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I have a lot to say about this subject, but for the sake of time, or lack thereof, I have to condense my ideas in order to make this as short as possible. I'm working on a sort of expose' of this subject, but I probably won't be able to get a lot of material in one post or even this thread alone...I may be able to express more at a later date. But for now, I just want to present my feelings and get some diverse feedback. Whether you agree with me or not, all feedback is welcomed here.
I have for some time been concerned about the state of the church--not in a cynical spirit--because I don't believe that cynicism, negativity, or suspicion has any place in the Kingdom of G-d. There are so many questions that I have about G-d which I can't even begin to fully express here. And some things that take place in the church make me not want to be a part of this thing called "Christianity". But I am a part of it, and since I am, some issues hit close to home for me. And certain issues hit even closer to home. One of these issues is the issue of Homosexuality. And if you are wondering now if I'm homosexual, I don't encourage you to even guess at that because this isn't about me but about the body of Christ as a whole--bigger than me and you.
I feel that the church does not adequately deal with the subject of sex, in general. And because the "Gay" lifestyle has obviously become a big political issue in society, the church is forced to deal with it. How she deals with it is the issue that concerns me. A lot of people attack the church, but that's not what I believe in. The bible clearly addresses this issue and states in more than one passage that it's sinful. So, it's only natural and understandable that the church would identify sin and fight against it. However, I'm wondering how equiped the church is to handle such a major issue. I think it is unbalanced--mainly because we are too opinionated. We, as Christians and ministers are so proud of our "interpretations". But in reality, interpretation is just a fancy word for opinion, and opinions are like noses--everybody has one.
However, this (sex) is one issue (among many) that I don't think the church can afford to be opinionated on, because it is so central to the life and soul of an individual. The very first statement that's made about us when we are born is a sexual statement--"It's a boy!", "It's a girl". Just as we can't separate our identity from our sexuality, we cannot separate sexuality from spirituality. Therefore, I believe that if we are ever going to be a powerful church, operating in the fullness of what what we claim we believe, we need healing and understanding in this area. I personally think that the church has fallen short of this.
I can give so many examples and illustrations, but I can show you faster than I can tell you. Following this are videos--along with a description of three different ministers preaching on the subject of homosexuality, and I'll briefly tell you what I think about the material.
Prophet Todd Hall Speaks Against Homosexuality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA_cz34sY3U
I assume by the title and the style, that this is a COGIC preacher declaring that you cannot be a "sissy" and have the H-ly Ghost. COGICs are known for being a roudy bunch. They preach passionately and don't mind making you feel the flames of hell while making you feel good at the same time. It's ironic that they preach so strongly against homosexuality when so many of the clergy in that denomination get caught with their pants down. And so many who haven't been caught are living secret homosexual lifestyles. the ones who are really clean are very proud about it and will let you know with the quickness how heterosexual they are compared to those "nasty" dirty homosexuals. As far as this particular scene, I was disheartened with the manner in which the preacher went about handling the subject. While many saw it as "holy boldness", some saw it as arrogance--I happen to be one of those.
Prophet Brian Carn on Homosexuality In The Pulpit/Church
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WYGmHcVgVQ
I paraphrazed the title, because the title that's posted on youtube I think is presumptuous ("...Eddie Long Scandal...")
This preacher uses an example of another high profile minister, without saying his name, to illustrate the problem of gays in the church. In one breath, he says, as many preachers do, that "the church is a hospital". In the next breath, he delivers some painful medicine--which could possibly be poison--when he explains how calling people out of their name is good for them. Declaring them to be "sissies", "fags", "booty-bandits", etc... he seems to be having a lot of fun as the croud cheers him on. But I'll let you watch and come to your own conclusion before I give more of my opinion on this.
G Craig Lewis Exposes Homosexuality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv0psJWtFHg
This is the same preacher who exposed the "evils" of the Hip Hop religion/culture and its illegal infiltration into the church--declaring that one cannot mix the secular with the holy--"worldly" music with the gospel message. G Craig has been called the "Malcom X of Christiandom" because of his bold in-your-face style of preaching. He doesn't beat around the bush or bite his tonuge, and he's not afraid to call names (which is why he has been sued by numerous artists and ministers...which in turn he tells them to "join the list"). This video clip is obviously and edited excerpt of the sermon, because they edited out the part where he says "You sissy!," in referring to another minister who was apparently advocating a kind-and-loving approach to homosexuals.
