "Christian"
laws are passed and gay marriage was banned and abortion was abolished, the
real problems would still exist. There are two men who want to be
together and a woman who doesn't want a baby. The law did not remove the
sin, it only made it known. (Almost sounds like something you would read
in Romans, doesn't it?) It is for this very reason that Christ proposed a
new way. Christ understood that true change takes place in the hearts of
the people. Why else would he spend all his time eating with sinners and
hanging out in the streets? (He could have sat down with the political
leaders but he chose not to.)
So, here's my thought... Why not follow Christ example? (One time I
saw this bracelet that said "What Would Jesus Do?" Neat
idea.) Instead of investing all our time and money into changing Washington, let's invest all our time and
money into changing our neighbors. Imagine what it would look like if
Baptist took all the resources used to campaign for political causes and poured
them into support groups for individuals struggling with homosexuality,
pregnancy care centers, and developing alternative medical advancements to stem
cell research. Just imagine...
Choose
love, not law. | | |
| Just thought I would let everybody know that I FINALLY switched to a Springfield phone number. (Sally did too.) If you would like my new number, just email me (almostpopular@gmail.com) and I'll let you know.
I didn't want to put in on the net because there are crazy people on MySpace that want to hunt me down and stuff like on that CSI...
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| Well, I'm just bored and thought I would update this...
I'm 24 now. It's a lot like 23 but you are a little older.
I think I'm going to start blogging more, just sharing my ideas and junk like that. I don't know why. I just think I might be a good way for me to sort out my thoughts. I'm not sure if I'm going to do it here, another Xanga, MySpace, or maybe even Blogger. I'll figure it out.
I'm going to bed. Sleep tight.
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