ONE GAY SUICIDE, IS WAY TOO MANY

Below is a post by Bill Henson, who responded to a Newsweek Article. I thought it was interesting:


By: Bill Henson http://fishontheotherside.org|

As host of a Christian radio program in the Northeast US that focuses on caring for GLBT persons and their families inside and outside the evangelical church, I encounter many teenagers and young adults who feel condemned by the voices that represent Christianity.

Adult conversations like this are being read by teens and young adults vulnerable to suicide. Conversations like this tend to leave them feeling condemned – and their needs overlooked.

I am convinced that what they need to hear from Christian leaders is an entirely different message than the one we often offer. I know this because they share with me what they need in their own words.

For such young people who may experience same-sex attraction for the remainder of their lives whether they ‘act’ upon such desires or not, they need our care and support.

They need our care and support because our message requests that they deny their relational and sexual needs in order to maintain celibacy. That, my friends, is not an easy path for the vast majority of humanity: but it is possible.

For such a path to be possible, the core message from Christianity should be one of gentleness, patience, kindness, and long-suffering.

For such a path to be possible, our message – the Gospel of Jesus Christ – should be lived out by laying down our lives to care for GLBT persons and their families.

For such a path to be possible, we need to become “fathers” and “pastors” who love, hug, listen to, care for, serve, invite, and invest in GLBT persons’ gifts and talents.

For such a path to be possible, we must become Christian parents who unconditionally love our GLBT children – “just as they are.”

For such a path to be possible, we – the wider Christian community – must vulnerably admit to our own broken identities.

FACT: Many of us in the evangelical church have broken sexual and gender identities expressed through our high divorce and internet porn rates. Not to mention our materialism and consumerism.

We too have a “choice” and yet we seem to struggle to make the right choice to avoid online porn and keep our marriages alive – even though we have Jesus!

In light of this, we do not so much need to win a debate over gay marriage as much as we need to convey humility in recognizing that we ALL struggle with sexual purity issues and other sin struggles. In the words of Paul, we ALL do these “same” things. (Romans 2:1-4)

I am not criticizing Christians defending traditional marriage in this forum. Neither am I here to lob a theological bomb at the authors of this article. Rather, I am simply saying to those who feel condemned by Christianity: Jesus loves you and I love you.

Debate forums like this are often perceived as the church’s entire response to GLBT persons. In truth, much work is being done inside the evangelical church to make sure you feel welcomed and invited to work out your salvation along with the rest of us – broken sinners in need of grace.

For those interested, learn more at:

http://fishontheotherside.org

Sincerely,

Bill Henson
Host, Lead Them Home
President, FOTOS Ministries
Boston, Ma

BUILDING HEALTHY, STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

Another excellent book I would recommend is "Safe People" by Townsend and Cloud. I have given this to countless people over the years as gifts, and it has always made a powerful impact on virtually every single one of them. The book covers 40 interpersonal traits that can either make or break a relationship, and reveals how safe and unsafe all of us can be. The book focuses on the fact that NONE of us are either ALL GOOD or ALL BAD. We are all a mixture of these qualities, and God's purpose for us coming together in His presence on a regular basis, is to make us to become more good, like Him. The book also addresses the issue of those who do not talk about what is actually taking place on the inside. These people create an illusion of being "victorious in the church world ", simply because they are never real or genuinely transparent with anyone about what they really think or feel on the inside. As long as they are silent, they can "remain victorious". Being silent is often emphasized in the church world, but the reality is that people get stuck, people don't heal, and people get worse when they are in isolation. The Bible talks about confessing your faults to one another, so you can be healed, but in the typical American church, you can't even say the word "gay" or discuss same-sex attraction. ..So where does that leave a person with a gay orientation , or a person with same -sex attraction ? - In a world of isolation where healing never takes place. Anyway, the book is fantastic, and I give it a two thumbs up ! Below is a link to the book:
http://store.cloudtownsendstore.com/safepeoplebook1.html

"WIDE OPEN SPACES : BEYOND PAINT BY NUMBER CHRISTIANITY

"Wide Open Spaces : Beyond Paint By Number Christianity" is a great book that really confronts and challenges "American Christianity". The book is about a man called by God to build a large church, and then surprisingly, calling him to leave it. His time away from the "busy American church" became a time where God spoke to his heart about what Christianity really is.

One of the focuses of the book deals with the reality of "Christ in you, the hope of glory" - A focus acknowledging that God lives in a lot of the people around you, and isolating yourself from these people therefore cuts off God's ability to speak to you. "These people", however, are not just the people who go to your particular church or denomination. They are the people you bump into everyday as you go about your daily work. Many churches would have you believe that God only dwells and operates in their church , denomination, or special group, however the Bible calls this belief system a work of the flesh.

