In recent weeks two of my favourite female singers have separately "come out" revealing that they are lesbians.Jennifer Knapp was previously marketed as a Christian singer, but it seems her latest album will be marketed differently.
A little more recently country singer Chely Wright has also revealed her homosexuality in her autobiography released early in May. My review of her book can be found here:
Book review of Like Me by Chely Wright
I specifically wanted to write a response to Chely Wright's book because of her constant references to God and her relationship with Him.
Her confession has caused me to consider Christian attitudes to those who are homosexual.
It is easy to condemn homosexuals with scripture as a weapon – and become extremists like the “God hates fags” brigade who wouldn’t recognise God if He hit them over the head with their own bigotry.
Or it would also be easy to be accepting and forgiving, promoting a God of unconditional love who will forgive everything because sin doesn’t really matter that much to Him.
I can’t see that either of these approaches is acceptable.
But what do I make of Chely Wright’s situation in which she claimed to have asked God daily to be delivered of her homosexuality? In that case is it her fault for being how she is? Or is it God’s for not answering her prayer?
Or possibly, maybe, the prayer was unanswered because she was praying to the wrong God – a God of man’s creation. A God based on man’s tradition and cultural conditioning instead of the One true God who hates all sin but mercifully provided mankind a way of deliverance from sin and its penalty – a way that is conditional.
3 comments:
I've heard people say this before, that they prayed but God didn't take it away so they gave into it. Compare that to a man who lusts after women and has thoughts of adultery. He asks God to "take it away." When he still has those feelings, is he justified in having an affair? When we know something is sin, we don't need special revelation from God. We have to hate the sin, repent, get as far away from it as possible and God will deliver us from it. He is faithful. He saves us from sin today not just eternally.
I just really believe these are signs of the times. God says in the last days that men would be lovers of themselves and that is the true expression of homosexuality.
I too do not find either of the two options mentioned acceptable...or Biblical. I am always reminded of I Cor. 6:11,
"And such were some of you: BUT ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
Jesus didn't die for every sin but homosexuality. :-) He died for all of our sins. His word promises that there is deliverance from homosexuality, and I believe Him.
Forgiveness of sin we receive in Christ, but if we want to get the victory over sin in our lives, we must pick up our cross and follow Him. We must crucify that old man and render it dead. This is more than a mindset, it also means not feeding that old man and denying him.
Everyone has sins that plague them; desires that do not line up with the heart of God. I can empathize with crying out to the Lord repeatedly to be set free or strengthened in an area. Yet, no matter whether this is a quick work or not, I won't assume God has failed me and give into my sin. If I die with it, I will die fighting against it. I will not rest until my heart becomes His heart.
We cannot give into the flesh just because we don't receive answers in the timeframe we expect. Doing such means we have to accept that the God of Scriptures is a liar and we begin to fashion our own idol god after our own image.
By the way, is it your birthday? Happy Birthday! :-)
Thank you for your comments.
First we need to know the God to whom we are praying. When we know Him we know His nature and we know what is acceptable to Him.
No matter what struggle we may face with sin, there will be no deliverance if we can see that the sin is somehow acceptable.
And if we understand God's view we could NEVER come to the conclusion that God created us to be slaves of that sin.
Yes LDM it was my birthday and thank you for the birthday greeting.
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