It\u2019s bad enough when Christians sit silently by while LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) folks are marginalized, ridiculed, abused, raped or even killed for who they are.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s another when Christians actively engage in the exclusion of people based on their identity or orientation.<\/p>\n
And then there\u2019s John Piper.<\/p>\n
It seems Piper has a Twitter problem. Maybe he doesn\u2019t see it as such, because with less than 140 characters, he can stir up quite a storm of controversy. But but considering the damage that can be done with so few words, I consider it a problem.<\/p>\n
First, there was the now-famous \u201cFarewell, Rob Bell\u201d tweet, basically bidding the bestselling author adieu when his book, \u201cLove Wins,\u201d dared to suggest that God\u2019s love was big enough to ensure salvation for all.<\/p>\n
Today, Piper decided to get specific about his disdain for members of the LGBTQ community and all Christians who affirm them by tweeting the following:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe church that approves of homosexual relations has by that act ceased to be a true church. Wolfhart Pannenberg\u201d<\/p>\n
When I told my wife, Rev. Amy Piatt, what he posted, she suggested we shouldn\u2019t even care what he says. He\u2019s a voice of intolerance whose ignorance should be dismissed. Though she and I see eye to eye on most things, we differ on this one.<\/p>\n
First of all, he has more than 250,000 followers on Twitter. And of course with the viral nature of social media, his reach is much broader than that. Second, he\u2019s considered a prominent voice for conservative Christianity, sought and quoted often by the media. As such, he always seems ready to help reinforce the stereotype that Christians are narrow-minded, bigoted, hateful people who are more interested in being right and morally superior than they are in loving and serving their brothers and sisters.<\/p>\n
Thankfully there are other, if not so prominent, voices out there to counter the intolerance. As an example, Roger Wolsey<\/a>, a pastor, posted the following concise but clear message on Youtube:<\/p>\n