This is at least a rough draft: I need to work on some of the fine points.
Dear Rev. Mohler:
I spoke to one of the saints of my church this past Sunday morning. She is in her mid eighties, and yet she works fulltime as a hairdresser in a little shop attached to her house. She has belonged to our church her entire life, and spent countless hours down in the kitchen, cooking for potpie dinners or baking for the annual cookie walk.
Each year, her grandson, a gay man, comes down for our Christmas Eve service. Sometimes he brings his partner with him. Last year, I wasn't able to shake his hand; he was carrying out a poinsettia or two that he'd sponsored.
Anyway, in light of your recent comments that our denomination's "God is Still Speaking" television commercial is a "diabolical misrepresentation of the Christian faith," I wonder if you would mind giving me some pastoral advice. How exactly is it that I should tell this grandmother that her grandson is not welcome in our church? Should I explain to her that in order to maintain the body of Christ pure and unblemished, her loved one must be cast out?
If we take the angle that homosexuality is a sin, I'll have to explain to her that she should take the handful of scriptural passages that condemn same-sex intercourse at literal face value, but that she should then disregard Jesus' example of welcoming to himself those traditionally shut out of religious participation: children, the lame, lepers, sinners, tax collectors, and so on. How should I do this? She may very well respond with Jesus' consistent exhortations to avoid judging one another. How shall I respond to her?
I see on your weblog your thought that Jesus welcomed sinners, but expected them to repent of their sins. Since all the examples of Jesus' calling people to repentance involve social sins--that is to say, hurting other people--how should I explain this to this grandmother? If you could remind me how it is that being gay hurts someone else, I'd really appreciate it.
My saint may want to leave the church after such an exchange. What should I tell her friends, who have known since before my own parents were born? How should I minister to her, or to them? I'm afraid I may not have much of a pastoral relationship with her after this. She may feel hurt, as if she or her grandson had been somehow found to unworthy of God's grace and mercy. How should I tell her that God still loves her family, even though His church has banished her grandson?
I also spoke on Sunday to a family that's been visiting the church lately. They have two grandsons who have been attracted to the church through a new children's program we're running. One of these boys has a father from Ghana. The other is at least part Hispanic. We're very happy to have them with us, and we hope that they will choose to join the church at some point.
As you no doubt remember, the "God is Still Speaking" commercial also features an African-American boy who is turned aside by the bouncers outside a church. If our ads are "diabolical misrepresentations," as you suggest, won't I have to tell this family that in fact they're not welcome either? How should I tell them that our church is for white folks only? Should I tell them that the gospel passages where Jesus heals people from outside the Jewish nation were wrong, and he shouldn't have done it? Should I let them know that his commandment to "go out into the entire world, making disciples as you go" was just a joke? Oh, and what about the part of Acts where Peter baptizes an Ethiopian man? Does that not apply, either?
And if I tell them that this part of the commercial is in fact right on, and people of all races are welcome in our church, won't I have to tell the grandmother that her grandson is welcome, too?
I suppose I could say that being gay isn't something you're born with, like your skin color, but I'm not sure she'd believe me. And I'm not sure that my half-Ghanian boy would find much comfort in that, either. After all, he's half-white too, yet by the rules of our society, he'll have to grow up black whether he wants to or not.
More to the point, I'm a bit confused as to how to tell this grandmother that her grandson has somehow made himself less than acceptable in God's eyes. Should I also let her know that he'll burn in Hell unless he repents his sin? Perhaps I should let her know that his faithful relationship with his partner means that they should both be put to death? I have to confess, I'm a little dubious about that as a pastoral message. But fair is fair: that's what Leviticus says, so it must be right.
Well, by now I'm sure you've figured out that I don't agree with your position on gays and lesbians, or about the welcome that they receive in the United Church of Christ.
But I do have a serious question for you, Dr. Mohler.
Do you consider the human costs of your positions, or is this all just an abstraction to you?
I would find it very difficult to pastor were I to take as hard a line as you do. More important, I would find it very difficult to remain faithful to the God who is love while preaching and teaching rejection, judgment, and harsh penalty. On a very practical, very human level, I can tell you that your message would rip my congregation apart, as well as drive them from the love, mercy and grace of God.
That is a cost I am not willing to pay for holiness, and one that I don't believe God calls us to pay. Christ emptied himself out on our behalf, and I don't see anywhere in the gospels that he indicates that his love was meant for only a few.
Yours in Christ,
pastordan