A Thought About NALT

There is this thing going on, this thing called NALT. It’s a bunch of Christians pointing at Christians and calling them bigots for calling homosexuality sin. Lead by fellas like Dan Savage and John Shore this thing aims at proclaiming to LGBT’s that Not All Christians are Like That (NALT).

They stare down at their fellow “brothers and sisters” saying that they are wrong, bigots, right-wing conservatives, and fundamentalists for thinking and believing the Bible to condemn homosexuality. (In fact Shore even goes so far as to call them unbelievers.)

And to a point I agree. Yea, we’re not all like that. Yea, not all Christians want to, “Hate LGBT” people. But quite frankly I find this little thing extremely offensive and divisive.

NALT does nothing more than give incentive to pit brother against brother and sister against sister. (Which, I suppose, I should be glad since, “I have come to, ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother…” Matt 10:34-39)

By essentially claiming that all Christians who are not supporting LGBT ideals hate LGBT people is a universal claim that is majoritively untrue.

I do not support LGBT. The Bible is clear this is sin. But does this mean I hate them?

No, it means I want to love them and see them saved from their sin. Yet still more I do not see my sin as anymore terrible, damnable, or deplorable than their sin. But to say, “Turn from your sins with me and believe in Jesus,” is in fact loving.

Are all LGBT unsaved nonbelievers? No. Is it possible to be a Christian who struggles with homosexuality? Yes. However one’s identity would not be in their homosexuality but rather in Jesus. “Gay Christians” by nature identify themselves first by their sexual standing and not by their supposed Savior.

But again, I identify myself by my sins or any other thing than Jesus more often than not. Does this make me not a Christian? No, it makes me a saved sinner who struggles – along with all the other saved sinners – to see Jesus as completely satisfying in all areas of life including my heterosexuality.

So what am I saying? I’m saying that NALT is a divisive, manipulative and filled with false claims. I’m saying there is another option to their two-optioned approach. You can be a Christian and believe homosexuality is a sin and not hate the LGBT people – it’s called a “disagreement” and contrary to NALT teaching, these “disagreements” happen quite a bit.

Sadly Sobering

Today was the first day of orientation for seminary - lots of beginnings and meeting new people and neat professors/VP fellas. In so many ways this has been the point I’d looked forward to so many years ago when I graduated high school.

I remember dreaming about becoming a pastor while cleaning the offices of the church my family went to, almost longing for the day to come when I could start seminary. Thinking I could make a case for them to let me in early without a bachelor’s degree (young and dumb). It was an exciting day, having those thoughts run through my brain from years ago.

But it was a sobering day.

As my wife and I got home, we went to check our mailbox. One of the cooks from my two-month table-waiting job who lives in our complex was there. I asked how things were going there… He stuttered and stumbled and choked on his words to say the chief killed himself on Monday.

I know that guy. I knew that guy. He smiled and helped me a ton… My fumbling, ignorant, naivety he forgave and would say, “Don’t worry about it, it happens,” with a compassionate smile. I can’t tell you how many times in those two months I felt forgiveness and kindness from that in the kitchen or how often I thought I could do my job confidently because there was a guy willing to be forgiving of my waitering faults.

All day long I heard about the weighty beauty of the studies to come. All night long I’ll think of the reality of death and absolute necessity the kindness of the gospel is for broken people. “A bruised reed he will not break and smoldering flax he will not quench.” “Come to me all who are heavy laden, for my burden is light and my yoke is easy.” “All things work together for the good of those who are called according to his purposes…”

This is why we do ministry. To minister - shepherd and serve - those who are destitute and afflicted, storm tossed and heavy laden, shattered and broken, depressed and despairing, to love those only Christ in us could love, to have compassion on the wounded and destitute.

This is what we proclaim: certain hope in the salvation of Jesus and the coming redemption of our frailties, the perfect man in the place of our imperfections, the grace of God and the mercy of our Lord.

This is a sadly-sobering day.

Trip to Wichita Thoughts

1) For kids a plane ride is like a forced time-out... For hours.

2) Rains and floods!

3) We're gonna do a wedding reception every other week. 

4) U2. The Joshua Tree. Vinyl. Awesome.

5) Flying busses in the sky.

6) eat. Eat. EAT!

7) Tiger the lion

8) Seeing friends and family!

9) Did I mention we ate a lot?

10) Bangs! For the wife, I didn't get bangs. Bangs would be weird on a guy. Real weird.

11) We sat down in row 16 on the plane, which would've been fine, but we were in row 19... So we changed to row 18, which also would've been fine, but we were in row 19. Yes, we've flown all over the world multiple times but can't get our row right.

12) "... When I look at that God, the God of Abraham, I feel I'm near a real god, not the sort of dignified, businesslike, Rotary Club God we chatter about here on Sunday mornings. Abraham's God could blow a man to bits, give and then take a child, ask for everything from a person, and then want more. I want to know that God." B. Manning.

13) The Ragamuffin Gospel. Read it.