Two ways of handling a challenging issue

The bible is very clear about sexual ethics. Sexual activity is reserved for marriage, which by definition, is one man and one woman. All other sexual activity falls outside of God's design and is forbidden, not to mention damaging.

Such a position draws the ire of a secular progressive society like ours, the current struggle about the definition of marriage is an example. Like it or not, little by little, the secularists, irreligious, and ignorant, are winning the movement toward redefining marriage to include two people of the same sex in a covenanted, marital, relationship. Along with this cultural shift toward the validating of so-called gay marriage is an increasing pressure on churches to pipe down about condemning homosexual practice. Soon to follow will be more and more legal pressure to put a gag order on pastors regarding public statements about homosexual practice being sinful. Clearly our culture is slouching toward Gomorrah more and more.

In the last week there have been two examples of how churches or Christian institutions are dealing with this touchy issue.

Example #1- The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) has officially removed any restriction for gay people to be ordained as ministers in their denomination. The PCUSA constitution will be altered to allow openly gay people in same-sex relationships to be ordained as ministers, elders and deacons. The prior constitutional requirement for clergy to live “in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness” is thus done away with.

So, the PCUSA has completed it's utter sell out to secular culture and is no longer any kind of salt whatsoever. The PCUSA is a dying denomination, and hopefully this decision will only hasten it's death. A friend of mine, a former PCUSA minister whom I greatly respect, has lamented for years about the denomination's loose leaf bible. He is exactly right. Back in the 60's the PCUSA stopped requiring ministers to believe and teach that Jesus was God (as Scripture says), so it was only a matter of time before this day would come. Oh, don't get me wrong, things could get more wicked in the PCUSA, but I do think any church that exists in the PCUSA with a twinge of appreciation for biblical authority (I do know a couple) will be forced to leave now. If they don't, they'll be assimilated.

On the very challenging issue of being faithful to the bible's teaching regarding sexual purity, specifically related to the issue of homosexual practice, the PCUSA has again failed miserably, and tragically.

Example #2- Wheaton College has boldly moved to address the issue by allowing the formation of an "advocacy" group (called OneWheaton) for students struggling with same sex attraction. It should be noted that Wheaton president Phil Ryken, a PCA minister, is a key player in this situation. The immediate response to Wheaton's move was rash by some (charging that Wheaton had compromised or might even be pro-homosexual rights). The press reports were a touch confusing. President Ryken acted carefully to explain the school's actions. See an email he sent to the student body April 29 (and others) below:

This morning, a group of Wheaton College alumni distributed a letter on campus to announce the formation of OneWheaton, an advocacy group of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) and questioning alumni and allies. According to the group’s website, its intent is to counter “prevailing ideas about homosexuality in the Wheaton community.”

Wheaton College agrees with OneWheaton’s stated desire to “affirm the full humanity and dignity of every human being, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.” Our Community Covenant upholds the commitment of every Christian to loving God, and to loving our neighbors as ourselves. We see each member of the human family as created in the image of God himself, and thus each of immeasurable value. This includes our neighbors and alumni who identify as LGBTQ.

We recognize that the needs of LGBTQ individuals present a particular challenge for institutions like Wheaton. Many have experienced insensitive or callous responses in this community, for which we repent and seek forgiveness. We repudiate and condemn violence and injustice directed toward LGBTQ people.

We also remain committed to following Christ as faithful disciples, which entails conforming our lives to God’s truth revealed in the Scriptures, and specifically to a biblically-based stance on sexual ethics. In this, we seek to prepare our students to maintain fidelity with the historic stance of the Church on these issues. Our Community Covenant again speaks for the College on this matter:

We understand that our calling includes . . .[t]he call to pursue holiness in every aspect of our thought and behavior (2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thess. 4:7; Heb. 12:14; 1 Pet. 1:15-16)... Scripture condemns… sexual immorality, such as the use of pornography (Matt. 5:27-28), pre-marital sex, adultery, homosexual behavior and all other sexual relations outside the bounds of marriage between a man and woman (Rom. 1:21-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:31).

We stand with LGBTQ persons before God as persons created in God’s own image, and also as sinful persons in need of God’s forgiveness and love through Jesus Christ, God’s Son. We carry a burden for our students, faculty, staff and alumni who experience same-sex attraction because of the pain they so often experience, and pray that we can be a community that loves those who identify as LGBTQ. While we recognize that Wheaton’s stance may be unsatisfying to some of our alumni, we remain resolved to respond with truth and grace.

So, Wheaton seems to be attempting to address the challenge of people who struggle with same sex attraction. I know some will think Wheaton is compromising by not calling out such students and disciplining them, but honestly, from what I see, it seems like they are handling this very well. They are not condoning homosexual practice, in fact, by my reading, they are saying homosexual practice is a sin. Practically, they are trying to be real and address the matter instead of ignoring it like most churches, schools, and other Christian institutions do. Let's face it- it's a tough issue that makes said organizations uncomfortable. As a result, people who struggle with same sex attraction never really have the benefit of learning how to deal with their struggle and properly react to it. They are made to feel like pariahs and often gravitate to groups that claim homosexual practice is compatible with being a Christian (which eventually leads to full blown advocacy of homosexual practice as per the PCUSA). Now, I don't know all that Wheaton intends to do with this group and where it will end up, but at first blush, it seems like a wise, careful course of action.

Like I said, this is a challenging issue. Two responses of note- one horrible (but not surprising) and one bold (seeming to honor Scripture and care for struggling sinners). May God judge the one and help the other- for His glory.

As for me and my preaching/teaching. Please pray I always preach what the bible says, even if it gets me in trouble. Please pray I am pastorally compassionate and address the full range of sexual sins- of which homosexuality, quite frankly, is a small part of what faces us sexually today. Please pray for God's grace to all of us sinners and at the same time make His Church salty again.