Changing the Conversation?

Cap'n Bill here: Read the following article at USA Today, and follow the comments. From the end of the opinion piece:

" As a 26-year-old, I feel a lot like others within my generation. I have deep sympathy for my friends who are gay. They often suffer as societal pariahs at the hands of misinformed Christians who believe that gays have chosen their sexual orientation. Though I unashamedly believe that God desires a better path for their lives, I also understand that my obligation to love them is not dependent upon their capitulation to a particular belief system.

"When I hear younger evangelicals address homosexuality, they speak with compassion, sympathy and love that have been uncommon among the Falwells and Robertsons. But this change in tone isn't surprising because rising generations are twice as likely to be in close community with someone who is gay. It is a lot easier to fight a faceless "agenda" than it is to war against a friend.

"Now is the time for those who bear the name of Jesus Christ to stop merely talking about love and start showing love to our gay and lesbian neighbors. It must be concrete and tangible. It must move beyond cheap rhetoric. We cannot pick and choose which neighbors we will love. We must love them all."

Jonathan Merritt is a faith and culture writer who serves as national spokesperson for the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative. He is writing a book on a Christian approach to environmental problems.

My one comment for now is I suppose I will never get used to how people think they had an original thought. Young Jonathan (age 26, about the age of our denomination which has had this controversy its whole span of years) seems to think that all people who have been against "de-sinning sin" on sexuality issues these last few decades have not been saying "love the sinner". We have, though there are even better ways of saying it than that!


http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/04/an-evangelicals-plea-love-the-sinner.html#more