Letters........................................................................................................ . ...www.smn-news.com
21st August, 2008
The homosexuality debate in a different light
Dear Editor,
I could not help noticing the recent debate in the opinion sections of both newspapers on homosexuality. Miguel Arrindell seemed to have lit a fire that would not seem to go out and most of the letters from other readers were vehemently attacking his opinions and labeling him as a hatemonger. As a devout Christian, I would like to address the topic from a totally different light offering some insights in both what Miguel said as well as from Alston Lourens, who responded to Miguel’s letter. I will not defend either Alston or Miguel, but pick out points from their letters that I think are valid and worth highlighting.
Firstly, I believe anybody can express disagreement, disgust or even abhorrence to a particular lifestyle without hating the people involved. If I say to a thief that I hate the fact that he lives a life of stealing people’s belongings, I do not hate him as a person, but what he or she is doing. As a Christian, I am forbidden to hate anyone. Hate, by the way, is a strong word. Jesus said whoever hates someone in his heart, has already committed murder. So for Miguel to express hate for homosexuals (which he did not do after a review of his letter), would be totally wrong if he professes to know Christ. So, if anyone or I disagree with the homosexual lifestyle, I believe we are well within our right to do so. If they say homosexuality is wrong, it should not be construed that we are discriminating against homosexuals or we hate them, it just simply means we disagree with a lifestyle that is contrary to scripture and even nature as some may argue. Jesus loves homosexuals just like everybody else and sees them no different from those who need his salvation. But to say he abhors the sin, which he sacrificed his very life for, is very much correct and should not be seen as Christians hating homosexuals.
In fact, Patricia Varlack, a fellow writer said in a letter shortly after Miguel’s first letter, homosexuality is not the only sin that is subject to God’s judgment, there are many more listed in the bible, some of which even Christians are guilty of. If the church or individuals are going to speak out against same sex marriage and other homosexual related infractions, they should include other vices of society that has an even greater impact on our community. Crime, violence, youth delinquency, teenage pregnancy and a whole host of other issues, need our attention and homosexually cannot be the most important topic to address. I believe Miguel’s intention, was to point out the culture shock St. Maarten will face when the laws of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, that allows for same sex unions, will impact more on our community and that we should be prepared for this, though I wish not to delve into this topic at this time.
One thing I must point out to Christians on St. Maarten and even to those who do not believe in God or confine to a particular religion: the teachings of Christianity will always be heavily criticized by people who do not understand or wish to understand the tenets of the faith. There is one explanation for this: the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive. Yes, the gospel, in its very nature is offensive to people who do not know Christ or to put it bluntly—sinners. That is because, the essence of the gospel teaches that all have sinned and come short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Quite frankly, and based on some of the letters I have seen in the last few days, no one likes to be called a sinner. No one likes to be told they are wrong and that they need Jesus to save them. No one likes to think that they are not in God’s right standing because they have not accepted Jesus Christ in their lives and that is why people are antagonistic towards Christians. And naturally so, Jesus said in his prayer to God for his disciples before he left earth, which is the same for Christians today: the world will hate them (his disciples) because they hate me. Hence, it is natural for people to oppose the teachings of the Gospel, but despite that, it is a Christian’s duty to share the gospel in love.
This is where I refer to my good friend Alston Lourens. I agree with him that our strategy, to some extent in spreading the gospel needs to change. We are in different times and methods that applied them, may not be feasible today for a new generation. Where I disagree with Alston is that in speaking out we should not preach judgment to sinners, but only God’s love. Yes, we must preach God’s love—it is the epitome of the gospel. However, you cannot preach His love and not His judgment, because failure to make use of his tender mercies and loving kindness to repent of our sins and trust him to save us, will lead people to the very same damnation we did not want to preach. The truth is: there are people who take advantage of God’s love and mercy and fail to make amends in their lives. They feel, if God is such a loving God and such a forgiving God, then I can do as I please and still be in right standing with him. That is deception and preaching His love without His judgment will deceive the very people we love to seek salvation. We wouldn’t really love them if we didn’t teach the full gospel, which is a mixture of His love and a sound knowledge of His judgment.
In closing, let it be known, that people will disagree with the Christian doctrine for many reasons and will see the attempts of evangelism as encroaching on their human rights, and forcing our faith on them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone has a choice whether to accept Christ or to reject Him. No one has to force salvation on anyone. Jesus himself didn’t do it, so who are we His children to do so. However, what He did while on earth was speak the truth, and many people, both from the religious sect and the regular people, hated Him for that. The Bible admonished to teach the truth in love and that Christians can do so by their actions, and helping those in times of need, literally and not just to preach against their sins. However, while we want to help people, we must tell them the truth in love. Find ways to speak to people without engaging in a confrontation with them because the gospel is already offensive in its message declaring that we are all sinners. Hence, we must approach them in love with the truth and nothing but the whole truth. God loves homosexuals and so should we, but they, like every other sinner must be told the truth. Compromising truth is not an option for the believer.