Greetings
If you have not met gay and lesbian folks I suggest you watch this video first .... (You can purchase the DVD here).
The Need for Missional Incarnational Understanding
In order to understand other cultures, other denominations, other people, other people groups, and/or other belief systems I believe we need to adopt the principles of Christ in what has been called a Missional Incarnational approach. What exactly does this mean? I describe this below in brief:
Missional: Christ had/has a purpose ... both to show us the way and to be the way (back to God). And He continues to be the way and continues to show us the way. In contrast, we are not the way ... neither as called out ministers nor as fellow believers (who the bible says are also ministers). Our mission is to show people to the way (who is Christ) and to help people as they follow the way. We do this as ambassadors for Christ (II Cor 5:20). But though we are Ambassadors for Christ we are not the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit). All of our intellect, our compassion, our inspired talk, and our conversation serve only as a runway and/or gracious space for the Spirit of Christ to do His work of convicting, leading, teaching, revealing, and guiding (John 14:26; 16:8;16:13). We are not the agent of change ... the Holy Spirit is the agent of change. Additionally, the Holy Spirit sets the agenda for change in ourselves and others. We don't always know the Holy Spirit's agenda but may become aware of that agenda if we seek to be in step with the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:25-26)
Incarnational: Incarnation in this usage means to become part of a culture or people group ... understanding and relating to them using, as much as possible, their own unique cultural understandings and communication forms. When Jesus came to earth ... He came as one who is fully God and fully human.... God incarnate. In this way He could walk among the human beings of that day... speaking with illustrations that they understood in their time frame, using language in their context, and taking their current understanding of God and stretching and directing (and at times redirecting) it to deeper truths. As believers we are called to be like Jesus, thus ... we are called to be incarnational to the individuals or people groups we interact with and to those God calls us to . However, unlike Jesus, we cannot become another culture and/or another people group. We have limitations. We can seek to be imitators of Jesus Christ. We can imitate the Jesuits early incarnational efforts (link and link) and/or the efforts of the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). However, we can not be incarnate in the same way as Jesus was /is. Therefore, as we continue to relate to others around us we can fully expect to better understand them and adjust our ideology and approach while remaining true to Christ. This is the ongoing challenge we have. I have found the Dialog Decalogue to be helpful in this. It was originally put together to help guide ecumenical conversations. It involves listening to actually hear what the other person is saying ... not listening for the sole purpose of challenging the other person's ideals.
It is through carefully and prayerfully combining the above principles that we are better able to relate to others and relay the message of Christ. One caution here ... Jesus related to others because He genuinely loved them. Thus we need to ensure that the love of Christ directs us and not a desire to fix or change people. It is our job to love. Its God's job to change hearts and minds which ...more often than not ...may be our own hearts and minds. We will likely learn as much or more when we do this. In keeping with learning and with understanding lgbt folks and Christian terminology please see the section below.....
Missional: Christ had/has a purpose ... both to show us the way and to be the way (back to God). And He continues to be the way and continues to show us the way. In contrast, we are not the way ... neither as called out ministers nor as fellow believers (who the bible says are also ministers). Our mission is to show people to the way (who is Christ) and to help people as they follow the way. We do this as ambassadors for Christ (II Cor 5:20). But though we are Ambassadors for Christ we are not the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit). All of our intellect, our compassion, our inspired talk, and our conversation serve only as a runway and/or gracious space for the Spirit of Christ to do His work of convicting, leading, teaching, revealing, and guiding (John 14:26; 16:8;16:13). We are not the agent of change ... the Holy Spirit is the agent of change. Additionally, the Holy Spirit sets the agenda for change in ourselves and others. We don't always know the Holy Spirit's agenda but may become aware of that agenda if we seek to be in step with the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:25-26)
Incarnational: Incarnation in this usage means to become part of a culture or people group ... understanding and relating to them using, as much as possible, their own unique cultural understandings and communication forms. When Jesus came to earth ... He came as one who is fully God and fully human.... God incarnate. In this way He could walk among the human beings of that day... speaking with illustrations that they understood in their time frame, using language in their context, and taking their current understanding of God and stretching and directing (and at times redirecting) it to deeper truths. As believers we are called to be like Jesus, thus ... we are called to be incarnational to the individuals or people groups we interact with and to those God calls us to . However, unlike Jesus, we cannot become another culture and/or another people group. We have limitations. We can seek to be imitators of Jesus Christ. We can imitate the Jesuits early incarnational efforts (link and link) and/or the efforts of the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). However, we can not be incarnate in the same way as Jesus was /is. Therefore, as we continue to relate to others around us we can fully expect to better understand them and adjust our ideology and approach while remaining true to Christ. This is the ongoing challenge we have. I have found the Dialog Decalogue to be helpful in this. It was originally put together to help guide ecumenical conversations. It involves listening to actually hear what the other person is saying ... not listening for the sole purpose of challenging the other person's ideals.
It is through carefully and prayerfully combining the above principles that we are better able to relate to others and relay the message of Christ. One caution here ... Jesus related to others because He genuinely loved them. Thus we need to ensure that the love of Christ directs us and not a desire to fix or change people. It is our job to love. Its God's job to change hearts and minds which ...more often than not ...may be our own hearts and minds. We will likely learn as much or more when we do this. In keeping with learning and with understanding lgbt folks and Christian terminology please see the section below.....
In order to speak a common language we need to define some terms:
Straight: someone who is attracted to the opposite sex ... this attraction is psychological, emotional, relational and sexual. It does not describe whether someone is monogamous, adulterous, celibate, lustful, or has one night stands. It does not determine whether one is a Christian or not.
