Gay Campaign in DFW
I go to a lot of Texas Rangers games. I also went to watch the Cowboys practice at their new stadium (which is across the street from Rangers Ballpark). On the interstate drive to the 2 major stadiums there have been put up highly controversial billboards by 5 churches in the DFW area. Below are the 2 billboards that I saw on my drive to the stadium.
These billboards caught my eye and I immediately pulled out my iPhone and looked up the Scripture references. Talk about twisting Scripture! Please hear my heart – I love ALL people. I know gay people. I treat them kindly and with respect. I know every week that I’m at my church that there are gay people in the congregation. They are welcome at our church and we believe in unconditional love and grace and mercy.
BUT to twist Scripture like these billboards do and take advantage of clueless people driving down the road that think their references are true and don’t have the ability or desire to actually look the verses up and read them for themselves is wrong.
Several times in the past I’ve started to blog about the issue of homosexuality and the Church. I’ve written drafts of blogs, but never posted them. You see, I usually err on the side of grace and think there are a lot of cruel and mean people in “the Church” that need to see gay people as Christ sees them.
However, I still believe that homosexuality is a sin (just as I sin all too often myself and have my own struggles). Where I disagree with my homosexual brothers and sisters is when they twist, remove or lie about Scripture. The Bible is very clear on this issue and that’s not going to change – even if it’s the 21st Century.
I would love to meet with these 5 DFW churches and their leadership (this is the website for the campaign). I would like to hear their reasoning and explain how they can take two very well known stories in Scripture and use them for their basis of their campaign. I’m extremely disappointed in their misuse of Scripture and what I believe is a type of deception.
Hear me people of DFW: the characters in the stories listed on the billboards were not gay – it’s simply not true. What are your thoughts?
September 16th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I had to look up the passages since I do not know the bible that well, but am I missing something? Are they assuming that the Centurion and the servants were gay? What qualifies that assumption? And does castrated equal gay? I agree with you, we all sin and we all need forgiveness and gay or not gay, the church is for everyone. I would love to know what the DFW churches were thinking. I hope you do get to meet with them.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Thanks, Lori. I agree – the Centurion story is WAY off and assuming a heck of a lot and the Eunuch possibly being castrated does not mean he was gay OR that if he was he was still not in sin. My 2 cents.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
I just looked up both of those passages in several translations and can't come up with one that makes the soldier or the eunuch into a gay character. The soldier cares for his servant and wants him to be heeled, and eunuchs weren't were slaves. How they got that either of these people in these stories was gay is beyond me.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Thanks Chris. I agree.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Wow. talk about really twisting the scriptures. In my life time i never heard or thought to think of the Centurion that way. To be castrated is to be gay? Really? Wow. I wonder what sin these church leaders have committed that is equal to the paying for the production of these billboards??
September 16th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Thanks Ryan. I'm sure they spent a lot of money on these billboards. They are in very visible parts of Dallas on the way to Cowboys stadium.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I totally agree! Those scriptures in no way reference homosexuality!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matth...
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%...
The scriptures speak of a centurion and his servant, and a eunuch, not gay people. The Bible is VERY clear that homosexuality is a sin:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20C...
On the same token, we should treat every sinner [read: human] the same: with Christ like love.
However, this campaign is twisting scripture in a way that is not cool. If they are using another version that might have different language, they should say that… otherwise, they are abusing scripture.
Matthew
September 16th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Agreed. I have nothing but love and grace for homosexuals. I have gay friends. I just don't agree with their lifestyle. Appreciate your comments and Scripture references.
September 16th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
This is the denomination of the five churches listed in this campaign. MCCs are well-known for their pro-homosexuality stance, both in the church and in politics.
http://mccchurch.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Communi...
September 16th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Thanks. I hadn't heard of them before.
September 16th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
I went to their web site. The argument goes like this, "It's possible that the language means 'gay lover' instead of 'son' or 'servant', so therefore it does." "Eunuchs were sometimes gay, therefore this guy was." Whether homosexuality is a sin or not doesn't matter, the Bible still says "ALL have sinned…" We all need God's forgiveness. This campaign is a red herring. BTW, all people should be welcomed into the church, given the option to know Jesus and let Him change what He wants.
Paul
September 16th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Agreed.
September 16th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Greg…David Russell nailed it. MCC was created to be a church specifically to welcome practicing homosexuals. I've interacted some with clergy from MCC denomination and the pro-gay agenda has come before veracity of Scripture.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Thanks. Good to know. I hope to meet with them soon.
September 16th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
I hope you do meet with the churches. It is sad this issue has been so cloudy with misinformation. I have good friends that are gay and they would not support this blatant lie either. You are right though most people probably never look it up. Thanks for bring light to such a hard subject.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
You're quite welcome. Thanks.
September 16th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Greg I completely lean towards what you've said in your post.
Regardless though, It's sad that this is becoming the issue that defines the church — what we're against, rather than what we're for.
The issue with the Roman Centurian is that it's believed by some that the servant would have likely been a young servant of sexual nature, based primarily on an understanding of the Greek word pais.
