My sister is the queen of something known as “friendship evangelism.” While my brother-in-law completely rejected the Muslim my niece dated for awhile—refusing to stay with them when they visited, lest he be seen as endorsing the relationship—my sister took a different tack. She was very kind to her daughter’s boyfriend, staying in their home and participating in their lives.
“How will he come to know Jesus if no one will share it with him?” was my sister’s logic. By being friendly, she was certain, at some point, her daughter’s boyfriend would come around and accept Jesus and leave behind his “false religion” of Islam.
I found her tactic offensive. To their credit, so did my niece and her boyfriend. Neither of them were fooled. They saw right through my sister’s veiled attempts at evangelism.
A new book by two pastors with a ministry focus on traditional sexual “sinners” like those in the porn industry and those who “struggle” with pornography, is seeking to revive this sort of “friendship evangelism.” They’re traveling the country, attending gay pride parades, handing out “Jesus Loves You” water bottles and wrist bracelets apologizing for how the church has treated “sinners” like gays and lesbians.
”The gay community has been singled out and condemned by people who have hijacked the Jesus of Scripture,” said Harper, director of community outreach at Capital Christian Center in Sacramento, Calif. “Many people we encountered had never had a positive experience with a religious person or the name Jesus. We desired to talk about their spirituality, not their sexuality, and focus on the hope and love of Jesus.”
While that sounds innocuous enough, when one takes a closer look at Jason Harper and his buddy Craig Gross, who is the “founder of TripleXChurch, a Web network that helps those struggling with pornography and workers in the adult entertainment industry,” their true agenda shines through—especially when you see who they’re working with.
One of their partners in their appearance at Atlanta pride is an outfit called Perimeter Church. A look at their Web site would have you think they’re one of those hip Emergent type churches with open hearts, open theology, and open doors. Not so fast. A closer look shows they’re a member of the Presbyterian Church in America—the ultra-conservative arm of the Presbyterian Church, and no friend of progressive theology or gays and lesbians.
So, while Harper and Gross say they’re sharing Jesus’ “unconditional” love, it’s clear that there are strings attached. In the first chapter of their book Harper and Gross write:
Imagine a church or community where Jesus was communicated in such a way that everyone belonged. They were included. And from this feeling of belonging, over time the message of Jesus made an impact on their belief. And from that newfound fullness of God, their behavior changed.If this practice won out over religious dogma, rooted in rules and regulations, more people would find hope in the authentic Christ.
Again, sounds lovely, but what they want is the “behavior” of gays and lesbians to change. It’s a kinder, gentler Fred Phelps—whose church, by the way, gave the book a hateful review after the authors went to spread their love to Fred’s in Topeka, Kansas.
The offensiveness of this “friendship evangelism” cannot be overstated. Let me outline what I find most offensive. First, gay and lesbian people are lumped in with porn stars. I agree with them that the porn industry is harmful not just to women, but to men. It degrades both men and women—but women especially. I join with them in their quest to change the behavior of porn stars. However, I am offended that my community is lumped in with them. There is absolutely no comparison. It’s like comparing the heterosexual community to the porn industry. Yes, there are some perverts in the heterosexual community, but that doesn’t mean the whole community is perverse. Same goes for the gay and lesbian community.
Secondly, this form of “friendship evangelism” does further damage to how gay and lesbian people perceive the church. While it’s true you may catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, in the end, the fly still gets squashed. So, some unsuspecting gay and lesbian people may take Gross and Harper up on their offer and accept Jesus’ love—then they get swatted. The strings are that your “behavior” must change—you can’t be gay or lesbian anymore and expect God to love you. So much for Jesus’ “unconditional” love.
Gay and lesbian people won’t be fooled by this kind of bait and switch evangelism. Both Gross and Harper complain in their book about the “hijacking” of Jesus by people who use Jesus’ name to build wealth or worldly power. But, they too are equally guilty of hijacking Jesus and using him to lure in unsuspecting people who are promised grace but are instead given condemnation. In their attempt to win more people to Christ, they only end up confirming the worst fears that the gay and lesbian community already has about Christians. And that’s a sin.
Tags: hell, jesus, lgbt, pornography, presbyterian church in america
I do not believe the writers were "lumping" gays and porn addicts together... but the bottom line is, sin is sin in the eyes of God... and Yes Jesus loves us all, but He hates our sin... Even thou He ate with sinners, He also challanged them to change...
Being a former homosexual who has turned away from the sins of the flesh, I know first hand that God calls us to be holy and deny our sinnful fleshly desires... It is not easy to embrace - but the Truth shall set you free...
Your personal experience and interpretation of that experience does not a universal truth imply.
If the Mad Doctor is going to take my Blogger moniker in vain then I shall start start posting anti-homophobic comments under the alias of twat@twitter and everyone will think they are from him.
To be homosexual is not unholy nor is it sinful; to marry one's partner of the same sex is not unholy nor is it sinful. People who may have dabbled with same sex sexual activity when younger, whether as heterosexuals or bisexuals, may not say they are "former" homosexuals. If they were homosexual-- as an identified sexual orientation recognised by the scientific community-- they are still homosexual.
