The Sin of Sodom and the Church today
"Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom..."
Notably absent from this list is what most people (I assume) think of when they hear the name "Sodom": homosexuality. Instead, this passage talks about root heart issues, which can (and do) result in all kinds of evil and destructive behavior // In the church today, and for many years now, there has been the strong tendency to judge and condemn homosexuality and even homosexuals above other sins and sinners, in some cases even winking at other forms of sexual sin (especially committed by men in secret). They have held themselves up as righteous and spiritual, while condemning the poor and needy. I think the cases where supposed spiritual leaders have acted in this way is "more abominable" than homosexuality. // (To clarify where I am coming from, I do not condone the practice of homosexuality, just as I do not condone the practice of other forms of other destructive behaviors (also known as "sin"). I also do not judge or condemn those caught in the grip of homosexuality, any more or less than any other bondage people experience in this fallen world. I believe that, while whether or not to act on homosexual feelings is a choice -- just like walking out heterosexual feelings is a choice -- people generally do not just decide to become a homosexual. We all need to learn to take responsibility for our own lives and actions and responses, and yet we have all been brought up from birth in a culture of lies and death ("Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me". - Psalms 51:5). Each person's struggle is a little bit different, yet we are all going through it. The question is, will we embrace the self-centeredness, lies, and death, or will we move on to the love, life and truth that God, by His grace, reveals to every person (Rom.1:18-21)? // We need to humble ourselves, recognize our own desperate wickedness of heart, and reach out to those who need help -- the hurting, the fatherless (homosexual men have typically grown up with an emotionally unavailable father), the poor and the needy. If we don't, then we are worse than the people we judge. In reality, we have no basis for judgment, because we do the same (sorts of) things (see Rom.2:1, and the verses leading up to it: 1:26-32). // I would love to hear comments on what I've written here. Since YouVersion doesn't have the ability to comment on comments yet, you can email me at jthun3@gmail.com.
Created over 3 years ago
