Today I heard a pretty disheartening sermon. A pastor was broaching the topic of homosexuality - calling the church to apologize for how they've treated the GLBT community. For a moment I was hopeful that this pastor would defy the stereotype that embodies the Christian church. Unfortunately, he did not.

The sermon only further fueled alienation through words of arrogance, self-righteousness, and moral authority.The pastor encouraged folks to not hold members of the GLBT community in contempt for their lifestyle. Removing his plea from the context of his sermon, it seems a noteworthy and courageous message. However, in context his sermon was condescending and contradictory.  He stood before a crowd of followers and without doubt, professed homosexuality an absolute sinful way to live. With that underlying belief it is impossible to bridge the gap between these two communities... especially when using phrases such as, "...living a gay lifestyle".

The most frustrating thing about his sermon was not the pervasive and degrading message that homosexuality is wrong and a byproduct of brokenness and choice. But it was how that message was packaged - the way he framed it. Purposeful or not, it was deceitful.

The pastor used his position of spiritual authority to dictate his interpretation of right and wrong to an audience who, pardon my presumption, but after observing the patterns in history, will most likely not conduct any personal research to truly find what they believe.

The pastor mentioned one argument used to "defend" the gay lifestyle was by pointing out that the figure of Jesus was never quoted speaking against homosexuality. His rebuttal to that argument was Jesus never spoke about many things that we know are wrong.

What I'd really like to address with the pastor is how Jesus led his followers. When asked questions of moral absolutes, Jesus almost always responds with a question. He taught by providing a safe place where individuals could seek the truth for themselves!  So how, in good consciousness, can this pastor misuse Jesus words to influence and further his moral agenda? Just by claiming that homosexuality is absolutely wrong a foundation is created making it impossible to remove judgment and approach people with agenda free love.

I would like to believe in the goodwill of this pastor, however all hope was completely dispelled by the manner in which he ended his sermon. As the pastor introduced communion at the end of the service he told congregation members that if anyone would like prayer they may go to the back of the sanctuary where people wait for them.  "And if you choose to go for prayer", he said, "no one here will think your gay..." When he said the word "gay" he actually changed his tone and said it in the slang, school yard way used by kids as an insult. His mockery completely undermined everything he'd just said. Just by saying that word with such an inflection - in such an off the cuff way... it only reinforces the contempt he had just spoke against!

Needless to say, I was frustrated. Firstly, I was frustrated that the message that homosexuals are sinful individuals who live broken lifestyles was again perpetuated. It is astounding to me that people continue to believe this, considering no one has been able to provide any examples of the self-destructive fruits they claim manifests from the GLBT lifestyle. Time and again folks will tell you that its not God intended and its hurtful, but what happens when those individuals meet a member of the GLBT community who shatters that myth? What happens when they meet a homosexual who is not suffering, whose not hurting and filled with sorrow, but rather they are joyful, peaceful, and spirit-filled! 

Secondly, I was frustrated by the pastors lack of humility. He has been granted so much authority and to use it to propagate personal beliefs surrounding such a difficult issue - especially one that interferes with the well-being and freedom of so many human lives...  it is careless and disappointing.

Lastly, the pastors slip at the end of the sermon and his inflection saying the word "gay" further illustrated that unless you believe homosexuals are no different and are created in the same spirit of love and rightness as heterosexuals then its impossible to truly  approach them without some degree of contempt, much less the love like that that Jesus exemplified.

As I poured out my frustrations to my close friend, he listened quietly and then responded with one loving sentence, "I am sorry to hear that." It was then I realized I'd allowed my frustration and anger to control me for a few hours. I allowed those false feelings to hide my disappointment. I am thankful for this friend, who in one sentence, his first response, was that of compassion. He brought me to the only response that can heal our society - sorrow, compassion, and love. 

I have a wonderful, joyful life and I am content in who and what I am. Silly me for giving control over to the only real self-destructive act, anger. I do hope that each person will discover the one-ness that makes us all - straight, gay, black, white, male, female, Muslim, Jew, or Taoist - brothers and sisters of the same family. 

-bobs