American Family Association's Comments part 2

Yesterday I posted about the AFA's comments regarding Chaz Bono and her bad choices, and how her bad choices are being flaunted on nationwide television in a celebratory fashion, and that we should keep our children from being traumatized by her "lifestyle".

Although I agree with the AFA that Cher's daughter Chastity has made some terrible choices, pointing them out the way the AFA chose to do it, with the support of the Fox TV channel, seemed to me to come from the wrong place.They stated that children would be confused and swayed while going through the formative years of discovering their own sexuality, and that it might cause damage to young children to view such a perverse person being idolized for their "couragious" transformation through "gender reasignment". Yeah, ok, I admit it...I also have some genuine problems with what is going on with all of this celebration of perversion. But there is a right way and a wrong way of addressing the issue, isn't there? Saying that we should protect ourselves and our children from these spiritual lepers comes from a fearful disposition that is afraid of catching the sin disease. I have news for everyone, we are already seriously infected, and the infection is terminal....at least for the mortal part of our lifespan. We all will die because we all have sinned and have been born into sin.

1John chapter 4 tells us that perfect love casts out all fear. Do we believe that? Do Evangelical Christians really believe that? Is that what the American Family Association is emulating by how they address the Chastity Bono problem? Did they confess their own sin nature before casting a stone in Chastity's direction?

The sin we see all around us these days is terrible, to be sure. However, Jesus promised us His protection for our families if we trust Him. If we don't trust Him to complete the job that He promised HE WOULD COMPLETE, no amount of boycotting and fear-filled proclamations will help us.

As I think on these things, the parable of the good Samaritan comes to my mind. Here is one who is despised by the "good and respectable" people of Israel, yet he proves himself to be a better person in God's eyes, by helping someone who was beaten by robbers and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite passed by without offering any assistance, but this Samaritan who Jews found to be contemptible, shows that even though he is the least, he proves himself the greatest. He didn't hold his nose and pretend not to see this poor man. He stopped and poured oil in his wounds. Then he took him to an inn and paid for him to be taken care of until he was well. Then, he even goes further than that, promising the innkeeper that if the costs exceed what he has paid him, that he will reimburse him the next time he comes through town. How many of us would be the good Samaritan? How many of us would be the priest or the Levite? To my shame I confess that I am that priest and that Levite. Likewise are the American Family Association also in that proud group of failures. Yes, what Chastity has done is a result of her sin nature. Chastity is that damaged soul beaten by the robbers who have damaged her and left her hurt and dying. Do we add to her pain? Or do we love her and tell her that in spite of her damage, we care about her and hope a good outcome for her?

We need to remember where we came from, and to remember also that when we ridicule someone else for their sin, we stand in danger of falling back into it because we then lay ourselves wide open to the enemy. He uses our fear and our pride against us like a snare. We must cry over the sins that ensnare others in a manner that will bring conviction and repentance. It is true that some may never come to repent, and that is fine, God can handle that one too. Romans 8:28 is ever present to remind me of just how great a God we have.

As an interesting addendum please read about this study that put this parable to the test among "good Christian college students":

http://epiphenom.fieldofscience.com/2011/04/not-so-good-samaritan.html
Thankfully, we are not saved by our good works, or none of us would make it... but this should still make us very sad :-( God sees us and our shortcomings better than our enemies do, and yes He shows us compassion...so shouldn't we also likewise have that same mind that is in Christ for those who are sinners....just like us?