So I would like to know what you think about this material and this subject all together.
I have for some time been concerned about the state of the church--not in a cynical spirit--because I don't believe that cynicism, negativity, or suspicion has any place in the Kingdom of G-d. There are so many questions that I have about G-d which I can't even begin to fully express here. And some things that take place in the church make me not want to be a part of this thing called "Christianity". But I am a part of it, and since I am, some issues hit close to home for me. And certain issues hit even closer to home. One of these issues is the issue of Homosexuality. And if you are wondering now if I'm homosexual, I don't encourage you to even guess at that because this isn't about me but about the body of Christ as a whole--bigger than me and you.
I feel that the church does not adequately deal with the subject of sex, in general. And because the "Gay" lifestyle has obviously become a big political issue in society, the church is forced to deal with it. How she deals with it is the issue that concerns me. A lot of people attack the church, but that's not what I believe in. The bible clearly addresses this issue and states in more than one passage that it's sinful. So, it's only natural and understandable that the church would identify sin and fight against it. However, I'm wondering how equiped the church is to handle such a major issue. I think it is unbalanced--mainly because we are too opinionated. We, as Christians and ministers are so proud of our "interpretations". But in reality, interpretation is just a fancy word for opinion, and opinions are like noses--everybody has one.
However, this (sex) is one issue (among many) that I don't think the church can afford to be opinionated on, because it is so central to the life and soul of an individual. The very first statement that's made about us when we are born is a sexual statement--"It's a boy!", "It's a girl". Just as we can't separate our identity from our sexuality, we cannot separate sexuality from spirituality. Therefore, I believe that if we are ever going to be a powerful church, operating in the fullness of what what we claim we believe, we need healing and understanding in this area. I personally think that the church has fallen short of this.
I can give so many examples and illustrations, but I can show you faster than I can tell you. Following this are videos--along with a description of three different ministers preaching on the subject of homosexuality, and I'll briefly tell you what I think about the material.
Prophet Todd Hall Speaks Against Homosexuality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA_cz34sY3U
I assume by the title and the style, that this is a COGIC preacher declaring that you cannot be a "sissy" and have the H-ly Ghost. COGICs are known for being a roudy bunch. They preach passionately and don't mind making you feel the flames of hell while making you feel good at the same time. It's ironic that they preach so strongly against homosexuality when so many of the clergy in that denomination get caught with their pants down. And so many who haven't been caught are living secret homosexual lifestyles. the ones who are really clean are very proud about it and will let you know with the quickness how heterosexual they are compared to those "nasty" dirty homosexuals. As far as this particular scene, I was disheartened with the manner in which the preacher went about handling the subject. While many saw it as "holy boldness", some saw it as arrogance--I happen to be one of those.
Prophet Brian Carn on Homosexuality In The Pulpit/Church
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WYGmHcVgVQ
I paraphrazed the title, because the title that's posted on youtube I think is presumptuous ("...Eddie Long Scandal...")
This preacher uses an example of another high profile minister, without saying his name, to illustrate the problem of gays in the church. In one breath, he says, as many preachers do, that "the church is a hospital". In the next breath, he delivers some painful medicine--which could possibly be poison--when he explains how calling people out of their name is good for them. Declaring them to be "sissies", "fags", "booty-bandits", etc... he seems to be having a lot of fun as the croud cheers him on. But I'll let you watch and come to your own conclusion before I give more of my opinion on this.
G Craig Lewis Exposes Homosexuality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv0psJWtFHg
This is the same preacher who exposed the "evils" of the Hip Hop religion/culture and its illegal infiltration into the church--declaring that one cannot mix the secular with the holy--"worldly" music with the gospel message. G Craig has been called the "Malcom X of Christiandom" because of his bold in-your-face style of preaching. He doesn't beat around the bush or bite his tonuge, and he's not afraid to call names (which is why he has been sued by numerous artists and ministers...which in turn he tells them to "join the list"). This video clip is obviously and edited excerpt of the sermon, because they edited out the part where he says "You sissy!," in referring to another minister who was apparently advocating a kind-and-loving approach to homosexuals.
So I would like to know what you think about this material and this subject all together.
