HOMOSEX AND THE CHRISTIAN

The Making, and Breaking, of Homosexuality

Miles J. Stanford

"IN THE VERY ACT"

Before entering into the prevention and breaking of homosex, we might share a few brief thoughts about dealing with that which already exists. As an example, consider the possibility of Christian parents suddenly discovering that their teenage daughter is sexually involved with a girlfriend.

Quite understandably, the first natural reaction of the parents is broken-hearted outrage, with the determination to put an immediate stop to it in no uncertain terms. But hold! Before a word is said, or any action taken, there are several things to be prayerfully considered.

Now, as never before, the daughter must receive loving help and understanding from her parents--not necessarily because she deserves it, but because she desperately needs it. Then too, this particular type of sin is most often due to parental failure in the matter of the daughter's early development.

Further, the initial outrage on the part of the parents is all too often due, not to the daughter's tragic plight, but rather to what she might do to the parents' reputation and standing. Therefore, Dad, no hurling of stones!

Actually, all three are in this tight corner together. The whole thing may be an isolated incident of experimentation on the daughter's part. Her "friend" may be a lesbian who has seduced her. It may be a brief "love affair" much like that of the two nurses heretofore related. Sad to say, she may be a full-fledged lesbian "in her own wrong."

None of these possibilities is excusable, but regardless of who is at fault the three must come out of it together. The responsibility of the parents is to be uncompromisingly firm, while speaking and living the truth in love and patience.

If the daughter should spurn all help, and deliberately continue to wallow in her sin, it becomes a matter of parental never-give-up love and intercession. The prodigal son principle may also he considered: "No man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said,...I will arise and go to my father" (Luke 15:16-18).

MUSICAL MIASMA -- One of the church's most effective means of ministry through the years has been music. And yet that same medium, in just the past decade, has contributed as much as any one thing to the crippling of the Christian home and church.

Bach, Handel and Watts are being superseded by the superstars; the stately and spiritual hymns of the organ and piano are smothered by the raucous racket of the amplified guitar and so-called "gospel rock music." Rock and roll, the source of this sound, is the malignant carrier of the plague of drink, drugs, and degenerate sex. The present day dregs of it all reveal many rock leaders proudly and publicly proclaiming their personal perversion homosex.

Here we have another powerful influence for homosex attitudes. The music ministry and the young people of the churches have been the main means of access for this pandemonium, ineptly abetted by the unscriptural tolerance of parents and pastor. True to type and purpose, it is contributing to our delinquency of femininity in men and masculinity in women; while from all appearances the gender of most of the young people is anybody's guess! (How good it is to be able to look into the face of an unmistakable man, a sure enough woman!)

It is going to take spiritual men, women, and young people to counter the present homosex attitudes within the Christian home and church. It is going to require a firm and clear-cut scriptural stand for the church to protect itself from actual homosexual encroachment. And those who have been influenced by the influence are in no position to proscribe the remedy.

FACT FINDING -- The following is a composite situation by way of illustration. An evangelical pastor is approached by a young woman who wishes to join the church. In the course of the conversation she casually and candidly informs him that she is a "non-practicing homosexual." What is to be the pastor's response to this startling revelation; as a servant of God, a minister of the Word of God, and a shepherd of the flock of God? Certainly his decision must be carried out according to the facts of the case and the truth of the Word.

The contradictory term "non-practicing homosexual" is widely used today, especially among Christians who have never practiced, or who no longer practice their inner homosexual condition. But in the true sense of the word, even one who is non-practicing is a homosexual still.

What are some of the possible facts as to this prospective candidate for church membership? First and foremost, she may not be a homosexual at all. There are many Christians who have thoughts of homosex from time to time, and consequently consider themselves to be so. They are non-practicing in the sense that they never have and most likely never will become actually involved in the sin.

However, she may have been seduced, or have yielded in an isolated incident; but having learned her lesson and returned to fellowship with the Lord, she certainly cannot be considered a lesbian. A single sexual occurrence can produce a fornicator or an adulterer, but not necessarily a homosexual.

She may be an actual lesbian who is sincerely seeking to maintain a non-practicing status. She may believe, as so many do, "Once a homo, always a homo," and other such folklore. But if her current abstinence, no matter how altruistic, is based upon anything less than sound doctrinal deliverance (see below), she will prove to be a very poor risk.

Conversely (perversely), as in most cases she may not want to be delivered from her self-centered sin, while seeking to utilize her non-practicing category simply to further her sinful ends.

She might be from a local Metropolitan Community Church or homophile organization, seeking to penetrate more and scriptural defenses and thereby gain homosex acceptance in an evangelical church.

Possibly she is a lying, long-time lesbian who has no intention whatsoever of being true to her non-practicing profession.

Predominantly, what the homosexual, non-practicing or otherwise, is after is evangelical acceptance. The Christian homosexual, with very few exceptions, resists change, cure, or deliverance, but rather is bent upon reversing scriptural Christian convictions concerning homosex.

If the evangelical church accepts the homosexual on a non-practicing basis, will the practicing be far behind? Not far, not far. But the Word of God bans both! For the practicing homosexual in the Old Testament, it was death; for both the practicing and non-practicing homosexual in the New Testament, it is deliverance--and never détente. For the Christian, for the church, there is to be no acceptance of nor compromise with homosex in any form or phase. The standard of Scripture for homosex is not just "non," but "ex"!

TOTAL TRUTH! -- Paul never settled for anything less than "ex": "Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind...shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (I Corinthians 6:9-11).

"Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil desire" (Colossians 3:5). For Paul it was not mollify, but mortify; not control, but crucifixion; not just liberation from practice, but deliverance from principle! Old Testament (law) deliverance from homosex was via the penalty of death. New Testament (grace) deliverance from homosex is via the position of death. More of this latter later.

The Christian is an authentic nonconformist. He is not an isolationist, trying to escape life, but is deeply involved in it. However, a distinction between involvement and identification is necessary.

Some say the only way to present Christianity is to "identify" with people--do, read, see, and say everything they do. But you save a drowning person, not by identifying with him, but by becoming involved with him.

You do not thrash around in the water to assure him that you are a better swimmer than he, and you do not go under several times to convince him that you understand his problem and accept him as he is. No; you understand the danger, and your only thought is to get him out!

It will pay us to reverse the above prospective member-pastor encounter. In this second illustration the evangelical pastor discovers that a young woman member of the church is unquestionably taking part in a lesbian alliance. In dealing with this individual the shepherd has two basic factors in mind. While "speaking the truth in love," his heart burden is for the full deliverance of the black sheep, and the faithful defense of the flock. His working standard is no less than that of the Scriptures.

But first let us observe some of the possible reactions of this young woman upon being found out. She may simply attempt to deny everything (a common ploy); but the pastor has the facts, the truth.

She might casually admit all and leave, never to return.

Possibly she will insist that her lesbian liberty is based upon "love," and as long as it is a "private matter between two consenting adults with no harm to others," she should be allowed to exercise her "freedom." She might possibly parrot that "Jesus has liberated her for her God-given Christian life-style."

On the other hand she may be convicted of her sin and promise God and the pastor to be henceforth a non-practicing homosexual.

But the Word of God insists upon deliverance from the condition, not just the consequences, of homosex. If this lesbian should adamantly refuse deliverance from her abominable sin, it would be best, not only for her sake but for the protection of those in the church, that her membership be suspended and her attendance terminated until such time as she is willing to he freed. "If any man (woman), obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother" (II Thessalonians 3:14,15).

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(Materials by Miles J. Stanford are republished here under exclusive permission from the author.)