Five Truths About Homosexuality Every Christian Needs to Learn

1. There's No Such Thing as a Homosexual

Homosexual is an adjective not a noun. There are people with same-sex attraction, people who engage in homosexual acts, but there are not homosexuals. See what I did there? I identified them as people, because that is what they are. People who happen to be attracted to others of the same sex.

Who was the genius who decided sexual orientation was a person's defining characteristic. I don't go around identifying myself as a heterosexual as that one thing can define who I am. I am a husband, a father, a teacher, a writer and a follower of Jesus, a child of God. I certainly don't identify myself by my sins, I don't introduce myself by saying, "Hi, I'm Zach, a luster and coveter."

Rather than identifying themselves by the full majesty of their God image and all that it entails, people who are homosexual often identify themselves by something as trivial as sex. And we (Christians) help push them to do that. We have so marginalized homosexuality apart from all the other "socially acceptable" sins that homosexual people feel they have had no choice but to band together, to form a community and a culture based around their attraction and their practice. A culture full of marches, rainbows, sweater vests, and a hundred other things that have nothing to do with sexual orientation.

People with same sex attraction are so much more than that. They are people made in the image of God, with potential to do any number of wonderful, almost miraculous things. Many of them engage in constructive things for society, working in essential jobs, making beautiful art, volunteering to help the poor, and giving generously.  And until we learn to see them as people, we will continue to isolate them and marginalize them. And they will not want to listen to us either.

2. Homosexual People Are Not Destroying Our Society

We did that long before gay marriage became part of the national debate. We destroy society with our greed and our lust, and most importantly by our denial of God as the Maker and Sustainer of all things. At least, that is how I read the Bible.

The first chapter of Romans explains the downfall of a society. First people suppress the truth about God (Romans 1:18). They do not thank him for what He has done for them (1:21). Then they worship other things, created things (1:22). As a result of their evil, God gives society over to unnatural things like same sex acts (1:26-27).

Homosexual acts are not the cause of evil, they are the effect. People do it because we've already ruined society, because we've already been unfaithful to God. They do it because we worship money, possessions, nature, and ourselves instead of worshiping God

When we look at sins that do the most to destroy society, we should look at divorce and heterosexual irresponsibility which leads to millions of fatherless children, broken homes, increased poverty, higher crime rates, These children face more learning difficulties, emotional and behavioral problems and are more likely to do the same thing all over to their children. That is the kind of thing we should be getting offended about, not whether or not gay marriage is legal.

3. The Causes of Homosexuality are Complicated and not Fully Known

Here is what we do know. There is no "gay gene" no genetic predetermination to homosexuality, although some evidence indicates certain genetic markers correlate to homosexuality. Statistical correlations have been found linking homosexuality to sexual abuse, paternal involvement, and birth order. But for every identified "cause" of homosexual attraction, there are innumerable exceptions, people who don't fit the stereotype.

So it would be irresponsible to say you're gay because your dad didn't love you or you are lesbian because you were abused.  It would be equally irresponsible to say someone engages in homosexual acts  because they were genetically predetermined to do so, as if they are an animal with no control over what they do.

Homosexuality is complicated just like people are complicated. There is no easy fix to make someone stop having same-sex attraction. We must hold up the truth of God's word without denying the complexity of homosexuality, and the complexity of the people it affects.

4. Homosexual Acts Are Sinful

I'm sure this will be the most critiqued point, especially with a certain segment of my readership. I don't mind if you disagree, just make sure it is for the right reasons. A lot of people are reevaluating their stance on homosexuality, not based on the Bible or what they believe God actually wants, but based on popular opinion. Jesus had no trouble taking an unpopular view from time to time.

I'll admit that I am not a theologian, and I don't have a mastery of New Testament Greek. But here is how I see the Bible.  It's not like homosexuality is mentioned only one or two places in Scripture. It comes up a lot. It is assumed and condemned as wrong every time it comes up with no exception, from Genesis to Revelation. It goes against the fabric of how God created the two sexes to interact. I don't buy argument that it is not a merely cultural wrong based in the society of that day. Look at the context it comes up in.

We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine  that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. (1 Tim 1:9-11 NIV)

According to the Apostle Paul (and inspired by God's Spirit according to how I understand Scripture) those practicing homosexuality are in the same boat as others who practice anti-gospel behavior such as murderers and liars and heterosexually immoral people. We would not say murder is a cultural issue that is no longer relevant to us in the 21st century, why would we attempt to say the same thing about anything else on the list?

