June 28, 2006
Dear Pastor Monroe
(First United Methodist Church,
Napa, CA):
I received your June 1st
bulletin in the mail with the insert…
A PASTORAL LETTER TO THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
LESBIAN / GAY / BISEXUAL / TRANSGENDER
(LGBT)
UNITED METHODIST CLERGY
Please permit me to respond:
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE SEVENTY-FIVE
LESBIAN / GAY / BISEXUAL / TRANSGENDER
(LGBT)
UNITED METHODIST CLERGY
(and to ALL
Christians)
As I read
your heartfelt plea, a question began to form in my spirit:
“I can understand the promotion of the homosexual agenda by the secular
community, but how can God’s people who
are supposed to be in ministry to the Body of Christ AND who are supposed to know the Word of God,
promote something that is so against His Word?”
You used the words “dismembering, amputating,
fear,
and isolation”
intending these words to shame and alienate Christians from their beliefs. May I say that you are also “demanding”
full agreement and “challenging” believers to accept your lifestyle
to the “detriment”
of their own Christian walk.
Since God’s Word is our standard and
our compass, our deliberation should be what the Word of God proclaims as a whole
and not what we think or
believe. God has listed many offenses
that HE considers sin and without God’s grace and Christ’s death on the cross,
we would ALL die in our sins.
“For ALL HAVE SINNED and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23).
There is no distinction or degree of
sin…homosexuality vs. fornication, wrath
vs. envy, pride vs.
drunkenness…in
God’s eyes SIN IS SIN and His Word
confirms it!
·
“So then,
those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Rom 8:8)
· “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outburst of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies, envy,
murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like;
of which I tell you beforehand, just as
I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal 5:19-21)
· “Therefore
God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor
their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie,
and worshiped and served the creature
rather than the Creator…For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even
their women exchanged the natural use for what is
against nature. Likewise also the
men,
leaving the natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and
received in themselves the penalty of their
error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to
a debased mind to do those things which
are not fitting: being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evilmindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God,
violent, proud, boasters, inventors of
evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving,
unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who
practice such things are deserving of
death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice
them.” (Romans 1:24-32)
· “Do you
not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God kingdom
of God
· “But we
know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law
is not made for a righteous
person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners,
for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and
murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators,
for sodomites [homosexuals], for kidnappers, for
liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to
sound doctrine…” (1 Tim
1:6-10)
· “But the
cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,
idolaters, and all liars shall have
their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev 21:8)
· “Do not be
deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man
sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows
to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the
Spirit will of the Spirit reap
everlasting life.” (Gal 6:7-8)
All scriptures taken from the NKJV
God does not list these sins to
condemn us but that through Christ we can overcome them. Below are listed a few of what we might consider lightweight sins because we’ve all probably committed some of these
at one time or another even since our salvation:
Outbursts
of wrath Selfish
ambitions Envy Liars Strife Disobedient
to parents Whisperers Deceit Unloving Boasters Unbelieving Unforgiving Thieves Unmerciful Revilers
Cowardly Drunkards Proud Backbiters
Cowardly Drunkards Proud Backbiters
Obviously, no one is innocent and if
we think we are, even in lightweight sins, God explains it this way…
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is
not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10)
According to the above referenced
scriptures, God has made Himself very clear on this subject?
“Brethren,
if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the
error of his way will save a soul from death and
cover a multitude of sins.” (James
5:19-20)
So what is the job of the clergy, if
not “to turn a
sinner from the error of his way?”
The clergy has been given as a gift to the church (Eph 4:8-16) to
minister to the people in their need, to comfort them during a time of loss, to
pray for the sick, to offer encouragement during times of doubt, to counsel against sin, any and ALL sin, and the
need for repentance, forgiveness, and restoration.
How can the clergy address someone
else’s sin while living in their own…openly, proudly, defiantly? How can the clergy counsel someone not to
commit adultery because it is a sin in God’s eyes while they are living in
homosexuality? And demanding that the
church agree with it and even keep silent about it!!!
Let me ask
the 75 clergy how they would counsel:
An abusive husband with outbursts of wrath? Are we to accept this sin or try to counsel
the abuser to renounce his behavior and live in peace?
A whisperer/backbiter spreading the
poison of gossip? Are we to accept this
sin or confront the person to repent and ask forgiveness of those who have been
hurt?
Strife that is killing a relationship, a
congregation, a ministry? Are we to
accept this sin or denounce the strife it brings and repair the damage done?
Drunkards (alcoholics) living a bankrupt life
destroying their family, health, finances, even employment? Are we to remain silent or counsel the person
into victory and a new life?
If you would
counsel these to repent of their sin; how can you justify your own?
Are the
scriptures “TRUTH” or not?
“And
you shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
“Jesus
said to him, ‘I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Me.’” (John 14:6)
Is homosexuality a sin or not? Or
is it an agenda that the church/believers are being forced to accept, just as
it is also being forced on the citizens of the world? As Christians, are we to ignore God’s Word in
this area but accept it in every other area of our lives? We would be fools indeed to believe that God
would isolate the sin of homosexuality from ALL
other sins listed in His Word and give it His seal of approval today. Would God excuse homosexuals from this sin
while allowing disobedient children, the unforgiving, the unbelieving, the
unloving, etc., to suffer His judgment, much less murderers, the violent, the
wicked, and the haters of God?
There is enough evidence and
testimonies from former gay and lesbians that have come out of a homosexual lifestyle to
confirm that God can
and does
deliver and restore a life from this sin...just as He restores the liar, the
drunkard, the proud, the envious, etc.
“…God shows no
partiality” (Acts 10:34) and “…with God all things are possible” (Luke 1:37)!
We are ALL on level ground at the foot of the cross asking God to forgive
our sins. We ALL must confess, repent, and ask Jesus to forgive us. Our desire should be to move on and up and
into maturity with Christ; not to remain juvenile, rebellious, unteachable, and
lost?
“It is a fearful thing to fall into
the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)
If we are to become mature
Christians, we should renounce our sins, not demand that our fellow believers
acquiesce to them…or else!!!
Thank you, Pastor Monroe, for
allowing me to voice my heart.
Sincerely, Danna Shirley
P. S. (I was raised Methodist in Pinole, CA)
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