The Fallacy of False Options: A Gospel of Grace Option For Thinking About Homosexuality And The Bible

In the present civil war it is quite possible that God's purpose is something different from the purpose of either party.    --Abraham Lincoln

These words are from an unpublished manuscript found among Lincoln's papers after his assasination.  Scholars generally refer to is as his "Meditation on the Divine Will," and consider it a source for his Second Inaugural Address.  Lincoln makes a good point.  We often look at two options and wonder "Which one is God's Will?" when in truth it may be that neither are.

I thought of that - call it the Fallacy of False Options - after watching a documentary last night that Netflix describes in this way:

Director .  .  .  . goes to the Bible to examine the ways in which conservative Christian groups have used -- and sometimes exploited -- scripture to deny human rights to gays and lesbians around the world.

The film is produced as an emotional tsunami.  There are 95 minutes of rapid cuts between members of five different families from different religious backgrounds as they experience a child coming out as homosexual interspersed with Jimmy Swaggert outtakes.  WOW!!  It all happens faster than I could process and left me with net effect of being totally overwhelmed.

I've had to go back and carefully reflect on the experience for several hours now.  That is when I recalled Lincoln's insight.  I realized that I did not find myself represented in the options given by the director.  Essentially, one was either supportive of Bishop Gene Robinson - openly gay leader of the New Hampshire diocese of the Episcopal Church - or one was Jimmy Swaggert - well-known televangelist hypocrite.  Frankly, I don't think either of those options represent my convictions.  And perhaps they don't represent God's purposes either.

I fear that they do represent the way our culture frames the debate between historic Christian faith and the homosexual movement in our day.

It is certainly my conviction - this is a regular theme in my sermons at Christ Covenant - that the church in the United States has done a poor job of living and presenting the Gospel of Grace, which I would consider to be the core of historic Christian faith.  The "media preachers" - Swaggert, Dobson, Robertson, et al - have been even worse than most churches at this.   

On  the other hand, the acceptance and affirmation of homosexual practice in the mainline churches of the United States represent what I would consider to be a complete turning from the Gospel, biblical truth, historic faith and a surrender to culture of the worst sort.

I'm looking for a third option: a Gospel of Grace option.  I suspect that what the world will see in the life of a person or community that are deeply rooted in the Gospel of Grace will include three things:

• We face our own sin - The repentance that I believe the Gospel of Grace calls homosexuals to is the same repentance that it calls me to every day: turn  from trust in my own performance to trust in the Father's graceful purposes.  Most gay people don't see that lived out and conclude that I think repentance is something for them and not for me.  When Gospel repentance bears fruit in my life, my gay neighbors will have the opportunity to see something different than they are currently rejecting.
• We live by God's grace alone - The church has been much better at producing people with the heart of Luke 15's Older Brother, than people with the heart of Jesus.  Performance based life always leads to either pride or depression.  Until our gay neighbors see something different, why should they exchange their pride for ours?
• We offer God's grace alone - I am aware that the message that the homosexual community most often hears from evangelicals sounds like "Once you stop your behaviors, then we can love you."  The Gospel is about what God had done before we ever changed our behavior.  That love enables us to be changed, and then to act in love towards others, even before they change their behavior.

For this to happen, I will need to let go of my expectation of being free to make my case, be understood and win the argument.  Living by grace means I surrender the hope of demanding a particular outcome based on my correct performance.

It's interesting for me to read Mark 3:6, and see that both the Herodians - the liberal cultural power brokers - joined with the Pharisees - the performance-based religious fundamentalists - to seek the death of Jesus.  Sometimes it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.