I have been in church for over 50 years….When christian people committed adultery….they admitted they sinned…likely lost their family but know it was sin….moved on..still called it sinI knew some who were cleppers that stole…got arrest…cried repented…knew they were wrong and committed sin…I knew many who divorced….knew it was wrong…repented…moved on….Many many years ago, I knew those involved with homosexual relationships…knew they were wrong…repented…quit…others struggled with the temptation…knew it was wrong but struggled much like a porn addiction…but knew it was wrong…Today, I have seen countless times where ministers or church people married….fall in the homosexuality….don’t repent…just change your theology….now it’s okay….Seriously, what happened….Yes, sociology changed peoples theology….but how did we get here?
When I think back to the many things I was taught were sin years ago and now they are fine it is amazing. But years before me people were taught it was wrong to drink a coke or even wear a wedding ring. It was a big sin. Church splits, etc. happened because of wedding rings. Obviously many people are looking at the gay issue differently than they did years ago. I think there are many reasons for it. Fifty years from now I doubt gay marriage will be an issue any longer. Probably a lot less than fifty years.
Do you think gay marriage won’t be an issue in the Church of God in 50 years________________
I think that gay marriage will not be much of an issue in 50 years. 50 years ago black and white marrying was a big issue. Now for most people it’s fine. Gay marriage will be similar in 50 years, maybe a lot less.
As one who is interracially married, I really hate comparing it to gay marriage. My wife is black, but she’s still a woman. I’m white, and last I checked, I’m a man. Our marriage doesn’t violate the biblical definition of marriage (or society’s up till 2015). Yeah, some people probably don’t like it, but too bad for them. Gay marriage violates what God intended marriage to be, one man, one woman, as a picture of Christ and the Church.As to the question, it does seem to the one issue that causes Bible believing Christians to cave on. I think it’s because many have loved ones that come out in that lifestyle. They allow their relationships here to affect the way they view scripture. I know a family back home that has a gay son, and they have gone to celebrating it. They are in a Spirit filled Pentecostal church, that family has had people serving in ministry. But this part of that family was openly sharing their joy that their kids (now grown up) alwere celebrating pride month.Culture changing beliefs. I can only pray that I stay steady in my biblical beliefs________________The World As I See Itworldjeffreysees.blogspot.com/Revuriah’s Facebookwww.facebook.com/people/Jeff-Richard/1226257444Jeffrey David Richard’s Myspace Musicwww.myspace.com/547856946
It seems history shows when a society accepts gayness – that society doesn’t last – and new one forms where it is not accepted.Ex: RomeEx: SodomEx: FSU Seminoles (this one is for Aaron________________
We often have firm convictions regarding divorce, remarriage, and homosexuality…until a relative is involved. ________________
How do you confront it?
I don’t appreciate the comparison either, for similar reasons. I don’t think there was any evil intent by the comment however so I’m not going to dwell on it.As to the gay issue, I have seen time and again that people bend their theology to accommodate either:a) Their own homosexualityb) Homosexuality of family members
I’m not sure about that, but let me ask you this. Are you saying it rightfully should not be a big deal in the Church? Do you think the COG will ever accept gay marriage as compatible with Christian life?
It should be a big deal in the church, every Church actually. What I foresee happening is the law of the land mandating that same sex marriages be conducted irregardless of a denomination’s particular stance. Refusal would be revocation of tax exempt status. Don’t believe it will be 50 years before this happens either, as many politicians on the left are already calling for it________________“Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”
I agree that a lot of our theology has changed over the years. I just recently learned that we have a lot of people in our church that drink alcohol. According to the 2018 Minutes, total abstinence is still the law of the land(cog-wise). I guess I don’t get a lot of things about church today, especially why we don’t teach certain things any longer that were always considered wrong in the past. Maybe those who came before us were wrong after all? I don’t believe that, but perhaps others do________________“Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”
I agree that a lot of our theology has changed over the years. I just recently learned that we have a lot of people in our church that drink alcohol. According to the 2018 Minutes, total abstinence is still the law of the land(cog-wise). I guess I don’t get a lot of things about church today, especially why we don’t teach certain things any longer that were always considered wrong in the past. Maybe those who came before us were wrong after all? I don’t believe that, but perhaps others do.
I agree that a lot of our theology has changed over the years. I just recently learned that we have a lot of people in our church that drink alcohol. According to the 2018 Minutes, total abstinence is still the law of the land(cog-wise). I guess I don’t get a lot of things about church today, especially why we don’t teach certain things any longer that were always considered wrong in the past. Maybe those who came before us were wrong after all? I don’t believe that, but perhaps others do. Apples and Oranges brother, you can’t equate a modern ethos (tea-totalism is only a couple of centuries old) to a clear Biblical sin. IF (and that’s a big IF), the COG ever removed the total-abstinence requirement (actually it would be more of an alignment to what they already tolerate in the International countries), that would not be anything more than a return to the first 80 – 90% of Christian history. Whereas embracing homosexual marriage would reverse 100% of Christian historical teaching (not to mention very clear Biblical teaching) Well said JD.. ________________Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/
I agree with the comment and also revuriah’s basic comment. BTW they are a sweet couple, we only met once but they and their children are dedicated.. I have a cousin who lived the gay life style for years. I never lost contact with him. He knew my beliefs and always asked for prayer. Now living celibate, I admire him. He still asks for prayer, almost daily. ________________Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/
That many things that we thought were absolutely wrong and contrary to what we believed was scripture are now not a big deal. Years ago I basically thought if you drank alcohol you were on your way to hell. There was no question about it. Now, I still don’t drink but my view has changed. I still think it is wrong to get drunk but if someone has a glass of wine with dinner I can deal with it. It doesn’t make me think they are an evil sinner. Just as many or even most of the church doesn’t like gay marriage today we all know things are changing. The number of churches accepting gay marriage/gay people is rapidly increasing. In my area a Southern Baptist church left that denomination and became an independent church that fully accepts gay marriage and people. The pastor is a lesbian. I was stunned to find this out.
I understand your thinking but I’d like to unpack it a little if that’s ok.First, your understanding of sin has grown, not shrank. Most likely because earlier in life you simply accepted denominational teaching on the subject rather than examining 2000 years of historical data alongside clear scriptural study. In my mind this is a RETURN to historical teaching, not a departure from it.
Re: I too don’t agree that gay relationships and bi-racial
Indeed. Bias against inter-racial marriages was not based on thousands of years of theological teaching but on racial bias________________