Stan Mitchell's Church Gay Inclusive?

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Aquila

I've become friends with some rather interesting Quaker folks. I like Quakers. They give me a lot of food for thought. These people are deeply spiritual, non-legalistic (to the extreme), and they live honest, peaceful, prayerful, and quiet lives. However, when discussing this issue once they had an interesting perspective that I believe has an element of truth to it.

They do not believe that sexuality, in any form in and of itself, is "sinful". They believe that what makes a given sex act sinful is what makes anything else sinful, the lack of love. Sexuality without love is inherently harmful, selfish, exploitive, degrading, self-abusive, coercive, and/or dehumanizing. From their perspective, all are loved and welcomed by God as they are through an infinite grace provided by Jesus Christ. The highest calling being love.

Thus what I've noticed is that for most "inclusive" churches the notion of what is sin and what isn't based on a given act or behavior. It is the heart's intention within the action.

The element of truth that I find in all of this is that this truly does essentially define "sin" at its core. Sin is that which is void of love for God and/or love for others. It is definitely anything that is inherently harmful, selfish, exploitive, degrading, self-abusive, coercive, and/or dehumanizing. The believer's highest calling is indeed love. Where I differ with them here is... I believe that some sexual behaviors, such as homosexuality (as I understand it), are inherently harmful, selfish, exploitive, degrading, self-abusive, coercive, and/or dehumanizing and that this is why God forbade them.

I do believe that anyone should be welcomed to come to Christ, regardless of the struggles with sin that they might face. Christ tends to clean one's life up significantly if one is dedicated to being conformed into the image and likeness of Jesus. Ultimately we, as individuals, will answer to God for our faith and our lives. I can only seek to listen and follow the Spirit's leading in my life and refrain from hating others based on how they feel God leading them. I don't hate anyone. But... I do not always agree with them.

But I will ask this. If one truly believes that their behavior isn't a sin, I ask that they deeply consider this and do some soul searching. Is their behavior/relationship harmful selfish, exploitive, degrading, self-abusive, coercive, and/or dehumanizing in any manner? I am not fully convinced that a homosexual can answer yes to this this question.

And if they can... perhaps they should consider being Quakers. lol

The view of your Quaker friends allows for God-approved sodomy as long as it is "done in love". And this is the logical conclusion to the belief that there is a dichotomy between the commandments of God on the one hand and loving God and your neighbor on the other.

In reality, the commandments of God (such as the proscription against "gay sex" found in Leviticus) explain HOW we are to love God and our neighbor. They show us what love looks like in action.

But when people put a supposed contrast between the commandments of God and "love", they actually destroy love. It becomes reduced to whatever we feel it is or ought to be. We become the Judge that determines right and wrong based on our personal opinions... as James warns in ch. 4 of his epistle.