Comments on: Where is the love?

By: Dawn Maureen

Dawn Maureen — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:32:17 +0000

The bible says when someone is enslaved by sin to correct them gently. We are still supposed to offer correction. If they do not accept the correction, that means they have a problem with receiving discipline from God. Remember, when Jesus stopped the stoning of the woman caught in adultury, he did not say “continue on with what you were doing before” he said “Go and sin no more”. Accepting sin and accepting a person are two different things. We have to speak out against sin, especially mortal sin, or no one will know they are cutting themselves off from God. I discipline my own children when they do something immoral. I do this out of love, not because I’m not accepting them. I want them to grow up spiritually healthy, and this may require that they temporarily get mad at me.

By: Steve Valenta

Steve Valenta — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:50:33 +0000

Robert,

Thanks for your comments, I know how tired and ridiculous you think this topic is – so, I appreciate your time to weigh in – again! I really appreciate your comments regarding “distinguishing between having ethical principle and being judgmental…”

I don’t want to deny sin. I get the danger in that. Where I’m at, personally I guess, is I’ve “known” everyone’s sin for too long. I’ve “known” what’s right and wrong…and have caused too many to feel judged because of their “sinful” behavior – which is turning out to be more “difference” rather than “sin.”

Hard lines here. I hold loosely, brother. Thanks for your time.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:57:46 +0000

Unfortunately Steve, this conversation is getting a little nebulous. Show me these Christians who hate the person of a homosexual. Where are they? I do not hate them or anyone, nor do I think homosexuality is not a sin.

We can take two roads:

1. Love the sinner and forget about sin altogether, love and do not even speak about sin, or:

2. Love the sinner BY telling them about good and evil, sin and redemption.

Now look at the New Testament and try to find any evidence whatsoever that Jesus ascribed to the first option. He didn’t. He said to the adulteress that she was forgiven, saved her from stoning, and then said “Go, and SIN NO MORE.” When he healed someone, I think it is the lame person at the pool that I am thinking of, he said “Now do not sin any more, or something worse will happen to you.” He forgave people in order to bring them to the light, not to affirm the darkness. If there were no sin, there would be no need to be forgiven.

We are not being the light of the world when we deny that there is such a thing as sin. Neither are we, when we shun and hate any human being because of what they have done, because we were all born in darkness.

I know that a lot of people in this day and age have a hard time distinguishing between having ethical principles and being judgmental, but there is a difference.

Now I have brought some debate over here, lol. Gotta share with Brittian now brother, he can’t keep all this controversy to himself.

By: Brittian Bullock

Brittian Bullock — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:39:13 +0000

Really good commentary Steve. Really good stuff. the conversation got so frieking heated over at sensualjesus–it’s nice to see the calm over here bro. Good words!

By: Steve Valenta

Steve Valenta — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:51:52 +0000

Thanks alot for your comments – I really appreciate them. It’s not easy – and there’s no clear answer. My thoughts are I think that we’ve erred too much on the side of judgement and deciding what’s moral and what isn’t. I guess I’m taking an experiential road of what would happen if I erred on the side of love and acceptance?

Not necessarily acceptance of what I think is immoral – but acceptance of the person. To genuinely accept them even if they’re completely different than me…even if the difference is “immoral.”

Imagine the dialogue and engaging conversations you could have with “moral and immoral” people if they genuinely felt loved and accepted by you?

I’m understanding how much I actually don’t know and how often I’ve been wrong when I thought I knew something for sure.

Jesus continually disappointed the disciples…nearly every time He encountered someone different than them. Almost every story – they left disappointed by Him because He didn’t meet their expectations. How often did he lovingly rebuke them for not accepting someone?

These are just my thoughts of an experiential road. Thanks Blake.

By: Blake

Blake — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:05:08 +0000

But are we really ready to frame “love” as letting people do anything they want? Has that become our definition of love? Or, when a friend is deciding to do something wrong or immoral, doesn’t “love” mean saying “No, you shouldn’t do this”? Putting aside all the extremists (the haters) on both sides of the political argument, doesn’t this issue still come down to whether or not you believe homosexual acts are immoral? If I believe it is immoral, what kind of friend am I if I don’t say so? Voting is just how we say so. Olbermann is not just railing against the haters, he is grouping me in with them just because I would say, “No, you shouldn’t do this.”