And if people practicing homosexual sin are in the same boat as murderers and liars and heterosexually immoral people, no one of these sins is more evil and defiling than the rest. And as I look at this list, I see a couple places where my name could be added. I am no less guilty than they. I thank God for His grace to not destroy me for it.

I think it's worth noting that homosexual acts are sinful, but same-sex attraction is not. God does not hold us accountable for feeling a certain way, but for what we do with those feelings. At the end of the day, we are all sinners, and all dependent on God's grace. Let's extend the grace given to us to people who are homosexual, fellow sinners, fellow humans.

5. God Demands We Love Homosexual People

"Love your neighbor.. love your enemy." However you view gay people, the response is the same. God demands it.

It is easy to love people like you. It is easy to love people you agree with. If we did not believe homosexuality was wrong, it would be no great feat to love gay people. It would be a given.

Our love is best demonstrated in accepting people we disagree with, loving people we believe are wrong, sitting at the table with people we believe are sinning. That's exactly what Jesus did. He was a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Luke 7:34), the kind of sinners that religious people in his day thought were too evil to associate with. Jesus did not condone their sin, but he never let it come between himself and them.

Following Jesus in a culture where homosexuality is becoming normalized means associating with homosexual people. And in associating with them we change too. We don't have to change our beliefs about sin or the Bible, but we will change our attitudes toward homosexual people. We will realize they have legitimate concerns about discrimination and dehumanization. We will learn to empathize with them, to work toward common goals, and to see the good in them. We will see them as Jesus does.

4 Reasons Why Jesus is Better than Santa Claus

"So what's this Santa Claus about?"
When I am hanging out with international friends around the holidays, especially those from a non-Christian background, the most difficult thing to explain is the relationship of Jesus and Santa Claus. Who is this Santa guy and what does he have to do with Jesus' birthday?

The short answer is that Santa was basically adapted from various traditions by retailers to create a demand for toys and other gifts around the holiday season. But his impact in the holiday traditions goes far beyond that. He is celebrated in art, film, stories, and song. He has become the spokesperson of a holiday in a society that is desperately trying to avoid anything religious or controversial.

But Santa is both deeply religious and controversial. The religion he represents is practiced throughout the year in America. The religion he symbolizes is also in conflict with the religion centered around Jesus. So we need to look at the two carefully and decide which religion we want to embrace. Or rather we need to decide which person to put at the center of our lives. This holiday season when you are deciding who to lift up in your graven images, religious stories and worshipful songs, consider these four reasons why you should pick Jesus over Santa.

1. Jesus Loves Bad Kids.

"...he knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake."

Santa is presented as a jolly guy watching over all the kids, determining who is good enough to get Christmas presents and who isn't. If you're on the "nice" list you get a new toy. If you're on the "naughty" list, you get a lump of coal, or so the tradition goes. Lately he's enlisted the help of the elf on the shelf to keep a close eye on everyone. Perhaps kids are sneakier than they used to be and Santa can't keep up with all that naughtiness. Santa represents a love that is conditional. Be good and you get blessed.

Jesus represents a love that is unconditional. It's not that Jesus doesn't see what's going on. It's not that Jesus doesn't care. "Go and leave your life of sin," he tells one "naughty" girl. But Jesus does not hinge his blessing on someone being good enough to deserve it. Jesus frees us from the elf on the shelf, or anyone else looking over our shoulder to judge. The gospel emphatically proclaims, "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom 8:1)

2. Jesus Loves Poor Kids.

Each year Santa brings the rich kids big expensive presents like IPads and XBoxes and ponies. The poor kids of the world get little or nothing. If Santa does bring them a nice present, it often coincides with their mother's wedding ring disappearing and Dad trying to get it out of "hawk" wherever that is.

Jesus favors the poor. He loves everyone the same, but he knows the poor need a little something extra. So he came to heal their diseases, loosen their bonds and proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, good news to the poor (Luke 4:11). Jesus said blessed are the poor and woe to the rich (Luke 6:20 & 24). Jesus knew the rich had everything they needed. They didn't need more toys and games and electronic devices. The poor needed his help, and he helped them every chance he got. Jesus followers still make helping the poor a focus to this day.