Gay: someone who is attracted to the same sex ... this attraction is psychological, emotional, relational and sexual. It does not describe whether someone is monogamous, adulterous, celibate, lustful, or has one night stands. It does not determine whether one is a Christian or not.
Bisexual: someone who finds themselves attracted to either gender in varying degrees ... this attraction is psychological, emotional, relational and sexual. It does not describe whether someone is monogamous, adulterous, celibate, lustful, or has one night stands. It does not determine whether one is a Christian or not.
Transgender: someone whose internal sense of gender does not line up with the sexual characteristics of their physical body. It does not describe whether someone is monogamous, adulterous, celibate, lustful, or has one night stands. It does not determine whether one is a Christian or not. For more information see this site.
LGBT: acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,. This is preferred over the term "homosexual".
Orientation change ministry: A ministry whose ideology is that same sex attractions (as they call them) are unnatural and must be changed to opposite sex attractions. They often include the ideology that a person should not describe themselves as gay. This ideology typically looks at orientation change success as a proof of faith and holiness and a lack of orientation change success as a failure to pray hard enough or try hard enough or go deep enough. This ideology often produces shame in the individual similar to what happened in the past when people were shamed for being left handed. I disagree strongly with this shaming ideology. This ideology may be coupled with a false gospel that claims a person's salvation is dependent on how they describe themselves and/or how they manage their internal feelings. While I support the right of any individual to identify as they wish and even seek or explore orientation change ... I do not see a moral imperative here that would tie that choice into salvation or holiness. I consider this concept ...when projected to others as a 'must have' for salvation to be heresy . I sound this sharp warning because I am very concerned when any ideology falsely takes someone away from the safe harbor they have in Christ. Clarification: There are some professional, APA approved, identity therapies that de-empathize using an lgbt label such as SITF. This is different than tying that ideology to a person's salvation. Also note that professional organizations reject orientation change methods. (see link)
Sin: sin is by definition ...missing the mark ... acting outside of God's will. However ... Wesleyans have a rather unique view of sin in terms of culpability (blameworthiness or accountability). While some believe that all people sin in thought, word, and deed daily, Wesleyan theology does not look at this type of sin the same way. We believe that sin is a willful violation of a known law of God. While God, of course, is the absolute standard for being holy and sin-free, we believe that God, in His grace, judges us based on what we know ... not on what we don't know. I cover this extensively under my About Me pages ... here is the specific link. I would also refer you to this site to understand this unique concept. This concept is a crucial part of holiness / Christian perfection theological beliefs. I fully embrace this concept as foundational to Nazarene beliefs. I believe it is true no matter where it is applied ... Old Testament ...New Testament ... Church history ... individual journey. It either works everywhere or it works nowhere. This understanding of sin moves judgment out of our hands and into God's hands which is where it belongs. The Lord alone knows the heart ... The Lord alone knows who are His. This is also a critical concept to have when one enters the world of diverse Christian (and non-Christian) viewpoints.
Grace: God's unmerited favor that He shows to all human beings. It is God's blessings to the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45) It is God's kindness, tolerance, and patience to all human beings (Romans 2:4). We are directed to God by His grace (and the work of his Holy Spirit). Once we are part of God's family God's grace continues to direct us and cover us when we fall short of His expectations.
Salvation: this happens when a person responds in a positive way to God's pulling them toward Himself to the point where they become part of God's family (John 1:12-13). It is a response of the heart to the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit). Churches have different ways to describe this with many adding repentance to this experience along with a knowledge of the trinity and so forth. However ... salvation ... in its core form ... is not an intellectual event born from intellectual knowledge but is a spiritual one born from our heart's response to the Spirit of God. When we do respond in a positive accepting way ... God makes a spiritual change in our hearts making us a part of His family. (See also this link)
Follower of Christ: one begins to become a follower of Christ when they respond to God's Holy Spirit (see salvation ... above). One continues to be a follower of Christ as they continue to submit to Christ and consequently gain more knowledge of who God is and what God wants. This is a life long process that happens in the safety of Christ's embrace of mercy and love.
Church: The word translated as "church" is the Greek word: ekklēsia. Ekklēsia means "called out ones"... a gathering of people called out from their homes to a place or assembly (see also this page). For Christians it can mean any place where followers of Christ are gathered. It can also mean the entire assembly of believes including those who have died as believers ... Christ's called out ones ... all being part of Christ's body .... the church. This includes the church of A.D. 33 all the way to the present. Despite differences in denominational beliefs and practices we are ultimately one church ... one body ... with Christ as the head (Galatians 3:26-28, I Corinthians 12:12-27)
Denominational Disclaimer
The thoughts, ideologies, interpretations, and beliefs expressed on this website are my own.
I believe that what I have written on this website is within the boundaries of the theology and beliefs of my denomination. However, homosexuality is a very complex topic with varied viewpoints. Since this is the case, it should be understood that the views expressed by myself and other Christians on this website and in our blog and / or forums (if we have them) may not necessarily reflect the official position of my / their respective denominations. Additionally, when / if I reference various web resources it should not be assumed to be an endorsement of the entirety of that resource.
The thoughts, ideologies, interpretations, and beliefs expressed on this website are my own.
I believe that what I have written on this website is within the boundaries of the theology and beliefs of my denomination. However, homosexuality is a very complex topic with varied viewpoints. Since this is the case, it should be understood that the views expressed by myself and other Christians on this website and in our blog and / or forums (if we have them) may not necessarily reflect the official position of my / their respective denominations. Additionally, when / if I reference various web resources it should not be assumed to be an endorsement of the entirety of that resource.