(http://www.gaychristian101.com/Gay-Centurion.html...
I can accept that that may be a correct understanding, but Jesus healing the servant doesn't mean he affirmed the relationship. If I saw a man trapped in a flaming house and I ran in to rescue him, that doesn't mean I affirm his lifestyle — whatever it might be — homosexual, pedophile, rapist, grandfather of 22. I'm just showing I love another human being.
The issue with the eunuch is that there is an understanding that eunuchs may have chosen their sexuality and/or may have been born that way. Some have suggested that kings would often require servants to castrate themselves in order to serve in their court. Either way, it could be suggested that eunuchs are those with messed up sexuality — either of their own choosing or not.
Isaiah 56 specifically tells the Israelites to welcome them….
Let no foreigners who have bound themselves to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”
And let no eunuch complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”
For this is what the Lord says:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose what pleases me
and hold fast to my covenant—
to them I will give within my temple and its walls
a memorial and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that will endure forever.
Anyways, all that to hopefully offer a little understanding of where these churches are coming from.
You might also be interested in these podcasts with E. Scott Jones (homosexual pastor at Cathedral of Hope in OKC) for some more expounding on this topic ::
http://trippfuller.com/?p=134
http://homebrewedchristianity.com/2008/07/10/herm...
Ed Dobson also gave a great message on Isaiah 54-61 or so at Mars Hill Bible (Rob Bell's church) but I don't think its available on their site anymore.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
I don't think it's so much what "we're against". I think it's an agenda that they're pushing and paying a lot of money for expensive billboards and our reaction to them and call for them to be accurate when quoting Scripture. It must also be made clear and understood that the term "eunuch" does not equate homosexual. Thanks for sharing your comments.
September 17th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I understand what you're saying but I think the perception is still that Christians as a whole are anti-homosexuals — regardless of what we're trying to say or not (apparently that's what these churches are playing to).
We may be saying all day long that we love homosexuals (we just hate the sin) but that's not what the rest of the world is hearing (or seeing).
I have a friend that reminds me all the time that perception is what really matters.
If I ask my wife to cook dinner — but instead she hears me saying "I need to cook dinner" — I need to work on my communication. If what's being communicated isn't being understood correctly, the communicator needs to work harder to communicate the message more clearly.
The world perceives Christians to be anti-homosexuals (the people themselves) — so we obviously need to work on our communication.
I don't agree that these billboards help the situation. I think they just add to the stereotypes. I wish a different approach had been taken.
Thanks for bringing this topic up. I'd love to hear what comes from any possible meetings with these churches. Those podcasts will probably give you some insight into what they'll share with you.
September 16th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
One other thing. The text is wrong on the billboards. "Jesus healed a possibly gay man" or "Phillip baptized a man who might have been gay" is more accurate.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
That is more accurate, but I doubt they'd print that. Thanks.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Yeah dude, I instantly went to their sites to find out what they believed and without a belief statement, it's easy to find out from the documents they have posted on their site that they have some whacked out theology.
The message of love and unity and grace is one the church certainly needs to embrace more, though. We are so quick to receive it but rarely will we even begin to think about extending it.
Re: your FB post today, my heart is broken more for the message the MCC is handing out than the sin of homosexuality.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Agreed. We do need to embrace love and grace more. I believe that. I don't think that that means disregarding Scripture and accepting someone else's lifestyle as truth and okay. I love all sinners (all of us), but I still think we should live a lifestyle of worship and obedience to God's Word. Thanks for sharing.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Greg, thanks for the post. Had not seen these signs yet.
Like everyone, I too flipped open the Bible to see if I had missed something. Funny how simply implying something is true often goes unchecked in our culture. While I have heard many liberal arguments involving the scriptures – these two were new to me. I am wondering what else gets "reinterpreted" in these churches. When you can misread a passage this badly – and prominently place these misleading interpretations in public – it does not look good for bridging this conversation in a healthy manner.
I do believe that the homosexual issue is one that has not been handled well inside the the church. This is going to become an even bigger issue in the future.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Absolutely agree. This is going to be an even bigger issue in the future. Thanks for sharing.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Wow, looked them up as well. I have always been a supporter of welcoming homosexual people into the church because the church welcomed me. But as it's been stated many times already, welcoming them in to hear the good news and give them the opportunity we've had to confront out sins is completely different from accepting their lifestyle.
The MCC church is something I was first exposed to back in Lubbock and found it very difficult to have a healthy discussion toward their interpretations. What hurts my heart even more is that these people are so close to the true good news of Christ (as they are attending a church) but just far enough away to miss what He has to offer. Breaks it to pieces. Hope you can meet with these people, I truly do.
September 16th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Thanks, me too.
September 17th, 2009 at 1:16 am
Greg -
Thanks for the post – On the surface i find those signs to be mis-leading & disturbing – i always look to TX to "comfort" my conservative side…
I went over to the site and read up a little bit and it's said that even with their posting the signs there seems to be a disconnect in how forgiveness and grace work…
Thankfully, Jesus doesn't require us to clean up before He washes us… the Church should welcome all in and minister to them… When Jesus is asked into our hearts Jesus begins the cleaning process…
if we are left to clean up ourselves for salvation then we all loss – WE ALL FALL SHORT…
Thanks!