3. Jesus Encourages Generosity

Santa seems to have near infinite wealth. Out of that wealth he scatters presents to the good rich kids of the world. Santa teaches kids that there is no need to appreciate  their parents who saved and sacrificed to bring them a gift. It's a jolly guy in a red suit with magical reindeer. Contrary to the popular notion that Santa brings out the innocence of children, Santa actually speeds their depravity. If it's just a guy with magical reindeer, ask for everything you want. Beg and plead. and whine when you don't get it all.  Millions of kids write wish lists to Santa, but how many write him a thank you card? Santa has turned gift giving into a greed fest for kids.

Jesus leads people to be givers, not takers. Jesus' greatest gift cost him everything. Even though he gives it freely, he asks those who receive it to give just as freely (Matt 10:8). Jesus says to give to others as a way to give back to him. As a result, his followers become more and more generous, content with what they have, and using it to bless others.

4. Jesus Changes the World

Santa is a monotonous tradition. He comes back every year to do exactly what he did last year (except we hope he brings us a better gift this time). He never tackles the big issues. He just smiles, ho-ho-hos, and heads back up north for another year, leaving us to figure out our own mess. Jesus came to bring a kingdom that is filling the whole world. Nothing will be the same again.

Jesus' kingdom advances every time we forgive someone, every time we repay evil with good. The Kingdom comes nearer when the hungry are fed, the innocent are protected, and the naked are clothed. The Kingdom comes when people get a vision of the love of God shown to them and go out and spread that love to the world. Today Jesus works primarily through those who follow him all around the world, blessing rich and poor alike, healing diseases, pulling people out of desperate situations and showing them unconditional love. Jesus is still very much at work, changing the world one life at a time.

A Different Kind of Hunger: Day Three: A Steady Stream

Three Days.
This is now the longest fast I have ever done. 

I felt nauseous and weak this morning. I took a little juice mixed with water, and was soon feeling pretty normal. I felt ok most of the day and didn't feel too hungry until dinner time, even though I went to two birthday parties.  As the afternoon wore on I began feeling some gas pain in my abdomen. I also felt colder than normal, and a bit more irritable at the kids.

Megan got the kids pizza ($3.99 large at Dominos, what a deal!). When I smelled the pizza I knew that pizza was the answer to all my problems. It would make me happy, and full. It would make all my pain go away. Pizza would give me instant energy. It would even make me love my children more. Pizza is life!

This morning I read the account of Jesus fasting for 40 days in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. It seems like Jesus went into the wilderness in order to be tempted. Fasting is not a magic shield against temptation and fleshly desire. In fact, the fasting directly led to Satan's first big temptation - break the fast. Use your Jesus powers to make bread and eat it. After all, you know you can.

I don't have Jesus powers to make stone into bread, but I have the power to eat. My house is full of food. There are dozens of restaurants and stores within a mile of my house to go get a hot meal. Maybe that's why Jesus went to the wilderness to fast. In fact, The only people the Bible mentions doing a 40 day fast (Moses Elijah, and Jesus) did so in the wilderness alone. Might be something to that.

I love how Jesus answered Satan. The reason he didn't break his fast - "Man does not live on bread alone." He knew bread could satiate his hunger, but it could not satisfy all his needs. He could not abandon the greater need to satisfy the lesser.

Here's how The Message puts it, "It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.” (Matt 4:4) I've been trying to meditate on these words throughout the day.

We think we can't live one day without food, which is false, but we think hearing God's voice is optional. Maybe on Sunday, or whenever we get to it. We have it backwards. We need a steady stream of words from God. We need it more than food. And when we miss it we are missing a big part of life.

Oh how I want to get to the point where a day without hearing from God, without meditating on his words leaves me feeling the hunger I feel today. My aim is to want to be with God more than I want a hot cheesy slice of pizza. Every once in a while I am there for a few brief moments. Those are the best moments.


If you want to know a more complete story of my journey into fasting. Check out the rest of the series.
A Different Kind of Hunger
Day One: Feelings
Day Two: Waking up Hungry

Where Would Jesus Live?

Jesus never owned a home, and perhaps that should be more significant to us than it is. "Foxes have dens and birds have nests." It's hard to get caught up in the things of this world when you are constantly on the move, staying at one or another house, sleeping under the stars in between. 

But the Bible never condemns living in a house (it's usually assumed) or even owning a home. In many situations, owning a home is the best way to steward the resources God has given you. 

