All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
Homosexual Seekers: How Should The Church Respond?
Hypothetical: You're a volunteer that welcomes new people to your church, which is missionally-minded, evangelical, and holds to the traditional beliefs of historical biblical Christianity. An explorer of Christianity, who is gay, inquires about their exploration of Christ and wants to keep coming back to learn more but wonders if the church will accept them given their lifestyle. Do you?
1) Let them know in no uncertain terms that homosexuality is wrong and sinful. They are welcome to seek out Christianity but better be prepared to change.
2) Indicate that the church welcomes and accepts seekers from all walks of life. After all, Jesus said come as you are. But you make it clear where the church stands on Christianity.
3) Encourage them to keep coming and inquiring, letting them know that they will be loved regardless. While the church does not approve of a homosexual lifestyle, you keep that under wraps and just pray that they will be found in Christ and that Christ will change their hearts.
4) Send them to the pastor or elders.
5) Tell them to leave, to not return, and to explore Christianity elsewhere.
Would your answer change if the person indicates they are a homosexual Christian looking for a new place to worship?
Please stay on topic and provide scriptural references to support your reasoning. Thank you.
Views: 1295
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Grazer #E2H on
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Yet God has not seen it fit for him to change 99.99% of peoples orientation (I would say 100% but there's always that one who will claim) despite years of prayers, believing, asking, begging......actions speak louder than words. He can but he chooses not to so those verses do nothing to disprove my point or Alan Chambers claims.
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Permalink Reply by ribbon on
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How can one man get a total like that? And even if a million men get this same total... Is God a liar? Do you really think God lies?
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I understand struggling with sin.... but isn't there hope? Must we give in to our own thinking? Doesnt the bible say there is always a way out? Please forgive me Grazer... I am in no way trying to preach to you and I am not being hateful. I feel as strongly as you do about this subject... except it seems our views on this are far different in veiw quite opposite. There are many people who have homosexual desires who just do not want to have them . Men like the one you mention.... is he going to cause these men and women to lose hope? Isnt he the one who gave in and wanted everyone not to listen to anything he ever said about being able to leave a sinful lifestyle? I am just curious...
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Blankk, I don't feel hate from you, we are on very different sides of the discussion though. I'm very limited to what I can say openly here because of the statement of faith and terms of the site (this is one of the subjects that prompts comments of whether I'm in the right place) so it may be best we continue our discussion off site. If you would like to, please PM me
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He's referring to his organization which was the largest of its kind in the world, and being the head of it he would have numbers. Note he says "did not" he didn't say "cannot"
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Permalink Reply by Seek on
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And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted. II Corinthians 12:7
God saw fit not to take away Paul's thorn as well, but He had His reasons for it. That doesn't mean He didn't tell Paul to resist it.
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Resisting is a different subject though Seek, we're talking about God changing someones sexual orientation. Orientation and behavior are 2 different things. I agree the former does not justify the latter but that's not what we're talking about (at least I'm not anyway)
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That's exactly what it sounds like you're talking about. What I get from you is that we should tell them that it's not a sin to be homosexual AND even to act on it cause they're born that way, and that homosexuality isn't considered a sin. If that's not what you're saying, you'll need to clarify.
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I hold those views yes (majority of the time, I do go back and forth occasionally) but I'm not bringing them here because I'm not allowed to. I'm merely discussing/interested in the discussion of God changing (or not which is my point) someones sexual orientation.
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Ok to that, just like I said about Paul's thorn. God sometimes does NOT choose to change something for a reason only He may ever know. We only know in part now, but then we will know fully and understand it. But there are some reasons He chooses not to change something. Sometimes it is to see if we'll remain faithful even still, at others, He's busy changing other things. Or perhaps He knows that by us fighting the urge, we grow more. Only He knows.
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Perhaps it's not the gay community that God is trying to teach a lesson to
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