tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7560220615271337359.post2318723451324099281..comments2024-03-12T08:04:47.314-07:00Comments on Naming His Grace: More Light Presbyterians & Evangelicals; ugly words & beautiful wordsViola Larsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146967423654966140noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7560220615271337359.post-48914654515462564352012-03-29T19:31:53.848-07:002012-03-29T19:31:53.848-07:00Hi Karen,
Thanks for responding. Are you talking a...Hi Karen,<br />Thanks for responding. Are you talking about the love of Jesus or the love of another human? Jesus loves you in all of those ways but he will not leave you where you are. He keeps working on all of us, changing those places where we live in disobedience, allowing us to grow into the person he intended us to be.<br /> <br />Being made whole means being healed in those places where we are broken and we are all broken in some way, that is why Jesus died on the cross, why he was raised to life. There are really more than the seven traditional passages. Those are the negative passages-thou shall not- but there are positive ones about marriage between a man and a woman. Look at Matthew 19: 3-6. That is Jesus speaking about marriage. Notice he goes all the way back to the beginning-God made them man and woman. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.<br /><br />Also Paul when speaking of the church uses the picture of a man and wife to show the image of Christ and his church.<br /><br />“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or winkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless. (Eph 5:25-27)”<br /><br />The same is true of our Book of Confessions there are many positive words about marriage between a man and a woman. <br /><br />Remember it was only the Southern church that was wrong on slavery not the Northern church. And there were enough scriptures that could have prevented the South from making such a grave mistake. For instance at one point Paul writes, “Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able to also to become free, rather do that.” (1 Cor 7:21) <br /><br />And it was certainly God who freed the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. And Jesus who frees us from sin.<br /><br />As for women, there are seeming contradictions in the Scripture that can be reconciled. But there are no Scripture texts that say that same gender sex is okay. That doesn’t mean that God hates you God loved you and sent Jesus to die for your sin and mine also.Viola Larsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09146967423654966140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7560220615271337359.post-51216035413867248702012-03-29T15:52:17.168-07:002012-03-29T15:52:17.168-07:00By their fruits you shall know them. Matthew 7:12...By their fruits you shall know them. Matthew 7:12-20 states the "Golden Rule" and speaks of the narrow and difficult road to God's kingdom, but it also speaks of knowing a tree by the fruit it bears.<br /><br />So what do you do then with a relationship that is full of love, joy, peace, forebearance, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? A relationship where you are loved unconditionally, but where you are inspired to live more fully into who you are. A relationship that is not dominated by fear and shame, but by love and grace. <br /><br />I am part of the LGBT community. I serve as staff in a Presbyterian Church. I don't think my relationship with God has ever been more tangible than it is now. I am a child of God, made in the image of God. The Living Word spoke words of love and made the outcasts whole again. I feel whole for the first time in my life. Yes there are the 7 traditional passages used against the LGBT community, but there are so many more that focus on love. Homosexuality is no where in the 10 Commandments nor did Jesus ever speak to it. <br /><br />The church has been wrong before on issues of slavery and on women being ordained. I know I will probably get blasted for this post, but after reading it, I was moved to write a response. I mean no disrespect to anyone here or to God. I am a follower of the way. I pray often the prayer of Mark 9:24, "I believe! Help me now my unbelief."<br /><br />KarenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7560220615271337359.post-74115930771046015782012-03-28T17:56:03.356-07:002012-03-28T17:56:03.356-07:00Thanks Jeff that is important to remember. And it ...Thanks Jeff that is important to remember. And it is also important to remember that our battle is not against flesh or blood either but against the power of darkness.Viola Larsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09146967423654966140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7560220615271337359.post-47203122203375270402012-03-28T17:54:32.476-07:002012-03-28T17:54:32.476-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Viola Larsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09146967423654966140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7560220615271337359.post-13751432113741625932012-03-28T13:37:12.184-07:002012-03-28T13:37:12.184-07:00Viola,
I find it helpful to remember that the hom...Viola,<br /><br />I find it helpful to remember that the homosexual community is not fighting against us. They are fighting the Holy Spirit. They know deep inside that they are opposing God with their lifestyle and are trying to silence their guilt by trying to silence us. Even if every bible-believing evangelical disappeared tomorrow, they would still lose the fight because they are fighting against God himself.Jeff Ogdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01422025313856651182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7560220615271337359.post-48833488369307052612012-03-28T08:05:47.874-07:002012-03-28T08:05:47.874-07:00We evangelicals oppressors are in an odd position....We evangelicals oppressors are in an odd position. We are particullary sinful because we say that all are sinners and therefore need to be loved and forgiven and, because we are particullary sinful, we need to be hated and destroyed.dennistheeremitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10801567321734091885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7560220615271337359.post-32813085800931801692012-03-27T22:42:27.420-07:002012-03-27T22:42:27.420-07:00Amen.Amen.Dave Moodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08217094060036455319noreply@blogger.com