But does it matter where you buy a home? Where you rent? Where you park your trailer?  Does the gospel effect things as trivial as the place we set up our domicile. 

On the one hand, a decision to follow Jesus is a decision to take the life you have right where you are and let God redeem it. Grow where you're planted. Remain where you were when you were called. (1 Cor 7:20). You don't have to move anywhere to follow Jesus.

On the other hand, following Jesus is so transformative that it can not but effect every decision in our lives. Jesus said take up your cross and follow me. That is a complete life changing self-denial. Everything is on the table: my job, my friends, my money... even my house.

The American Dream tells us to work hard and make money so we can buy a nice house in the suburbs. A place with a little land, and a big back yard for barbecues, maybe even a pool. In my part of the country, the dream for many is to get a piece of land outside of town. Quiet. Peaceful. Relaxing. No traffic. No annoying neighbors, trespassing kids or loud music. 

I have been examining this phenomenon in the light of the gospel imperative to serve others. How can I serve others if I don't live near others?

Elbow room keeps people away. No one can deny that our neighborhoods are less friendly, and more disconnected than they were 50 years ago. This has a lot to do with the fact that our neighborhoods have spread out so much. The average size of a house lot has increased threefold since 1950. We enter our spacious houses through a three car garage. Our kids play in the backyard. We are lucky to know the name of more than two people that live within a quarter mile of us.

Jesus moved a lot. His early childhood was a series of moves: Bethlehem to Egypt, Egypt to Nazareth. As an adult, Jesus moved from his hometown to the seaside town of Capernaum to be in an ideal location to rub shoulders with more people. Jesus' first move was the biggest. He moved out of the heavenly realm in to flesh and bone to be among us. In theology, we call this the incarnation, the taking on of flesh, making his dwelling among us (John 1:14). Jesus inconvenienced himself to be with people, to serve people, to love people, to be a person.

Do our spacious rural and suburban plots allow us to follow a God who left the glories heaven to become human? Or are they merely an attempt to escape the difficulties of earth, to create our own little heaven here and now? 

I don't believe everyone needs to move to a crowded apartment in order to follow Jesus. But we need to allow God to redeem our thinking about where we live. We will be living in just the right place when we stop looking at our house as our refuge from the world, and find our refuge in God alone. We will be living where Jesus lives when we make our home a tool in his hand to love and serve those around us.

Because We Can

We Need to Help

I was at Walmart with my oldest daughter, Elie on a Saturday afternoon. Near the stoplight as we were leaving, we saw a man and woman in old clothes standing together. The man held a cardboard sign, "Homeless, anything helps." We've all seen these people, and I have occasionally stopped and talked to people like this giving money or other forms of assistance. But most of the time I drive by without any urgency to help. "The poor you will always have with you," after all. It's not like I don't give any money to my church and other organizations that help the poor. I even volunteer at a homeless mission. I've done my part, it's someone else's job to help these people.  Plus they usually just want money, and I generally don't like just giving people money. That seems to foster dependence and encourages people to beg. And who knows if they are really telling the truth. they are probably just going to use the money to buy liquor or something worse.

As I drove past them and turned onto the road, my mind had quickly justified itself and had moved on to other matters. Suddenly Elie yelled out, "We need to go help those people! We have to turn around." I gritted my teeth, and not wanting to squash the generous spirit of my daughter, reluctantly turned around, and went back.

We got out of the car and went up to  talk with them. the man told me his story, and it was very believable. I could even see the car with blankets pulled out where they had been sleeping. While the shelters in our town were full, he knew of a place an hour away he could stay if he could just get some money for gas. Fortunately, there was a gas station right next to us, so I had him pull his car up and we put enough gas in it to get him where he was headed. Elie and I prayed with them and sent them on their way.

OK, so that's one point for Elie. But while she served as a voice of conscious (or conduit of the Holy Spirit), she didn't have a big role to play. It's not like she payed for the gas.

Give it All

The next day, Elie brought home a pledge form for a fundraiser the kids were doing at church. They were raising money to dig a well in a part of India, where the people don't have clean drinking water. She asked us how much money we wanted to pledge. As I though about it a minute, fully planning to pledge some money, I felt God say to ask her the same thing. "How much money will you give to the people  who need clean water.?" I asked her.

