You may recall the controversy a couple of months ago over comments made by Oklahoma state representative Sally Kern.
In a recording which received a lot of hits on YouTube, Kern gave a speech about the danger the homosexual agenda presents to our nation.
She was subsequently vilified by homosexuals and their apologists, calling her mean, hateful, bigoted, homophobic, and a host of names too foul to repeat here.
So is Kern really a mean old witch, bent on fomenting hate for those she doesn't understand?
Peter LaBarbera at Americans for Truth brings the rest of the story.
Americans for Truth features a piece entitled "The Untold Story about Rep. Sally Kern" by Stephen Black and Chris Morrison from First Stone Ministries.
What they failed to mention – or include in the sound bites – is the truth, that Rep. Sally Kern said we must love the homosexual.
The piece points out the difference which often gets lost in the heat of debate over homosexuality, the difference between the movement/agenda, and the individual.
In her remarks during the January speech, Rep. Kern mentioned the parallel of the gay political movement in the United States – not individual gays.
The radical homosexual agenda is indeed very dangerous to America. Through the acceptance of a practice which is unnatural (the reproductive organs cannot accomplish reproduction), the acceptance of of a practice which is unhealthy and even deadly, through the acceptance of a practice that attempts to force associations on people against their will, through the acceptance of a practice which promotes and demands societal chaos, through the acceptance of a movement which demands that free speech be quashed, through the acceptance of a practice which devalues marriage and undermines families, the threat to America could not be greater.
When we undermine marriage and family, the basic building block of any society, we destroy not only the foundation of our nation but the very cohesive element which holds it all together in an organized fashion.
At the same time, the individual homosexual is not our enemy. Though it can be difficult in the midst of heated debate, the Christian needs to remember that homosexuals are as much prisoners to sin as any of us have been at some time or another. The objective, while fighting the cause, should be to set the captives free.
Given what what Black and Morrison tell us about Kern, apparently this is what she seeks to do:
The untold part of this story – which I delight to tell you now – is that behind the scenes, Rep. Sally Kern and her husband, Dr. Stephen Kern have supported First Stone Ministries for many years. Dr. Stephen Kern is the senior pastor at Olivet Baptist Church, which actually hosts some of First Stone Ministries’ support groups. The Kern’s have a special place in their hearts for our ministry to those who struggle with same-sex attractions and homosexuality. For several years before all this controversy erupted, they had put action to their love for those who are struggling and for their families.
Morrison tells of his own personal struggle with homosexuality, and the loving concern Kern showed him 10 years ago:
Sally Kern was taking me to the airport and she gently broached the subject of my homosexual struggle with me. I was surprised and scared of what she was going to say, because I hadn’t told many people about my struggle. It was rare for someone to bring up my struggle before I had ever disclosed it. Her tenderness was overwhelming; she lovingly ministered to me that day. She mercifully let me know that she and her family were praying for me, and that they loved me. That day is precious to me as I felt so loved and accepted. I am grateful to the Lord that Sally had enough courage to plant the seeds of God’s forgiveness, hope and healing.
This should always be the position and response of the Christian: stand firm against the sin and warn people about it, but show love to the one caught up in it.
4 comments:
you will love them when you start worshipping and fellowshipping with them, when you start honoring their life experiences(part of fellowship), carrying their burdens ( not your own....sermon on the mount)and stop looking at them thru your own perceived understanding of sin but looking at them as god created them, thru eyes of spirit,thru the one who lives in you, rather than culture and tradition.
I can't speak for everyone, but I already look at them through the eyes of the Spirit rather than culture or tradition. God teaches in both the Old and New Testament that homosexuality is a sin. It turns God's design for human sexuality upside down, and He's not okay with that.
At the same time, God loves them and wants to see them free from the bondage of their sin, just as He does the drunk, the drug addict, the liar, the gossip, or anyone else caught up in sin.
Anyone willing to turn away from their sin and follow Jesus, I'm happy to worship and fellowship with. But someone who claims to be a follower of Christ yet still willingly follows after their sin, I can't worship and fellowship with until they repent of that sin (1 Corinthians 5:11).
Because you're so perfect Mr. Ellis.
Maybe if people stopped worrying about who other people are having sex with and worked on their marriages we could make some real progress with the divorce rate in this country.
God surely doesn't like divorce, but statistics tell us there is a 50% chance of failure for first time couples.
Remember, remove the plank from your own eye before you point out the splinter in mine. You're not perfect, I'm not perfect, and as such we have no right in telling each other how to live. God does. He speaks to all of us individually, and as such, I agree that underage sex and molestation is wrong (as the bible says). I do not follow the Leviticus rules of eating shellfish, nor do I think homosexuals are sinful.
Love them for the people they are. You are called to do it, if you reject them at your table, whats to say God won't reject you at his.
God bless.
Anonymous, the Good Lord knows I'm not perfect, and most of the people around me know it, too. But it isn't about whether I or Sally Kern or anyone else is perfect.
The reason we speak out on this issue is that it needs to be warned against for the health of those individuals involved and for the health of our society. But Christians also speak out on it because God tells us to (Ezekiel 3:18, Matthew 5:13, to name a couple).
You're absolutely right about divorce, and it's the shame of Christendom that so many Christians do it. But because so many of us are wrong there doesn't justify homosexual behavior.
What's more, though many people try to justify it in cases when there are no Biblical grounds, I don't know of anyone who's saying divorce is fully approved of by God, that God created them to divorce, or that it's normal, natural and healthy. So you see, there's already a common understanding even in our permissive culture that divorce is a bad thing...meanwhile, there is an aggressive campaign to get people to believe there's nothing wrong with homosexuality. Calling something evil "good" is strongly condemned in the Bible also (Isaiah 5:20).
Believe me, I'd love to quit worrying about homosexuality and thinking about it altogether. But as long as homosexual activists are demanding that I say it's healthy and morally acceptable, as long as they demand the right to call their union "marriage," as long as they try to indoctrinate children in schools to believe it's normal, as long as they seek special protections that would trample the rights of others, I have no choice but to continue standing for what's right.
Oh, and that rule regarding shellfish, it was repealed in Acts chapter 10. While God repealed the dietary laws under the Mosaic covenant, He never repealed a single moral law.
Though some can be frustrating at times, I love homosexuals enough to tell them when God warns us against something, just as I expect to be reminded when I do something wrong. God made it clear in Matthew 7:21 that I definitely wouldn't be welcome at his table if I didn't do the will of the Father; that includes not doing things he's told us not to do (e.g. homosexuality) and doing things he's told us to do (e.g. tell others what He's said is right and wrong).
Failing to warn or attempt to dissuade someone from an immoral and dangerous practice isn't a loving act, but it could be considered negligence.
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