Honest to God

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

If you happen to be a member of a mainline denomination (e.g., Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopalian), you are well aware that the hot issue today has nothing to do with getting more people saved or helping the poor and oppressed, but rather whether or not openly gay people should be ordained and hold pastoral positions within the church. Just the thought of it no doubt has John Wesley, John Knox, and Martin Luther turning somersaults in their graves.

I have followed the debate with great interest. But an article in the Chicago Tribune made me wonder if perhaps some of us who claim a biblical imperative on the issue don’t embarrassingly have something in common with proponents of the ordination of gays.

Let me explain, and you see if the shoe fits.

In the Tribune article, Rev. Erik Christensen, the pastor of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Logan Square in Chicago, is reported to have said, “Forcing people to lie and hide lacks integrity for a faith that has as its core message: tell the truth in public in a way that sets us free.” And, although he is not presently in a gay relationship, Rev. Patrick McGuire, interim pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Chicago Heights, said that “If I do fall into a relationship, I’ll be honest about that, and we’ll see where the spirit leads us.”

Obviously, these pastors feel that being open about their sin is a virtue that makes them persons of integrity. Although they don’t see their homosexual behavior as a sin, the Bible is actually shameless about naming it as sinful. So let’s take it from there and talk about what you and I may have in common with these openly gay pastors.

In essence, these ministers see themselves as virtuous for refusing to be hypocritical about their preferences, noble for having the integrity to admit that they are gay, and, as a result of their “integrity,” open to the leading of the Spirit. But if you side with the Bible and believe that gay behavior is not virtuous, noble, or a matter of personal integrity, this kind of talk boggles the mind. There is no virtue to being truthful about sin that we are unwilling to confess. And, if we are really looking for the leading of the Spirit, He would lead us to repent and take the necessary steps to embrace right living for the glory of God!

And, here is where the shoe may fit. Have you ever felt honest and virtuous about your lack of hypocrisy when you have said things like, “I tend to be an angry person and that’s just the way I am. People will have to get used to it”? You may have been honest about your sin, but the sin remains just the same. There is no virtue in that. There are some of us who feel good about having the “integrity” to refuse to take communion because of sin in our lives. But, there is zero integrity in that, since integrity as a follower of Jesus demands that we get honest before God and deal with the sin and join the community of believers at the table. Have you ever heard someone say with a self-congratulating tone, “I can’t ever forgive him—and that’s the truth”?

The list could go on, but the point is clear. It’s time we stopped patting ourselves on the back and realized that in many respects we just may be guilty of the same kind of gobbledygook thinking in our own lives.

True virtue, integrity, and leading of the Spirit come when we are honest before God in dealing with our sin head-on. When we do that we stand a chance of making strides toward the kind of righteous lives that bring glory to His name and pleasure to our souls! 

YOUR JOURNEY…

• What is your reaction to the statements made by the gay ministers? Can you articulate a biblical response to their way of thinking? Are you guilty of the same kind of gobbledygook thinking? Are there sins in your life that you are trying to dismiss in a similar fashion? 
• According to 1 John 1:9, how can you can deal with your sin head-on?