How Long

Most churches spend little time looking ahead and planning for unexpected events.  

In the 70s some black folks were going around interrupting church services to read  their "Black Manifesto." At one of the business meetings the men of the congregation we attended in Ohio addressed the issue of how the congregation would respond. One of the men said if they showed up he would blow them back out the door with his shotgun. No one asked if he had the shotgun with him at all times or if he had it stored someplace accessible in the building.  I did not doubt the former or the latter.

Now change the scenario to gay. How will we react to a practicing homosexual showing up at our door; maybe as a result of an invitation of one of our members?  When it happens it will catch us off guard and we will be unsure of how we should react or act. The men have already shown we cannot discuss sensitive issues so this should be good one.

My guess is the men will be surprised to know the word homosexual does not appear  in the original text but rather a description that some translators translate as homosexual. Several versions translate the terminology as homosexual but the word does not appear. It did not exist until the last century.

1 Cor. 6:9 (ESV)
    Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality (KJV-nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, ) 

1 Tim. 1:10 (ESV) 
    the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality (KJV-defile themselves with mankind), enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 

 

Homosexual is slang for queer. Queer means: off center, weird, odd, unwell. Synonym to queer is strange. Nothing to do with same gender sex.

According to the Wiki Dictionary, Gay in the sense of homosexual (first recorded in 1951) was shortened from earlier gay cat 'homosexual boy' in underworld and prison slang, itself first attested about 1935, but used earlier for a young tramp or hobo attached to an older one.

People attracted sexually to members of their own gender are at the very least a bit odd, weird, off center.  They are queer. They should not be mistreated because of their queerness but there is no denying they are a bit odd. Anyone who has ever seen a female impersonator doing burlesque understands those folks are a bit strange. 

Anyway I am looking forward to the eventual discussion of what we do.

 

As an aside notice in 1 Corinthians 6:9 sexually immoral, adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality are different, Apparentloy adulterers are not being sexually immoral as effeminate, and abusers of themselves with mankin are not being sexually immoral. That might be worth discussing that in a class sometime.