It's fairly obvious to observe that the Christian community and the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer) community live at odds with each other. They're two "camps" each locked into committed beliefs about homosexuality, and strong passions with respect to each other. They are two camps that seeminglyfind it impossible to accept each other until they first agree with each other. But what if there was another way? What if both sides "lowered their weapons" to just talk? And what if that conversation elevated love ahead of truth? In what ways could we both represent Christ if we could learn to accept each other without necessarily needing to agree with each other?
Download this week's 24/7 resources--the spiritual exercises, daily readings and Bible study articles--here. If you are looking for Life Group discussion questions based on this week's message, click here.
Christianity has an image problem. Christians are supposed to represent Christ to the world. But according to groundbreaking research into the perceptions of sixteen- to twenty-nine-year-olds, something has gone terribly wrong. Using descriptions like "hypocritical," "insensitive," and "judgmental," young Americans share an impression of Christians that's nothing short of . . . unChristian. The surprising details of the study are presented with uncompromising honesty in unChristian. Find out why these negative perceptions exist, learn how to reverse them in a Christlike manner, and discover practical examples of how Christians can positively contribute to culture.
Many people today, especially among emerging generations, don't resonate with the church and organized Christianity. Yet often they are still spiritually open and fascinated with Jesus. They Like Jesus But Not The Church explores six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church and Christianity, emerging from conversations and interviews the church has had with unchurched twenty and thirty-somethings at coffee houses. Each chapter provides the biblical answers, gives examples of how churches are addressing these objection, and concludes with suggestions, discussion questions, and resource listings.
Award winner Andrew Marin's life changed forever when his three best friends came out to him in three consecutive months. Suddenly he was confronted with the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community (GLBT) firsthand. Love Is an Orientation is a conversation between Christianity and the GLBT community, moving the focus from genetics to gospel, where it really belongs. Why are so many people who are gay wary of people who are Christians? Do GLBT people need to change who they are? Do Christians need to change what they believe? It is about changing the conversation about sexuality and spirituality, building bridges and, more importantly, to the good news of Jesus Christ.
What I mean is that, in every case (not just in the case of homosexuality), as we discover new things about ourselves, Christ-following people are to investigate what Jesus and the scriptures say about the issue, and as we understand and interpret the scriptures we're to apply them to our lives - to live from a biblical conviction. Essentially, that's what it means to "follow" - something (or in this case some One) is allowed to lead us. So as disciples become aware of new tendencies, feelings, urges, desires and leanings in our lives, our job is to consider how they compare with God's ideal according to the Bible and allow Jesus to affect us through empowering our lives of discipline to become more like Him.
I'm sure, when applied to people discovering that they're gay, that the above process probably opens up more questions than it gives answers, but I hope I've at least provided some perspective that can serve as a starting point.
Feel free to e-mail me at jlockyer@southridge.cc if you'd like to follow up with me directly. Thanks for posting!