Alan Chambers recently wrote an apology to the LGBT community for the promises made then broken by the ministry he came to be the head of, Exodus International.
It it he stated,
"More than anything I am sorry that so many have interpreted this religious
rejection as God’s rejection” and also this, “I cannot apologize for my deeply
held biblical beliefs about the boundaries I see in Scripture surrounding sex,
but I will exercise my beliefs with great care and respect for those who do not
share them…My beliefs about these things will never again interfere with God’s
command to love my neighbor as I love myself.”
Clearly this is
a hot topic; many evangelicals do not even believe that a homosexual can be a
believer. However, when people remind me that homosexuality is an abomination I
like to remind them that lying is also an abomination, and it is mentioned not
once but twice in the passage below. Check it out:
Proverbs 6:16-19 says, “There are six things the Lord hates, indeed seven that are an abomination
to Him: A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and
underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a
heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in
running to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and
he who sows discord among his bretheren.”
In my humble
opinion it was brave of Mr. Chambers to make such a public apology.
This statement made
by Mr. Chambers represented his thoughts for both the organization that came to
be known as Exodus International and his personal feelings.
Exodus, in its
early years, promised homosexuals that they could be delivered from their
homosexual feelings and lifestyle. Like an illness you could be cured from,
there must be a formula for getting rid of this thing called “homosexuality”
and if you simply did x, y and then z you would be free.
The reality is
that there IS a type of formula that will rid us of our SIN which is what
homosexuality is, (Just another in the long list of sexual sins) and lying is,
and gluttony is, and a host of other things the human race is plagued with.
Simply put,
this “formula” is found in our repentance and in our acceptance of the
sacrifice made by Jesus Christ which atones for our sins.
Nothing but the
blood of Jesus as the old hymn says…
Man, however, constantly tries to find a
solution for our problem which only compounds our problem. I think that is what
many (but not all) who went to Exodus found. They were placing their hope in
men, when their hope, our hope, is found in nothing less than Jesus blood and His
righteousness.
What I LOVE
most about Mr. Chambers’ apology is that he remains unapologetic about his
position in Christ, and what he believes the Scriptures teach concerning sexual
purity, marriage, and same sex relationships while at the same time reaffirming
his commitment to love his fellow man as he knows he already loves himself.
Isn’t this the
message of Mark 12:30-31?
“{YOU} LOVE the
Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul and with all of
your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Paraphrase mine)
Jesus followed
it with these words:
“There is no other commandment greater than these.”
No other commandment
greater than these two?
Now, if we could just get these two right and
stop worrying about all the other STUFF we’d be doing all right. It is not
about being perfect in this life, because we will NEVER achieve that here; in
this world. We still inhabit bodies that
are constantly at war with us. (Those of us who have been renewed by the Spirit)
It is about
honoring Him with our lives, and telling HIS story and reaching toward the
prize that’s already been won for us.
It is about
believing He is Who He said He Is when NOTHING seems right, and LOVING one
another while we do.
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