The following is an excerpt from an e-mail letter that I sent to our two delegates heading to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in a few weeks. It has been burdened on my heart to put something like this together to encourage them and prepare them for what they may face. This Annual Conference may well prove to be one of the most controversial and heated in recent history as the homosexual issue continues to cause a stir and two business items that address the issue are going to be discussed and voted on. Perhaps there are some others who are reading this blog who are going to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference this summer or know of someone(s) in their church who are that might benefit from this as well. I may write an upcoming blog post or two to discuss more of this homosexual issue going on in the denomination as I have been getting several questions concerning it from those in my congregation as well as others within the denomination. May God use this as He sees fit.
As I have been pondering conference and all that it might entail, I want to remind you of some things as you head out to Grand Rapids in a few weeks. Most of these you are probably aware of, but a quick reminder never hurts.
Watch Out for the Emotional Appeal
One thing those who promote the homosexual agenda like to do is to appeal to the emotions to get people to agree with their position. They often will talk about someone in their family who has been ostracized from the church because of their lifestyle or of a lesbian relationship that has appeared to work together so well. These are actually "red herrings;" something brought into the argument that is not really relevant to the actual discussion at hand. The issue is over the wording used in the 1983 Paper, "Human Sexuality From A Christian Perspective," concerning so-called "same-sex convenantal relationships" and whether the official stance in the paper that "Covenantal relationships between homosexual persons is an additional lifestyle option but, in the church's search for a Christian understanding of human sexuality, this alternative is not acceptable" should remain the position of the denomination today. The goal of the 1983 paper was to examine the "Christian perspective" of human sexuality. To find the "Christian perspective" for anything, one must go back to the Word of God and look at what it says. What the Word of God teaches IS the Christian perspective since a Christian is defined by God's Word and instructed solely by it. This is why the paper went into much detail over certain Scripture passages concerning sexuality. The issue being discussed and debated at the moment, is not how those practicing homosexuality have been treated or whether there have been couples who make it appear that the relationship can work but instead what the Christian perspective concerning homosexuality is and thus in essence then what the Bible teaches about it. Be careful when someone comes to the mic to make a point and uses the emotional appeal tactic. Remember what the discussion truly concerns and the real issue at hand, the authority of Scripture.
Remember the Real Battle
We are in a battle. In 1978, Harold Lindsell wrote a book entitled "The Battle for the Bible" in which he discussed how several denominations and Christian institutions were moving away from holding to the trustworthiness and inerrancy of Scripture (the teaching that the Bible is without error in its original autographs). The same "battle for the Bible" wages currently in our denomination as evidenced with the homosexual issue. The fact that there even is a question over whether homosexuality should be acceptable as a lifestyle proves this as the Bible is certainly clear that God views the lifestyle as a sin. If we hold to the Bible being God's Word as it claims that it is, then we cannot deny the sinfulness of homosexual relationships no more than divorce, living together before marriage, adultery, and having a child out of wedlock. This is a spiritual battle. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Our enemy is not those who support the homosexual issue but Satan himself. Keeping this in mind helps us to maintain the proper perspective.
Pray, Pray, and Pray
Since this is a spiritual battle, we need to use spiritual armor in our fight. Paul calls this the armor of God. It is only by wearing this spiritual armor of truth, righteousness, preparation of the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the sword of the Spirit that we may resist the evil day and be able to stand firm. We need to fight this battle on our knees, constantly petitioning God to work as He sees fit this summer for conference and to give courage to stand for Him and His Word. We cannot face this struggle on our own. We need His grace and strength every step of the way. I encourage you to be in prayer for conference and all that transpires as we at the church pray for you and conference as well.
May the Lord be with you as you travel to conference and stand for God's Word for His glory and namesake!
Love In Christ,
Pastor Lee
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