Acceptance

In December, I wrote in support of an evangelical church that welcomes gays as they feel homosexuality is a God-given trait like any other. I noted that if sexual orientation isn't a choice, that's the only logical conclusion.

I had a comment (!) noting that even if it were a choice, it wouldn't make gays any less of God's children. The last few days I've been thinking about that, which probably means I should write more on the topic.

First of all, I agree completely. Even if homosexuality was a choice, and even if one thinks it's a sin, that doesn't matter; everyone sins, but that doesn't make them any less of God's creation.

The point I was trying to make is that there are people who do believe sexual attraction isn't a choice and yet still have trouble accepting openly or actively gay members in their churches... and that makes very little sense to me. Seeing someone like Reverend Tidd make the logical conclusion is a welcome change from that attitude, and I really wish more people would follow it.

What bothers me most about it is that churches single out gays for this treatment. Even if one truly believes that homosexual behavior is a sin, why is it the one and only one that can bar someone from membership in the church or the Christian community? As I've said before, no one seems to bar adulterers from their churches (and sometimes not even from their pulpits). No one quizzes anyone on if they've ever coveted, or stolen, or failed to honor their parents, and churches never turn anyone away on the basis of committing those sins—sins that, unlike homosexuality, are actually mentioned in the 10 Commandments, which most Christians believe to be an important part of their faith.

So when I see a Christian church with a more welcoming attitude, I think it's a wonderful thing... and a church that goes beyond simply "welcoming" to actually "accepting", even more so. We could do with some more accepting and less judging in this world.