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Brief letters that include the writer’s name and address are welcome. We will not publish letters sent anonymously, though we may withhold names at our discretion. Letters may be edited for purposes of length or clarity. Send by regular mail to:
Letters, MB Herald
3-169 Riverton Ave.
Winnipeg, Man. R2L 2E5 |
or by e-mail to mbherald@mbconf.ca.
Please ensure that your mailing address is included in your e-mail correspondence. |
Key issues unaddressed
Your “Homosexuality” issue was quite graceful and informed compared to other Christian literature I’ve read on the same subject. However, a few key issues were unaddressed.
Jim Coggins states, “A person with a homosexual orientation who lives a celibate life should be as acceptable in our churches as any other single person.” This is true, but what about practising homosexuals? Are they not humans in need of grace (and so should be welcomed with open arms)? Or did Jesus only associate with “nonpractising” tax collectors and prostitutes? The idea of “cleaning up” bad behaviour before being accepted by the church is one we must be rid of. If homosexual orientation is being “sexually attracted” to members of the same sex, it will inevitably be linked to lust (like heterosexual desire), and so be as sinful as homosexual intercourse (see “Sermon on the Mount”).
Raising nonpractising homosexuals to a “welcomed” level is not consistent with the reality of our (heterosexuals) brokenness. One thing I often do to remind myself of how needy I am is compare my level of holiness to the perfect level required for eternity. Let’s say I think I’ve only sinned 100 times. Zero is what is required – my sin compared to what is required = 100/0. How far off am I? Infinitely far! How far off is someone who has only committed one sin? Infinitely far! My ratio is equal to that of a practising homosexual. The difference is Christ, not my heterosexuality.
As Christians, we would be most effective in reaching homosexuals if we revealed our own brokenness. This creates a kinship between sinners that results in mutual praise of the Most High. Before a homosexual will desire to change his or her behaviour, it must be clear that he or she is saved in spite of his or her lifestyle. Knowing this truth is the beginning of the work of the Holy Spirit. When a sinner comprehends the reality of the gift of salvation, the desire to serve the Giver is overwhelming.
I have had many discussions about homosexuality at Simon Fraser University, where I am a student, and I have found that statistics such as Harold Jantz’s about homosexuals’ overrepresentation among pedophiles serve no purpose but to promote discrimination. A statistic like this one only says that a lot of pedophiles are homosexuals, not that a lot of homosexuals are pedophiles.
Homosexuality as a sin is not different from the sin of our heterosexual non-Christian neighbours. Both parties need Christ and should be desired guests in our places of worship.
Justin Klassen,
Abbotsford B.C.
Inclination can be sinful
The well-articulated editorial in the Nov. 5 Herald desires to balance compassion with sound theology, but I was left with a few questions.
You distinguish between practice and temptation. Certainly, actions are more demonstrative than thoughts, which are concealed in the mind. However, between temptation and practice lies one other state. In Matthew 5:28, Jesus is not referring to “temptation” but rather inclination. The one who is tempted is, for a moment considering something which under normal circumstances would never be considered. Jesus, after not eating for over a month, was tempted by Lucifer; He resisted and was left alone.
Temptation and inclination are not nearly as synonymous as the editorial makes out. Someone who nurses an inclination, even if never indulging in the physical act, seems to qualify as having committed the sin, whereas the one who repudiates the notion immediately, does not.
You also say that homosexual sin is no worse than any others. Yet the depth of depravity epitomized by the sins of Sodom warranted destruction by direct divine intervention. Romans 1 says that God “gave them over to shameful lusts” and then goes on to describe homosexual acts. It concludes by saying that God “gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done”. David sinned, but he did not fall into a state of depravity.
Are sins of homosexuality really no worse than other sins? A more reasonable thesis might have been: Homosexuality is just another symptom of a depraved state of mind.
The logic of your editorial, therefore, does not support the conclusion very well. If one makes the distinction that Jesus made between temptation and inclination, and when one considers that God Himself gave such people over to this “depraved mind”, one is left feeling much less hopeful.
Erich J. Ritzmann,
Kitchener, Ont.
Accurate, balanced, insightful
A friend at the Alliance Church where I attend loaned me his copy of the Nov. 5 Herald. I’ve done a great deal of research on homosexuality, particularly as my union, the B.C. Teachers Federation, has been actively promoting gay rights and curriculum changes which would normalize and encourage homosexual practice. The information in Harold Jantz’s article is accurate and gives ample evidence why Christians should continue to oppose pro-gay propaganda in the public school system. I commend Jim Coggins on his balanced and insightful editorial. This is the best written piece on what the Christian approach to this issue should be that I have come across.
Chris Kempling,
Quesnel, B.C.
Homosexuality also a women’s issue
In the issue on homosexuality, your articles from people who have been in it were all from men. Most of your information was male-oriented. Being gay is just as difficult for women. There is a struggle that is not the same as men’s struggles.
Name withheld
With dignity and grounding
The Homosexuality issue of the Herald came to my apartment, being meant for the previous tenants. They will pick it up, but it was so pertinent to me, I would like to request a copy of my own. The subject was well covered with great dignity but a firm theological grounding.
Dianne Hine,
Kitchener, Ont.
Only way out
The letter by E.H. Thompson (Oct. 22) challenged Name Withheld’s divorce (Sept. 10) with “What God has joined together let no man put asunder”.
The woman’s letter speaks of being married to a man who does not follow God and was abusive to her. She had to make the gut-wrenching decision: Whom am I going to follow, God or my husband? According to the words of Jesus in Luke 14:26,27, who comes first, a spouse or Jesus?
Malachi 2:13-16 says: “ ‘I hate divorce’ says the LORD God of Israel, ‘and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment.’ ” Why is it the church fails to quote the entire portion of this Scripture?
Name Withheld says, “Many people do not want to believe that something so ugly (as abuse or violence) could be happening among their fellow church members. But it does happen.” It did in Bible times and it does today; let’s be honest about it. I Corinthians 7:15 says “A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.”
For some Christians, divorce is the only way out of abuse and violence.
Helen Grace Lescheid,
Abbotsford, B.C.
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