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Thursday, August 16, 2007
Marvin Olasky :: Townhall.com Columnist
The August Drumbeat
by Marvin Olasky
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Poll
What was the biggest suprise of Election Day?



Should biblical churches host gay-glorifying funerals? Should evangelical politics move leftward? Many news organs give us one answer: Yes!

The lead of an Aug. 11 Associated Press story seemed to expose a clear case of homophobia: "A megachurch canceled a memorial service for a Navy veteran 24 hours before it was to start because the deceased was gay."

The story stated that officials at High Point Church in Arlington, Texas, offered to host the service for a gay janitor who wasn't a church member but had worked there -- only to say no when his obituary listed a life partner. The deceased's sister said, "It's a slap in the face."

The AP story did quote the church's pastor's concern that the service would promote the gay lifestyle. That quotation was a throwback to the old AP style of trying to present both sides equally, but the new AP is politically correct, and the overall slant of this story was clear: Christians lack compassion.

A Dallas Morning News story was more nuanced. It noted that the issue was not the deceased's unrepentant homosexuality but that "his friends and family wanted that part of his life to be a significant part of the service."

The church offered to pay for a different venue, and sent over food and a multimedia presentation of photos of the janitor's life, minus the gay-glorifying images his friends and family had wanted to include. The Dallas Morning News story ended with a querying note about whether there's any way to prevent such disputes.

Is there a way to decrease the likelihood of such friction? It's clear that churches need to work out guidelines ahead of time, with the most important being that a church's pastor or someone he designates needs to officiate at a funeral service in the church: Those who want to use church facilities need to agree to abide by his decisions as to what will be part of the service. The base line should be to love all sinners but never to proselytize for sin. Continued...
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About The Author
Marvin Olasky is editor-in-chief of the national news magazine World, provost of The King's College, and a professor of journalism at The University of Texas at Austin. For additional commentary by Marvin Olasky, visit www.worldmag.com.
 
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Reply # 1
Date: Aug 17, 2007 - 5:36 PM EST
reply to comicalcupcake
I urge you to take a look at Rev. Phelps' website. His treatise on God's hatred should give any Christian something to think about. Your way of reading the OT is certainly traditional enough. Luther's teaching concerning the primis usus legis (primary use of the Law) has the OT identifying and labeling sin and the NT as the scripture disclosing Christ's salvation and the forgiveness of sin. However traditional it is in Christianity, it's still a doctrine that lets the conservative Christian avail herself of all the rhetorical firepower, condemnation, and hate-mongering of the OT without having to step up and take responsibility for either implementing the Law or discouraging other Christians from trying to implement it. The result of implementing the Law, of course, would be radically unacceptable to the majority of Christians living today. Thus, the present-day Christian is hypocritical, espousing a Law under which she would not want to live.
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Reply # 2
Date: Aug 17, 2007 - 4:44 PM EST
Hi Gestell--hope I can clarify
I do not mean my reference to the OT to say that we should live under Mosaic law. I am not a Reconstructionist. Praise the Lord that we are, in the church age, free from the condemnation of Mosaic law! I do believe that that law was correct for that time and place, and that it can give guidelines as to how to live our lives.

As some scholars have explained, different laws had different purposes, whether moral, ceremonial, or health. All types can illuminate in some way. Salvation does not come from following these laws (even the moral ones) but from repenting and believing in Christ. However, in directing one's daily life, OT moral law, much of which was reaffirmed and expanded upon in Jesus' teachings, still holds guiding principles. If something was considered a sin then, it will still be a sin now, if done in the same type of situation. If the penalty for something was severe, that probably means it's something we should avoid even today. But I emphasize that following God's Word is an expression of obedience to God in a renewed life, not a rigid set of rules to earn our way to heaven.

I intended by my reference to the OT to say that God is angered by sin. It is important to remember that the God of the OT is the same as the God of the NT, though through Christ we are under grace. God is not any less angered by intentional, unrepentant sin than He was then. But He offers grace and forgiveness to those who will repent from their sins and turn to Him through his Son.

I for one do not see how any of Mr. Phelps' well-known actions are consistent with relationship with a God who extends grace to a repentant sinner. It's true that condemnation awaits those who continue to live in sin, but that's only half the story, and not the good half at that.

I'm not sure you'll agree, but I hope I at least made myself clearer.
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