Comments

Pro-homosexuality AMARites Smart From The "Piercing" Word Of God Spoken By Bishop

From: James Gibson
To: Warrener, John (UCM Page)
Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2000 5:49 PM
Subject: Pro-homosexuality AMARites Smart From The "Piercing" Word Of God Spoken By Bishop

The sodomites asked:

How Long, Oh Lord?

It was a difficult thing to listen to our brother Bishop Rev. Dr. Arthur F. Kulah.   Kulah maligned us during worship on Wednesday.  For those who did not hear him, Bishop Kulah argued that the church is called to make disciples who will obey the authority of the Bible, but that homosexuals, at Satan's behest, choose to disobey that authority, setting themselves outside of Christianity.  When the Church pays attention to them [our] demands, it abuses the authority of the Bible, which speaks unequivocally against homosexuality.  "To ordain homosexuals," Bishop Kulah proclaimed, "is to ruin the hearts and lives of the church and hence the world."

We've heard this argument before, directed at us, and, with small changes, at our black brothers and sisters, at our clergy woman sisters, at people who have been enslaved, shut out or judged "indecent" [Bishop Kulah's words] for some God-given aspect of their identity.

We hope that Bishop Kulah, and those who would agree with his analysis, will go on to think long and hard about his own conclusion: When you obey God, you would love the unlovable.  When you obey God, you would forgive the unforgivable. When you obey God, as King put it, you would not judge people on the color of their skin [or, we add, the direction of their sexual orientation] but by the content of their character.

Meanwhile, we listen hard for a pastoral word of love, welcome, or support from those who preach to us at General Conference.  How long, oh Lord?

. . . and the LORD replied:

PS 4:2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?
    How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?

PS 82:2 "How long will you defend the unjust
    and show partiality to the wicked?

PR 6:9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
    When will you get up from your sleep?

JER 4:14 O Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved.
    How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?

JER 13:26-27 I will pull up your skirts over your face
    that your shame may be seen--
 your adulteries and lustful neighings,
    your shameless prostitution!
  I have seen your detestable acts
    on the hills and in the fields.
  Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
    How long will you be unclean?"

JER 23:25 "I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, `I had a dream! I had a dream!' [26] How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? [27] They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name through Baal worship. [28] Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?" declares the LORD. [29] "Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

 JER 31:22 How long will you wander,
    O unfaithful daughter?
  The LORD will create a new thing on earth--
    a woman will surround a man."

HOS 8:5 Throw out your calf-idol, O Samaria!
    My anger burns against them.
  How long will they be incapable of purity?

James Gibson
Marshallville United Methodist Church
http://sites.netscape.net/saginazmon/homepage

From: George R. Owen rowen@dixie-net.com
To: ucmpage@ucmpage.org
Sent: Thursday, May 04, 2000 7:06 PM
Subject: Pro-homosexuality AMARites Smart From The "Piercing" Word Of God Spoken By Bishop

You ask the question "What would Jesus do?" Christ would not go against His Father's commandments nor His Father's Will. The Scripture is very clear when the subject of homosexuality, adultery or any other immoral sins are concern. The Scripture does indeed instruct us to love the sinner, but not the sin. When the woman caught in the very act of adultery was brought before Christ, Christ indeed accepted her as an individual of worth, but in no way did He condone her sin of adultery. In fact, He instructed her to go and sin no more. My belief, which is Scriptural base is that the sin of homosexuality is an abomination unto the Lord, and His Word to them is to give up their sin and come to His Son's Cross to find forgiveness for their sin and the strength and power to find new life filled with the fruits of His Holy Spirit.

I close by saying that everyone, and I mean everyone, has the right and the priviledge to be recipients of God's love. But God is also a God of holiness and justice and to accept the gay or lesbian under the false hope that their style of life is acceptable would lead them down the road of destruction. So, I choose to love with the truth. Whether that is accepted or not is up to the sinner not me. But the proclamation of the truth will continue with the hopes that some may find freedom in Christ.

George R. Owen
United Methodist Minister