Jim also addresses the fact that many men have walked closely with God, even before the Bible was ever written or even put together. He also mentions how many today can worship a book (the Bible) rather than God, himself. Although the Bible is a book about God and points to God, it is not God. It's similar to going to a restaurant and handed a menu about the food that is available at the restaurant. Eating the menu will not sustain your body, but eating the food the menu points to will. Following God is not always easy, and sometimes God places us in situations to see if we are following Him, or something else - such as a tradition, a set discipline of activity, a particular church, denomination, a favorite group of friends, a person, an idea, a money-trail, etc. Jim also emphasizes that God is not a "belief system", but rather a living spiritual being. Too often people feel that if they can just get the "correct doctrine" or adopt a list of right beliefs about God, that they will own God. It's like a married man who knows everything about his wife, but is not emotionally connected to her and doesn't spend any intimate time with her. God wants us to be emotionally and spiritually connected to Him as we journey through this life on earth.

http://www.amazon.com/Wide-Open-Spaces-Paint-Number/dp/0849913993

IS YOUR TRANSLATION ACCURATE ?

Below is a link about Bible Translations. It's a bit eye opening for those who do not understand the "behind the scenes" of Bible Translations. When I was in Bible School 30 years ago, I learned that the KING JAMES VERSION of the Bible actually had 1,000 minor mis-translations. This was a big concern to Bible Scholars and so that is why we now have the "NEW" KING JAMES VERSION being sold today at Bible bookstores. What is shocking,however, is that the KING JAMES VERSION (not the "New" one ) is still being sold to the public in truck loads. You may ask why ?..The answer is simple - supply and demand. Many people are not interested in "truth", but rather in what is popular, traditional, or being marketed by a person or place with money. When I was at the Bible bookstore this year, I asked what percentage of King James Bibles were being sold by the store. To my horror,they said 30 percent of all the Bibles they sell are the old King James Version. I couldn't believe it ! But the reality is that it sells like hotcakes.....So you may ask why the old King James Version is so out-dated and inaccurate. Let me share with you an example of just one of the mistranslations: One verse quotes: "Be ye therefore Perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect". The word "Perfect" here actually means "mature" in the original Greek. It has nothing to do with being perfect or perfectionism. God is calling his children to grow up and be mature as he is". As many people know, perfectionism can be demonic - a state where there is no grace, no mercy and no room for any mistakes. Living in an environment where a person feels they can not make a single mistake is living under a cloud of fear -something that God clearly states we are not to be controlled or domintated by. "For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love , and a sound mind". ....So yes, one mistranslated verse can send a very wrong message and mess up a person for life - and this is just one misstranslation out of 1.000 ! Anyway, I've said enough - enjoy the link below:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34270487/

You may also want to google : "inacurate Bible translations" or visit Wikipedia on "Bible translations or Bible translations-inacurate", to see what others are saying about the topic.

IS THE CHURCH ALWAYS RIGHT ?

Below is an article on Galileo. He was persecuted by the Church and thrown in prison for proclaiming that the church world was wrong about a particular issue. At that time (1600's), the Church world believed that the earth was the center of the universe, and that the sun revolved around the earth. Galileo created a telescope that proved that the earth revolved around the Sun and that the earth was not the center of the universe. 400 years later,the church apologizes for making a horrible mistake. The Pope is now interested in bridging the gap between religion and science. View the article below:


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/11/world/main5613197.shtml



Another case of church blunder was during the 1500's, when the conquistador's arrived in South America to bring Christ to the Inca's. Instead of imparting the life of Christ into a community and teaching them the ways of Christ, it ended up in disaster. The conquistador's gave the Inca Ruler an ultimatum: Accept Christ now, or we will murder you. (Not exactly what Jesus had in mind). Atahualpa (the Inca ruler) was handed a Bible and he didn't even know what a book was nor how to read the text in the book. He tossed it to the ground and the Conquistadors believed this was evidence enough that the Inca ruler had rejected Christ....so they murdered him and thousands of Incas. Sounds real spiritual ? To learn more about this Church blunder you can visit the following Webquest:

http://zunal.com/process.php?user=36610




Another Church blunder took place during the Salem Witch Trials in the late 1600's where innocent people were falsely accused and hanged. After the death of these innocent people, Salem apologized for their puritanical blunder and even recompensed the families of the victims with money. Shockingly, with today's technology, scientists discovered that it was a fungus that was growing on the food they were eating which caused the radical behavior in the so called "witches". The fungus known as ergot is known to create muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions and hallucinations which some of these "witches" were manifesting . What looked like demon possession was microscopic fungus at work. This isn't to say that there are not demonic forces in the world, but many behaviors that people demonstrate may have a strong link to the micro-biotic world. (The study of nanotechnology is creating great breakthroughs in the realm of human biochemistry). Below is a link to the Salem Witch Trials and the story of the ergot fungus.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/brief-salem.html?c=y&page=1


The point of these examples is that when the church is wrong, it is God's will for us to stand up and say something - not sit in silence or "passive obedience".