Ministering to gays

Ministering to gays May 4, 2009

“Wittenberg” playwright David Davalos linked to a Luther picture at a blog named Chaos and Old Night by an LCMS seminarian John Fraiser. Looking at his blog, I came across a provocative post entitled Does Your Church Encourage Homosexuality?. He cites the ways that can happen, including this:

Suppose that you belong to a Silently Condemning Church. It is common knowledge that the church doesn’t approve of homosexuality but it is rarely talked about. If someone was to admit to being a homosexual or if someone who struggles with homosexuality were to begin attending the church they would ostracize this person. He/she would not be welcome at the church and some members would prompt the pastor to have a talk with this person and let him/her know that he/she should leave the church. The pastor perhaps tells the person that what he/she is doing is sin and that they should stop having feelings toward members of the same sex. Ultimately (and rather quickly) the pastor makes known to this person (explicitly or implicitly) that he/she does not belong in this church.

In this scenario, what has the church communicated to this person about his/her homosexuality? In effect, it has said: The church has nothing to offer you. The church is not for people who struggle with your sin. We leave you to your sin. A homosexual is what you are and must be, but what you are is wrong and we offer no help with it. Furthermore, Jesus Christ can’t help you. He only helps normal people who sin but you are beyond the pale.

Fraiser’s solution? Treat homosexuals like any other sinner.

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