How do Christian churches justify performing same-sex marriages/blessings? (Tanakh, crucified, Epistles)
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I'll have to read up on him. Only recently did I hear of him--a televangelist, I think? Anyway, he was interviewed on Barbara Walters's special on heaven a few weeks ago.
The church of Christ falling into cultural relevantism. The cultural sway in America, indeed, just about all over the world, is to embrace homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle because homosexuality is simply a third 'sex' and not a perversion of the created order of God. About the only countries that still see homosexuality as an abomination are those that are Muslim. They are truer to the word of God on this subject than even the Christian church is, and what a sad thing that is. But cultural relevantism is responsible for far more that embracing homosexual unions. It's the force behind women in the pastorate which is a result of women taking the spiritual leadership from men (though to be honest, I believe most men willingly surrender that to their wives), the dropping of the full Gospel which includes the bad news for the penalty of sin calling sin a 'mistake' rather than rebellion and disobedience, and many others. It has gotten so bad, that pastors who call homosexuality a sin and preach against it can be arrested for 'hate crimes' even if they are loving to the person. Church discipline has gone by the wayside because we want to 'love them to repentance' (I've actually heard that from some friends of mine) or simply because the church can be sued.
For whatever reason churches marry homosexual couples, or 'bless' their unions, it flies in the face of the clear teaching of Scripture. I can only guess that they simply ignore those Scriptures, I can see in my head their redacted bibles with black marker over those passages so that it's not part of their bibles anymore. It's the teaching that 'God is love' with the neglect to the clear teaching that God is also Righteous/Just, that he is a God of Wrath and indignation, that he is a God that Judges punishes sin and will send people to eternal damnation because of it is a sickening disease that is rotting the very foundation of Christ's church. The church does an injustice to embrace homosexuality in the name of cultural relevantism.
Am I saying that we are to hate homosexuals? Absolutely not! We are to love them, give them the gospel, teach them what the Scriptures have to say about their sin. But we are not to give them any kind of notion that their sin is in anyway acceptable, which is what 'blessing' them is doing, and that's just the 'soft' acceptance. Marrying homosexuals is just like 'giving hearty approval' to their sin. Should we kick them out of church, then, as some bodies are apt to do? What!? The very people that need to hear the Gospel, the whole Gospel, are those that are still in their sin! But neither should we allow them any kind of ministry inside the church, and definitely ministry behind the pulpit!
Of course, these are the thoughts of a conservative elder/pastor who believes that the Scriptures are as culturally relevant today as they were 2000 years ago (or even 6000 years ago) and are 'profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: so that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.' (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
The answer is they can not according to God Our Holy Father,
because they are like the ones talked about in the bible
and have many warnings given about them ! ! !
2Cor:11:13: For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14: And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15: Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed
as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Mt:7:21: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have
cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23: And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
2Tm:3:1: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3: Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent,
fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4: Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Rom:1:24: Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through
the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and
served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26: For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections:
for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another;men with men working
that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence
of their error which was meet.
28: And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things
which are not convenient;
29: Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate,
deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30: Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31: Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection,
implacable, unmerciful:
32: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same,
but have pleasure in them that do them.
This kind of Unholyness is what they have done (same-sex marriages)
.
.
Most people today do not care what the Holy Word Of God says ! ! !
They just look for churches and preachers
who will tell them what they want to hear, having itching ears;
and they do not want what The Lord has to say ! ! ! ...
2Tm:4:2: Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4: And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
My SIL's church has a lesbian 'pastor'. They do lots of 'good works' feeding the poor, supporting foreign missions, etc. She is very active with them and loves to send us emails about how 'Christian' they are.
I noticed that much of the book of Proverbs are really great one-liners. So a while back I began posting on Facebook, one verse from Proverbs each day. Some days I had to do 2 or 3 verses to get an intact idea. I went through Proverbs 1:1 to 31:30, just one post each day.
I few times my SIL would respond with questions about why I was being so hateful.
A few times she was very offended by those verses.
Each time I simply reminded her that all I was doing was going through Proverbs beginning to end.
It is interesting how some 'churches' today find the Bible so foreign to their teachings.
Some might argue that condoning is exactly what God does (those who believe it's a person's faith and professing of that faith that saves them, and not their behavior). That's why the questions I asked are so important. I'm not trying to argue which is the most correct outlook, just explaining why a Christian church might consider it "okay" to perform same-sex marriages/blessings.
They would be wrong. Jesus had to die for our sins. God does not condone sin. He hates it.
It seems to be the case that there are gradually becoming more Liberal Churches performing s.s marriages or blessings.
For instance, the Episcopalian Church has started 'blessings'.
How do they reconcile this with the Bible and general Christian theology?
Some, seem to just do away with the OT and Paul sections, but how about with the more orthodox churches - how can this be?
Well, seeing as you do away with the laws in the Old Testament too, it would make you quite the hypocrite to use them on this issue. The Bible also says nothing about same-sex marriage. Perhaps you should learn the original meaning instead of blindly following an English translation.
You also might to research the history of the Church on this issue. This isn't new. The Church itself had an office of Same-sex unions of centuries.
For the Church to ignore the evidence in its own archives would be cowardly and deceptive. The evidence convincingly shows that what the modern church claims has always been its unchanging attitude towards homosexuality is, in fact, nothing of the sort.
It proves that for the last two millennia, in parish churches and cathedrals throughout Christendom, from Ireland to Istanbul and even in the heart of Rome itself, homosexual relationships were accepted as valid expressions of a God-given love and committment to another person
IMO - The general liberal morality that is being pushed these days seems to be the work of the Devil.
The Devil is just trying to gradually inch his way in , bit by bit - and already several churches seem to have succumbed.
And Jesus himself condemned religious conservatives, not liberals. Conservatives are who are driving people away from God, not liberals.
If I weren't already a believer and read the the Conservatives responses on this thread, I'd turn away from any thought of having anything to do with Christianity due to the profound ignorance and hate demonstrated in Conservative posts.
well, perhaps a 'liberal Christian' will come along and give their explanation?
That would be interesting.
As a liberal Messianic Jew, my response would be you like most Conservatives do not understand the famous "anti-gay" verses of the Bible. You cherry pick and pull them out of context, and just blindly assume the English translation you are reading is in fact their word for word original meaning. They are not.
That's just retarded. Churches that have accepted gay people into their parishes always lose members who walk away. You don't get "more membership" by accepting gay people, you get fewer.
You get fewer religious extremists/conservatives, who don't follow Jesus anyway.
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