September 17th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Glad we agree that those signs are "misleading and disturbing". Thanks.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
First of all, I must say I agree that there is nothing in scripture that clearly defines the centurion and the eunuch as gay men. There is also nothing that clearly defines them as straight men either. In our culture, we make heteronormative assumptions and assume that, unless given any information to the contrary, that everyone we meet is straight. Just because we don't get any hard information that these characters are gay doesn't mean they aren't–or, of course, that they are. I believe the greater message of the billboard is imagination that the eunuch is gay. Would Phillip have refused to baptize a faithful person of God because of his sexaul orientation?
Anyway, setting aside the billboard for a minute (because I don't necessarily agree with their interpretation of scripture either. The story of the centurion, specifically, gives me pause) I was struck by what your first response was:
"BUT to twist Scripture like these billboards do and take advantage of clueless people driving down the road that think their references are true and don’t have the ability or desire to actually look the verses up and read them for themselves is wrong."
Certainly, for years, many in the church have offered readings of the Bible that eliminating the message of the grace of God for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and other queer persons. A reading of the Bible that limits God's grace is surely a twisting of scripture. I find it interesting that when a group offers a reading that you clearly find to be a poor interpretation but happens to welcome more people in the the church, you feel compelled to blog about it, but not when a group offers a reading that closes the doors of the church to many faithful people. Without assuming anything about you I do wonder if it's because in the society where we live, many straight people–even allies–are still uncomfortable with the idea of GLBTQ persons. Sometimes, often with loving intention, our discomfort makes us miss the double standards we employ when interpreting our world.
September 17th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Thanks for sharing. I think I made it pretty clear that I welcome gay people and treat them with respect. I just don't think you can legitimately make a leap of Scripture like that and assume that the men in the stories were gay.
September 18th, 2009 at 4:18 am
I think there's some really great thought here. I, like most of you, agree that it's a quite a stretch to conclude that the people in these passages of scripture were homosexual. At the same time, I don't think it really matters. There are other parts of scripture that are clear on that issue.
I do, however, think there is validity to the message of these churches. There is a culture among many churches that says we have to actively oppose homosexuals and their lifestyle, even going so far as to lead political campaigns to outlaw same-sex unions. This seems completely contrary to the message of Jesus. Jesus was very clear that life transformation comes from heart change that only He can accomplish. The idea that homosexuals will be transformed by imposing external laws is just ridiculous. This idea is rooted in fear and hate, rather than love. I think in a lot of ways these churches are just reacting to the misrepresentation of Christ that the majority of other churches are putting out there. Again, while I don't agree with their interpretation of scripture, I think in many ways they are being more Christ-like than a lot of other churches. And that's my two cents
September 18th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
I'm glad we agree that they misinterpreted Scripture. That was the point of all this. If you have to lie or use deception to defend your agenda you're in the wrong.
September 18th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
"He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." -Proverbs 18:13
I believe you dear folks are "answering" the gay issue without first performing due diligence in studying this interesting subject.
Did you know that Dr. Robert Gagnon, THE leading anti-gay apologist today, admits that the Greek word pais does have the meaning of 'same sex lover' in some contexts?
http://www.gaychristian101.com/Centurion-And-Pais...
And the Ethiopian eunuch could very well have been a gay man, a born eunuch instead of a castrated eunuch.
http://www.gaychristian101.com/Ethiopian-Eunuch.h...
Rick Brentlinger
http://www.gaychristian101.com/index.html
September 18th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Oops – sorry for the broken links above – a weird glitch of your blog software which refuses to accept standard html – here are the two broken Links.
http://www.gaychristian101.com/Centurion-And-Pais...
http://www.gaychristian101.com/Ethiopian-Eunuch.h...
September 18th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
From the article – "According to Biblical Greek lexicons, pais also means "manservant, son, young man or maid," depending on context." The Bible speaks of homosexuals. I think it would have been more clear if that was what was intended.
September 18th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Oops – sorry for the broken links above – a weird glitch of your blog software which refuses to accept standard html – here are the two broken Links.
I don't know why my first comment, which was posted, is now no longer visible…
September 18th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Whoa-ho-ho-HO!!! I know I'm just saying what every one else is saying, but really?! I would have to have never read either of those stories, while someone gives me delicious baked goods and an americano and tells me there "they're totally gay" version. I would also have to have no prior knowledge of this Bible they refer to, to buy this. Did i mention the americano? That would be crucial to the deception.
Anywho, I love gay people, and my stance on homosexuality is very similar to yours. Greg, I'm sure. But like you said that really isn't the point at all.
Their blatant misuse and interpretation of scripture is laughable at best, and I too would love to meet them and have them walk me through it. if they kept the americanos coming I would totally keep my mouth shut while they did.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:02 am
Thanks for your humor Zach. I needed a little laugh after all this tense talk. This is a tough issue, but one I'm glad we're discussing.