another question

==================================================================== Can one ne a GBLT Christian?

I should begin by explaining my motive, which many people question. You could rightly question my motive when I study God's word and His plan. I tell you truly that I submit all that I read to the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit teaches me in my humility. This you cannot know, cannot verify, except by getting to know me. I am walking in the grace of God Who made me what I am. But , to answer the question, my motive is simply to know God more. I think of Steve Green's song, "I Want to Know You More". He sings, Oh, I want to know you more, Deep within my sould I want to know You, Oh, I want to know You. To feel your heart and know Your mind, Deep within my soul I want to know You, Oh, I want to know you more. and that speaks to the heart of my motive, plainly and truly. I do not seek to twist God's Word; that has never been my way. I most certainly will not start now.

Many people start by mentioning Sodom and Gomorrah, which is a clbuttically held Scripture used most frequently to "prove" how God hates homoloveuality. It is a pbuttage that I contend is most often misunderstood. But I will let the Bible interpret itself. It is written in Ezekiel 16:49,50:

Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. and they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. T

he question I know you will ask is, "What is this about abomination?" Indeed, what is it? Let's look at the account of Sodom again:

The word rendered here as "abomination" comes from tow'ebah (in Strong's, it's # 8441), and is said in Strong's to mean "idolatry" or "idolaters". In the Hebrew it is very clear that it does not mean "homoloveuality".

In Luke 10:3-12, Jesus talks to his disciples about what to do if they are not greeted with hospitality, and tells what the consequence will be for such towns. In verse 12, Christ says, "But I say unto you, that it shall b more tolerable merciful in that day for Sodom, than for that city." He said this after a full missive on inhospitality, so we must take verse 12 in that context.

As I recollect conversations I have had with so many people, I recall looking at the story of Sodom and Gomorrah with them, and that many looked particularly at Genesis 19:4-5, which reads: But before they the men in the house and the angels lay down to sleep, the men Strong's #582, Hebrew word 'enowsh of the city, even the men of Sodom, compbutted the house round, both young and old, all the people from every quarter: And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know Strong's # 3045, Hebrew yada them.

The Hebrew word 'enowsh is most accurately translated as mortals, and includes all genders and all ages. Even in the context provided in the story, it is clear in the Hebrew that it is the majority of the town population, male and female, that is represented here.

The Hebrew word yada has no loveual context, and means to become acquainted with socially. By no means is yada translated elsewhere with a loveual context, either. If loveual interaction were intended, the word shakab (Strong's # 7901) would be used instead, which means to know loveually.

That said, the notion that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for homoloveuality does not hold up. The Hebrew is clear, and no where is homoloveuality made an issue.

Some people contend that "Sodomy is unnatural loveual behavior." If that is so, then why does it occur naturally in much of the animal kingdom? And where in the Bible is it written?

A friend of mine wrote to me, and said something which is terribly off-base. She Did you know that laws are currently being considered that will make love with children legal?..... Does this not give you some glimmer of the agenda behind the gay lifestyle?Ó

These things do not belong in the same paragraph. I suspect she was thinking of the group called NAMBLA; it is a fringe group at best, and the overwhelming majority of gay people severely, even violently, oppose this group. Most certainly I am one who has a zero-tolerance for NAMBLA.

As for the "gay lifestyle".... it is a ridiculous phrase. There is no such thing as a "gay lifestyle". Gay people want what heteroloveual people want. We want a stable home life, a partner who loves us and will be faithful and monogamous to us, successful careers, good friends (even other couples, gay and "straight", for friends and socializing), and even children, though many states refuse us that simple right. Most damaging is the dual message sent to gay people by the general populace. We are told that we are horribly promiscuous and incapable of a stable, monogamous relationship; then, when we seek to marry in union with a stable, monogamous relationship, we are told that we cannot because we don't have the same rights as a male-female couple. So when we DO find a life partner, we can't even marry the person we love most, whom we hope to live the rest of our lives with and die with, with whom we will share and give everything. True love DOES happen for gay people. Why should I not be allowed to marry the man I love?

Another friend asked: "Can one dabble in this arena in gay life.... and still say that he is on the Lord's side? The two are mutually exclusive!" I submit to you that it is written "By their fruit you shall know them". Consider, then, the fruit I bear, for the Spirit has gifted me mightily. I have the gifts of evangelism, prophecy, intercessory prayer, and discerning of spirits. My fruits are love, sharing, kindness, patience, and complete exclusivity toward my partner. God has blessed us already for a union; my partner and I are soulmates. There is no "dabbling" here, and we have been baptized in the Spirit, so who shall keep us from water? (Acts 10:44-47)

My first friend said to me:

You think that you have found answers for your life, but you forget that Satan snares with bait. In this case the bait is love. Physical attraction should not be confused with love, and love should not be confused with lust. And those who follow suit, according to Romans 1:27, will receive in themselves the recompense for that "error". AIDS is just one example.

If you take Romans 1:27 all alone, you miss the context of the whole pbuttage, which is indicative that the type of love being had is related to idol worship and does not apply to monogamous relationships. If this were not so, then why are not lesbians (women) mentioned in the same pbuttage? The exclusive reference to male relationships, if it applied to monogamous relationships, would make God's law skewed and unfair, and we agree that such is not God's character.

Some folks might say, and have said, "It is human nature to blame socially unacceptable behaviors on personality types..." Who said being gay is socially unacceptable? Society! I don't care what society thinks. I care what God thinks. And God is clear that He loves me, that He made me as I am, and He does not make junk just so He has someone to hate.

One person wrote, "I also know for a fact that AIDS was deliberately introduced into the gay population as just one of several methods to eradicate the 'undesirables' from society." If this were true, how ironic that 98% of all AIDS cases today are in heteroloveuals. And the "undesirables" have done more to educate society on how to not contract the disease than the heteroloveual population.

I would encourage you to consider the story of David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel, Chapters 18-20. Of great interest is the Hebrew behind the words of 1 Sam 18:1, which uses the word 'ahab (Strong's # 157), which is noted to mean "to have affection for (loveually or otherwise). Scholar's notes add "This word covers the scope that the English word does for love.... it means to be a pbuttionate lover or paramour, it implies an ardent and vehement inclination of the mind and a tenderness of affection at the same time... It denotes a strong emotional attachment for and a desire to possess or be in the presence of the object of love..."

There is in this a very strong inclination toward the notion that David and Jonathan were much more than just friends.

A final question. "Is the path we are following serving God or serving Self?" My answer is this: Since coming out, and as I continue to come out and live openly and honestly about who I am and whom I love, I have borne a more powerful witness than ever before. "By their fruits you shall know them."

Another Rainbow Christian

====================================================================

Ninure Saunders aka Rainbow Christian

The Lord is my Shepherd and He knows I'm Gay

Take my polls

My Yahoo Group Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches

The Bible Site - help provide free scripture

To send e-mail, remove nohate from address