Homosexuals Have Been

Persecuted

The facts are undeniable. Some homosexuals have been treated shamefully - not necessarily by the church. Society at large has been pretty tough. Homosexuals have been mocked, physically hurt (and sometimes, killed) and rejected. “Gay-bashing” has been seen as fun by some. Sometimes it has been by the church. Churches have rejected homosexuals. Christian families have rejected their own sons and daughters. Homosexuals have felt they have not been welcome and have been told they have not been welcome. Where that is true, the proper response is repentance. Homosexual acts are sinful but that simply raises the the question of how Christians should treat sinners. It is hard to justify turning sinners away from the church, where they should be most welcome. It is hard to imagine Jesus mocking sinners mercilessly. On the contrary, He was known as the friend of sinners. One has to wonder what would justify physically hurting people, even if they are sinners. A huge amount of harm has been done. Homosexuals themselves have been left traumatised and rejected, and have been driven away from faith in Jesus. The church has been perceived as being hateful rather than loving and its message has been rejected. Some Christians have become advocates for homosexuality not for biblical or theological reasons but compassionate reasons. They have seen the amount of damage done and have felt compelled to stand alongside those suffering injustice. Where the church has been wrong, it needs to acknowledge that. I do not want to diminish that by qualifying it. Nevertheless, please do note that merely disagreeing is not hating. Please read the page on homophobia and hate-speech. Please also note that compassion for the suffering does not have to lead to a complete reversal in one’s understanding. Caring for those who have been treated badly does not require us to change our understanding of sin or to reject the scriptural teaching. The other option is speaking the truth in love, which is our next topic.

Speaking the truth in love Homophobia and hate-speech Additional resources Homosexuality and the Church Leadership Crisis, by Bill Henson This article looks at how the church can have a mission to homosexuals but starts by looking at the history of “systemic victimisation”.