My sense is that we do not realize what a calamity is happening around us. The new thing—new for America, and new for history—is not homosexuality. That brokenness has been here since we were all broken in the fall of man. (And there is a great distinction between the orientation and the act—just like there is a great difference between my orientation to pride and the act of boasting.)
What’s new is not even the celebration of homosexual sin. Homosexual behavior has been exploited, and reveled in, and celebrated in art, for millennia. What’s new is normalization and institutionalization. This is the new calamity.
My main reason for writing is not to mount a political counter-assault. I don’t think that is the calling of the church as such. My reason for writing is to help the church feel the sorrow of these days. And the magnitude of the assault on God and his image in man.
Christians, more clearly than others, can see the tidal wave of pain that is on the way. . .
“My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.” Psalm 119:136
Friday, July 1, 2011
Important words for the church
John Piper:
Hi Stephen, I think I mentioned at one of our lunch meetings, that I have a devout, homosexual Christian couple, in my neighborhood. This statement from Piper, makes him come across as a Pharisee; so what, he cant't ever be "sincerely misinformed", on this issue? That could be interpreted as prideful,self-righteous arrogance.
ReplyDeleteMy neighbors tell me, that they're actually no different than Christ. The word "godhead", Romans 1:20 (2305 theiotes) & Col. 2:9 (2320 theotes), are both feminine nouns. Therefore, we have the male biology of Jesus, functioning in a feminine spiritual capacity. Likewise, my friends suggest they're nothing more than male/female biologies functioning as masculine/feminine spiritual husbands/wives.
Piper here reminds me, of the southern Christian's positiion on black slavery, in the 1800's. He's not being a loving, gracious, Christian, with such statements. Christianity has always done a poor job, of reflecting the Divine feminine. My opinion, for what it's worth...Mark K.
Hello Mark, I miss seeing and talking to you. As always, thanks for the interaction. I'm with Piper on this one. I don't detect any Phariseeism in what he wrote, just a sincere grief that behavior that the Bible calls sin is being celebrated. I agree that Scripture presents God as having feminine characteristics (i.e. compared to a nursing mother, etc.) but I don't find that convincing on this issue.
ReplyDeleteAs you know this is a big issue in my denomination and so I've done a lot of study on it. My humble conclusion is that the Bible and thousands of years of Christian teaching speak convincingly that homosexual practice is outside the bounds of God's design for human sexuality. Of course, there's much more to be said about this issue. The church hasn't done a very good job of articulating a loving response. One of the best things I've read is Scott Dudley's presentation homosexuality and the Bible. You can find it at this link: http://www.fellowship-pcusa.org/documents/
Also, Paul Copan has a good treatment of the issue in When God Goes to Starbucks. Anyway, check out those resources and we'll talk more. Blessings!