A little background. Elie gets an allowance, 50¢ each week. Megan and I have never mentioned tithing to our kids. We just tell them God wants us to give generously to Him to help others and let them decide how much to give. From this allowance, Elie and her brother and sister have been saving up together to get a weasel ball they see at the toy store at the mall every time we pass by. This week they would have enough for the $10 toy.

So when I asked the question, I thought she would maybe give a dollar or so. Elie thought really carefully for a minute. "I want to give it all."

Did I hear her right? Megan and I questioned her to make sure she knew what she was doing. "I can save my money again and get a weasel ball anytime," she told us. "But those kids need water to drink and I can help."

The point of this tale is not just to brag on my daughter (which I could do all day), but to highlight the attitude of generosity so lacking in myself. I wonder if some of you are like me? We are generous when it is convenient. We are generous with our surplus. We do enough good to look like good people, but not to get carried away with it.

Because We Can

Proverbs 3:27 reminds us, "Do not withhold good from those to who it is due when it is in your power to act." Doing good things is not just for times of convenience. it is for every time we are able, every time we have the power to do it.

When I look at Jesus, I don't see someone who casually did good for others. He lived every moment to do good. Even when he tried to withdraw for some much needed rest and solitude, he could not keep himself from having compassion on the crowds, spending an entire day with them, teaching them, healing them, feeding them (Matt 14).

Jesus redeemed us to make a people, "eager to do good works." (Titus 2:14)  So, if I am trying to follow Jesus I will be moved from casual good works to an urgency to help others.

A lot of people trying to justifying moderation in giving say "you can't help everyone." And they're right. But we can help a lot of people. I suspect that every one of you reading this, like me are among the richest 25% of the world's population. While American society might not consider you rich, you have all your needs met as well as some disposable income.

As we move together toward following Jesus, I challenge you to join me as I examine my life, my money, my time to see how I can best use what I have been given to serve those in need. What can we do to help others? I think this is what Jesus is calling us to, to do no more and no less than whatever we can.

Every Day Tragedy

As I am writing, my city, Joplin, MO, remembers the devastating tornado that touched down two years ago today. The tornado took the lives of 158 people and destroyed a third of the city. Just three hours down the interstate another community was more recently struck by a similar disaster. We stand with you today, Moore, OK.

As always happens after a major tragedy, someone starts questioning God. Then someone else feels the need to answer for God. I find little satisfaction in the answers people give, whether defending God's sovereignty or His love. It seems like something is always left out. Where is God's heart in all of this pain and suffering?

What is it about events like these that make us question God. On May 20, 2013, roughly 155,000 people died. 24 of them died in a tornado in Moore Oklahoma. I find it a little odd that we make such a  to-do about the 24, and forget the tragedy of the other 154,976. Each life was equally precious. Each death equally tragic, whether from cancer, car wrecks, or tornadoes.

The last I checked, the mortality rate in this country is at exactly 100%. I've heard it's about the same across the world. All of us will face death. Each time it happens, Satan chalks up another victory. The curse has beaten out another human being made in the image of God. Death is a tragedy that happens every day. It is not unique to major natural disasters, or mass homicides.

Jesus was faced with one of those every day tragedies, when his dear friend Lazarus died after a brief illness. You can read all about it in John 11 in the Bible.  Jesus came back with the very intention of showing the power and goodness of God in raising Lazarus from the dead. He knew that in a very short time he would defeat death and roll back the curse. Jesus knew Lazarus was about to walk out of the grave. But as Jesus approached the grieving family and friends of Lazarus, he wasn't thinking victory.

"Jesus wept"

If you want to know where the heart of God is in tragedy, look no farther. The God of the universe, sovereign over all creation weeps. God is sick of death beating up his children, enslaving the ones he loves. Even as God has unfolded his plan to defeat death, He weeps and mourns for those that are lost to this unspeakable horror. Every child that dies of malnutrition in Somalia. Every death-row inmate eating his last meal. Every baby who's brains are sucked out moments before it is born. Every octogenarian who dies peacefully in her sleep. God sees it. God weeps.

So today I join God and weep too. Not only for those lost in the tornadoes. Not only for their families who grieve. I weep for everyone who will face this everyday tragedy called death. Even as my hope is confident in resurrection, in victory over death my heart is heavy with the weight of its curse.

It is better to go to a house of mourning

than to go to a house of feasting,

for death is the destiny of everyone;

the living should take this to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:2)