Dear Friends:
I tried to defend - or at least recontextualize - Barack Obama's association with Donnie McClurkin the other day, but the latest revelations are just too much. Clearly, Obama has thrown his lot in with defending a bigoted fathead. I kept hoping that he would take the appropriate steps to distance himself from said bigoted fathead, without much luck. If anything, he's even more tightly wrapped up in McClurkin now.
Plenty of people have weighed in on the politics of the situation already, probably much better than I could. If you're really curious, you can read my take on it here.
But there is more to be said about this than political commentary. As an ordained minister in and on behalf of the universal church of Jesus Christ, I feel compelled to tell you that Donnie McClurkin is absolutely and fundamentally wrong. There is no such thing as "God's way" as opposed to the "homosexual lifestyle."
Jesus said:
Whoever is not against us is for us.
He also said:
Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
There is no straight "us" vs. queer "them". There is only us in Christ, a universal offer of grace and redemption.
Paul said:
We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
In the sacrificial death and resurrection of God's only begotten Son, the human conflict with God has been brought to an end, and the enemies reconciled to one another. The good news of Jesus Christ is that we are already saved, without condition or revocation.
Therefore,
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
This is often taken as a treatise on "carnality," which is to say, sexual sin. In fact, it is often used to oppressed just such people as yourselves in the way that McClurkin does, by portraying homosexuality as nothing more than selfish physical gratification at best and outright victimization at worst.
However, there are two things you should know about this. The first is that "the flesh" here means selfishness, period. Sexual orientation has nothing to do with it. If you take advantage of other people and live without regard to their needs, then you live according to the way of death. But if you live in love and generosity, then you live according to the Spirit. It's really that simple. Paul apparently thought of homosexual practice as a reflection of selfishness - he had no frame of reference for understanding sexual orientation or the mutual equality of committed partners - but our understanding has changed. His basic point, however, stands: because the God of Christ is characterized by self-giving, those who are self-seeking cannot be in right relationship with that God.
Furthermore, because the promise of salvation in Christ is universal, there is no hierarchy to it. Either we are all saved, or we are all cursed, equally. For this reason Paul could again say:
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
He might as well have said "there is no longer gay or straight." Those who belong to Christ are those who have accepted the promise of salvation and live in the way of the Spirit. They have become God's beloved children, and they have nothing to fear in the judgment:
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
You, my friends, have been adopted by God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So have I. So has everyone else in all the world. But you, like us, have every right to cry out to God: "Daddy!" And you, like us, are called to stand with and suffer for the poor, the powerless, the lowly and the despised. This is your birthright, and no bigot can take it away from you.
It might be properly objected here that I am only one pastor from a relatively obscure tradition facing up against a tradition that is overwhelmingly hostile to gays and lesbians. That may very well be the case. There are probably more Christians like myself than you might suppose, but nevertheless, somedays it seems like Donnie McClurkin is more representative of the Christian faith than I am. So be it.
All I can tell you is the tradition as I understand it. Which is to say, to offer you the grace that I know in the way that best fits the situation. And here, now, between you and me, I will tell you that Donnie McClurkin is a broken, hurting man who is not dealing with it very well, and he is very, very wrong about sexuality, about sin, and about what God wants from you and me.
Here is the truth that McClurkin and so many others have missed. As a very astute friend of mine once said, when we get up to the Pearly Gates, St. Peter is not going to ask us whether we're gay or straight, Republican or Democrat. He's not even going to ask us if we're Christian or not. In fact, St. Peter's not going to be at the gates at all, and he's certainly not going to be asking any questions.
Instead, we will simply come face to face with Christ himself, and even he won't be asking any questions. He'll just say: "I think I know you. I was hungry in Africa, and you fed me." Or: "Oh, I recognize you. I was in jail in Texas, and you came to see me." Or: "I remember you! You took care of me in the hospice in Calcutta!" Or: "No, no, I don't think I know you. Sorry." This is both the grace and the judgment we are offered, and you'll notice it doesn't have a damn thing to do with whom we shared a bed, how we voted, or even what we believed.
Good night, then, and best of luck. The love of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the direction of the Holy Spirit guide you into all peace and fulfillment. Live up to your vocation to love one another, and ignore the fatheads. God loves you very much, and so do I.
Yours,
pastordan
Pee Ess: Sorry to post and run - I have a training for most of the day. But I will come back and respond to comments this afternoon. But for those of you who aren't Christian: this is not an apologetic defense of Christianity, nor an assertion of its superiority as such. It's simply saying that McClurkin is wrong, and the promise of Christianity is available to all. If you're not interested, I'm sure you have many betters things to do today than say so at great length.