The Truth is that Jesus is not recorded to have addressed the topic of sexuality directly during his ministry. The Truth is that God evidently makes some to be homosexual; most are heterosexual... and the Bible knows nothing about that. That's the "Truth."
I think you should look at your Bible again. "The Bible" condemns homosexuality. Start with Leviticus and follow the marginal notes...
Bible writings actually teach that only the 'wicked' will burn in hell.
Do you like the idea of spending eternity with unrepentant murderers, child molesters, those who profit in the traffic of human sex slaves, Hitler, and people who would slit your throat at the drop of a hat (you get the idea!)? It's the spirits of such who will be in the metaphysical fires of hell.
The metaphysical fires are purifying and that's why the wicked are in torment.
When Adam/man (primate/soul/First Adam Gen. 2:7) entered the garden he gained a metaphysical spirit, which enabled him to 'change' (second Adam, Gen. 2:8)
It is this metaphysical presence that creates human 'higher consciousness (aura, etc.)'. Its otherworldy, eternal and industructible, as God is, being God's image (as God is eternal so is the image he gave human beings, otherwise we could not reside in God's realm).
Without the body a human being is like the angels, and if not sorry for their wrongs, after death of the body, their spirit returns to the metaphysical regions (Hell, created for fallen angels), the spirits of benevolent people go to Paradise.
You won't hear this particular version preached in any church though because they don't know their own Bible.
You're right though, a good deal of religious befriending is for the purpose of converting, which is a wrong motive and not in line with Bible teachings.
I am sorry you are so confused. Read your Bible. What is a "metaphysical fire"? "Benevolent" people go to heaven, or rather their spirits do?
I have some great news! There is no hell; it was all made up thousands of years ago by people who didn't know any better, but who were frankly trying to control other people with the primitive tools they had at hand. Maybe people could feel better about a lot of things if they left behind this particular variety of imagined nonsense. Just a thought, of course.
Unfortunately. . . . the simplicity of your approach will fly over the heads of those who'se efforts are simply to grasp "CONTROL"
over others.
Another approach that blows holes in their arguments/pronouncements:
"TAKE THE $$$$ OUT OF THE EQUATION, AND
ALL THESE WOULD-BE DO-GOODERS WOULD FLEE
TO SOME OTHER SCHEME."
buckheaddad
"....focus on traditional sexual “sinners” like those in the porn industry and those who “struggle” with pornography, is seeking to revive this sort of “friendship evangelism.” They’re traveling the country, attending gay pride parades, handing out “Jesus Loves You” water bottles and wrist bracelets apologizing for how the church has treated “sinners” like gays and lesbians."
I did a double take with this lumping together of porn and gays and lesbians. Do these people have any idea of how many hetero people view pornography - including some clergy? To lump it in with one group of people is superficial, untrue, and -well - dumb.
As a Christian I deeply resent people who use Jesus to bash other people. Jesus never did that, well, he did say some harsh things about the religious leaders who acted hypocritically and unjustly. And those folks who are deciding who is "going to burn in hell" should remember Jesus' teaching about judging others. I suspect we will be very much surprised by just who we share the next life with.
I agree with the main thrust of your commentary. However, your aside about pornography being demeaning seems overstated. Your equating the word "pervert" the word "pornography" is pretty offensive in itself.
I use the word "pervert" in more of an ironic way than a way that means to be offensive. Homosexuals are always called "perverts" so to say that there are an equal number of "perverts" in the heterosexual community is to use their own phrase against them. Sorry for the confusion.
I note that you agree with the attempt to change the behavior of porn stars, but you didn't say anything at all about the behavior of the people who use porn.
An excellent point Lindy, and one I'm remiss to overlook. If consumers of porn were not so numerous the business wouldn't be so lucrative - but most porn consumers can now do so from the privacy of their own home, so it's hard for ministries like this one to "track them down" so to speak, so they go after the obvious folks - those making the porn.
As long as people will buy, there will always be porn. So how do we change the behavior of the porn consumer?
You change it by making the culture less sexually-repressed.
Unfortunately the people who complain the most about porn are making the culture more sexually-repressed. The strong desire of anti-sexuality people to ban, to forbid, create artificial obsessions in the culture with the banned and the forbidden.
So as long as they crusade against someone else you're not offended?
I agree that the idea of Friendship Evangelism is, at it's base, offensive. The whole concept of "Jesus Loves You, but You're Going to Hell" is incredibly ironic.
However, I do believe that it is a step in the right direction for these churches. Many of their members will see the outright hypocrisy and it will lead them to question their hypocritical beliefs.
I think that their attempts at being loving may lead them in a positive direction; it's much better than the outright hostility that we've become accustomed to.
I never thought of that when it came to Jesus's teaching. Never interpreted my readings of the bible to this article...
Fern,
50 LCD TV
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