From: onstott@a.cs.okstate.edu (ONSTOTT CHARLES OR)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Homosexuality and the so-called "Christian biblical stance."
Date: 21 Jul 92 06:39:01 GMT
Organization: Oklahoma State University, Computer Science, Stillwater

Question:  Should a church be expelled form a convention if it
contains homosexuals in its congregation?

Answer: No.  Although homosexuality can be shown to be an evil from a 
biblical stance, any supported evil of homosexuality should not
take precedence over the forgivingness of Christ.  To banish a church 
due to a homosexual in the congregation is in direct contridiction of
the openess of love and forgivingness revealed by Jesus Chirst.  To
due so means only to prefer the evil of men than the forgivingness of
Christ.

Reply to answer:  Paul teaches that to associate with people who
do evil is deterimental spiritually to that person.  Since a congration
containing a homosexual forces such association, the church should not
permit a homosexual to attend.


Objection to reply: Christ teaches that love and forgivingness takes 
precedence over anything else--association not withstanding.


Conclusion:  It is unjustifiable on biblical, and spiritual, grounds 
to expell a church for reaching-out to a homosexual within the congregation.

Question: Should a church be expelled from a convention if it contains
a ordinated homosexual minister?

Answer: NO.  Refer to answer given above on Christ's love and forgivingness.

Reply to answer: The minister of such a congregation leads that congregation

spiritually, hence to have a person commiting an evil leading a congregation
could result in that congregation partaking in such evils.

Objection to reply: To answer as such is again to priveledge the 
sin of man over the forgivingness of christ.  Did not Christ himself 
pick those who seemed, at that time, the least worthy?  If homosexuality
can, in fact, be shown to be a evil(which I doubt), doesn't this make the
person seem unworthy, perhaps even the least worthy?  If so, how are
we to question the work of the Lord on this issue?  

Conclusion: It is unjustifiable on biblical, and spiritual, grounds to
expell a church for ordinating and staffing a homosexual minister.

Question:  Which is more spiritually damaging to Christian followers:
closed minded, dogmatic application of selected lines from the Bible, or,
the actual teaching of Christ?

Answer:  Christianity is in a decline because of its closed-minded 
dogmatic approaches to a changing society.  Unless it can open its
mind and find new ways of interpreting the same text, it is doomed
to failure.  This is the most spiritually damaging situation conceivable.
 

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Charles O. Onstott, III                  Account at Oklahoma State   
Graduate in Religious Studies            for the summer.
University of Chicago                    onstott@a.cs.okstate.edu



"The most abstract system of philosophy is, in its method and purpose, 
nothing more than an extremely ingenious combination of natural sounds."

                                              -- Carl G. Jung
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