Monday, January 14, 2013

Just a Giglio

I don't go searching for controversy, but it does seem to find me on occasion. I want to comment on this, but it's getting to be old hat for this subject. Still ...

Here's the story as it was displayed on the LGBT website:

Louis Giglio, the anti-LGBT pastor who had been announced to perform the benediction at President Obama’s second inauguration, has been removed from the program , ABC News’s Jonathan Karl reported Thursday. The Giglio I've read about for years is not, in my opinion, anti anything except slavery and he wasn't removed, he removed himself.

The move came after ThinkProgress reported Wednesday that in the 1990s, Giglio had given a lengthy sermon in which he advocated for dangerous “ex-gay” therapy for gay and lesbian people, referenced a biblical passage often interpreted to require gay people be executed, and impelled Christians to “firmly respond to the aggressive agenda” and prevent the “homosexual lifestyle” from becoming accepted in society.

Giglio voluntarily withdrew from the program, and a spokeswoman for Giglio sent ThinkProgress this explanation:
I am honored to be invited by the President to give the benediction at the upcoming inaugural on January 21. Though the President and I do not agree on every issue, we have fashioned a friendship around common goals and ideals, most notably, ending slavery in all its forms. Due to a message of mine that has surfaced from 15-20 years ago, it is likely that my participation, and the prayer I would offer, will be dwarfed by those seeking to make their agenda the focal point of the inauguration. Clearly, speaking on this issue has not been in the range of my priorities in the past fifteen years. Instead, my aim has been to call people to ultimate significance as we make much of Jesus Christ.
Neither I, nor our team, feel it best serves the core message and goals we are seeking to accomplish to be in a fight on an issue not of our choosing, thus I respectfully withdraw my acceptance of the President’s invitation. Our nation is deeply divided and hurting, and more than ever need God’s grace and mercy in our time of need.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee also offered its own view on Giglio’s decision to withdraw, promising to select a new person for the slot whose “beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion”:
We were not aware of Pastor Giglio’s past comments at the time of his selection and they don’t reflect our desire to celebrate the strength and diversity of our country at this Inaugural.   As we now work to select someone to deliver the benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans.
 
On another site, there was this tidbit: The Rev. Louis Giglio, who called homosexuality a "sin," has backed out of Obama's inauguration ceremonies

That's the story. Here's the problem as I see it: I, too, disagree with some of the wording in Giglio's sermon from "15-20 years ago," but last time I looked, we were able to disagree with anyone and anything and any subject. Giglio is not the one responsible for calling homosexuality a "sin." Nah. That came from writers in the Bible, for better or worst.

The headline that was on this piece, by the way, was Anti-Gay Pastor Withdraws From Inaugural Program

Therein lies the difficulty in this subject. If one uses scripture to found one's beliefs (and no matter what anyone says, we truly don't know what Paul meant in his writings about homosexuality; maybe abomination meant temple prostitutes, maybe not), then they are branded immediately as "anti." As far as I can tell, just as an example, the only thing I'm anti about is I really, really don't want the Atlanta Falcons to play in the Super Bowl in the Super Dome.

In Giglio's sermon, "In Search of a Standard -- Christian Response to Homosexuality," Giglio details Scripture that identifies homosexuality as sinful, and he offers the hope of transformation the apostle Paul offered in 1 Corinthians 6:11.

LifeWay Research indicates 44 percent of Americans believe homosexuality is a sin, said Ed Stetzer, LifeWay's vice president of research. "This Louie Giglio Moment, and the Chick-Fil-A moment that preceded it, and the Rick Warren moment which preceded that raise the question: Where do we go from here?" Stetzer blogged. "Furthermore what does this mean for Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, Orthodox Jews, and so many more who believe that their authoritative religious texts teach something the prevailing culture finds so unacceptable that, even if they are working to eradicate slavery, they are no longer welcome in mainstream context?"
I struggle with the inclusiveness that I believe Jesus would have us demonstrate, but I also understand or at least I think I do that Jesus wasn't always inclusive, either. That whole "no one can come to the Father except through me," business.

This is the point this morning: If we don't find a way to talk, and I really, really mean talk, about these issues, we're not being the church. And if the rest of the world wants to condemn us even while we struggle to find common ground and understanding, so be it. This is the world we live in. Heck, this is the world Jesus said we would live in when he told us that we would be persecuted in his name.

And never, never deny that there is persecution of both mainline and evangelical persons today. While those of a different sexual orientation rightly can claim the persecution that came their way for far too long, neither can they deny the persecution pendulum has swung the other direction. That's okay, our backs are broad enough to include lashes.

Understand, I acknowledged from the pulpit Sunday that it is interesting that of the two "moral" issues in today's culture that we're fighting the most about, abortion and homosexuality, Jesus had nothing to say about either of them. He did say, however, we were to love our neighbor as ourselves. That seems to me to overrule some things that we've made paramount without being told to. He said go make disciples and baptise them. If we're only baptizing the perfect, the one who has never sinned, then there is no wonder the church is shrinking. We must acknowledge that there will be people who come to Jesus who are different than us, different backgrounds, different beliefs, different skin color, different hopes, and yes, different sexual orientation.

The difference on this issue is that I've never claimed my problems were not sin. I've simply said, "I'm a mess. I need help. I must change and I can't." That's why I simply say I'm a sinner in need of a savior. Because I AM. I literally and strongest when I admit my weakness.

We must pray. We must preach Jesus, and occasionally use words. We must preach what we practice. We must. Otherwise, the world will stop listening to us, and any chance of us fulfilling the great commission will be done in.

Till then, simply benedictions will be beyond us all, apparently.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I like your funny blogs but this one was most informative and interesting. It is a hard subject to say the least. Love, June