Political Footballs

                                                         Political Footballs
Here we are in the midst of another election year with candidates squirming and scheming for every vote, as usual. This year, however, the proverbial football has to do with gay rights or civil unions or whatever else it may be termed. From the religious right comes a loud, distinct cry of hatred toward those involved in the gay community. The opposite side of the fence wants to legalize the gay movement to perpetuate and endorse their lifestyle. Seemingly, both sides lay claim to Biblical accuracy.
However, as a Christian minister, I simply cannot remain silent, for I see both sides taking Scriptures out of context in order to advance their agenda.
Isaiah 28:10 "For precept  must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little." KJV
Basically Isaiah is saying that no matter what the subject matter it must be in context. To take something out of it's context and place it arbitrarily in another is heresy.
It's like writing four different letters to four different people, then composing a letter, made up of quotes from the other four, and bringing it before a court of law proclaiming your standing. Of course what you said is true--to a point--the fifth letter, though quoted statements were true in their original context, yet when merged into one document it becomes false and misleading. So also is the current political football.
So, what does the Scripture really say about the topic at hand?
Romans 1:21-32 is the famous passage quoted by both the Christian and gay communities.
The Christian camp vehemently asserts that God hates those with same sex attractions, while the other camp defends their position with the same amount of tenacity.
Speaking strictly from a Scriptural perspective: God hates the sin but loves the sinner. I'll say it again: God hates the sin, but loves the sinner. This is most clearly made evident in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Again in Romans 5:8 "But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
God did not wait until we stopped sinning--NO! He saved us while we were still sinning, then began the lifelong transformation into the image of Christ.
One of my late Pastors used to say, "You can't clean a fish until you first catch it." How utterly true! At yet many Christians would have nothing to do with the gay community until they get "saved". How many of us got freed from sin before we got saved? It is this very point that those of the same sex persuasion will have little or nothing to do with Christians.

Throughout history there have been outcasts of one sort or another. Not too long ago a divorcee was considered the scourge of humanity and women everywhere would almost put their husbands in shackles to keep them from the evil divorced women. Churches even banned them. In Jesus' day the lepers were the social outcasts. They even had their own communities to "live" in and were prohibited from associating with the healthy. That is until Jesus came and actually touched them with his love and healed them. Why? Because he hated the disease, but loved the person. In those days leprosy was a type of sin, which only God could cure. Today, is not the same sex orientation as the scourge of leprosy and divorce?
I therefore pose this question to you; If only God can forgive sin--which of your sins do you NOT want God to forgive?