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Are You Leading People Astray by Supporting Gays?

Are You Leading People Astray by Supporting Gays?

Last updated on: July 9, 2016 at 8:52 am by Susan Cottrell

Are You Leading People Astray by Supporting Gays? 2016-07-09T08:52:24-05:00 Susan Cottrell

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Nothing quite like being told that I am rewriting the word of God – like if it truly is the word of God, do I even have the ability to actually rewrite it?!?

Nothing quite like being told that I am leading innocent people astray and committing a grievous sin.

Welcome to my world.

As one of my wonderful readers said, “The amazing lengths people will go to, the excuses they will make to avoid those two little commandments Jesus gave: love God and love your neighbor.”

I do have compassion on my readers like the one who asked the question below. I am so glad they are here. I understand that most are just repeating what they have been told and taught, and maybe my blog is their first step on this amazing journey of discovering the truth about God.

dear-susan_white I welcome them, and I welcome their questions. Let’s answer this one today…

I write Dear Susan posts most every Friday. Sometimes they are poignant, sometimes thought-provoking, sometimes tender, sometimes funny… but hopefully always worth the read.

Dear Susan,

You are leading people astray if you refuse to call sin by its name! How can we be forgiven if we don’t confess our sins? How can we confess our sins if we are told our sins are not sins at all? How can we go and sin no more if we justify ourselves?

As a Christian, I love everybody, but that has nothing to do with this topic.

You are rewriting the word of God to suit yourselves and you don’t get to do that without repercussion.

But worst of all, you are leading those innocent of God’s word to believe it says things it does not and that is a grievous sin.

Betsy

Dear Betsy,

I appreciate your thinking on this and I know it’s what you’ve been taught. You’ve heard it said that particular actions are sins. But what is sin?

Sin is anything not done in faith (Romans 14:23).

Many LGBTQ people are living out their faith, following God faithfully, in their same-sex relationship. That doesn’t make sense to you, I know, but neither did it make sense to the religious leaders who confronted Jesus time and again when he let people go that they thought were sinning. He instead corrected the religious leaders who were sure they were not sinning.

Sin is not any particular action, but it is “missing the mark” when it comes to loving and following God. That’s all it is.

I don’t like to prooftext, because it misses the whole point. But because you rely on the Bible, I will point out that Paul was very clear in the larger passage of Romans 14:1-12 to say if it is not sin to you, don’t worry about it. He concluded by saying, “Each person will account for themselves to God.”

I am not worried about the gay person who could not change their gayness if they tried (and they have), but who is following faithfully, listening intently, in a way that most of us without such a cross to bear do not.

Neither am I concerned about leading them astray.

I’m concerned about religious people leading them astray, telling them they are disgusting and vile, that they are in grave sin when God has not told them this, but has comforted them to be at peace.

You are not used to interacting with your Bible this way, I know, but this is exactly how Jesus interacted with it. (“You have read this, but I say this.”)

Betsy, love as you have been loved. Be radically inclusive because you have been radically included.

Bless you.

Susan

Previous Post

May 9, 2015

What My Mom & I Never Had

Next Post

May 25, 2015 "I am the mother of a gay son and I've taken enough from you good people."

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