Anyone else have a problem with this label?
Maybe just my homosexual friends.
First, I have been having a hard time with the gay question lately. If we are being honest.
I, myself, michael, am not gay.
I have some good friends, people I deeply care about that are gay.
In the Evangelical community, a phrase we have come up with is “I love homosexual’s, but I disagree with the homosexual lifestyle.”
Lifestyle.
They wake up, make breakfast, check their mail, go to work, hang out with friends, recycle, occasionally pick their nose, and sleep with someone of the same sex.
For that we consider them as living a different lifestyle.
Is the ‘homosexual lifestyle’ really any different of a lifestyle as yours or mine?
I wake up, make breakfast, check my mail, go to work, hang out with friends, recycle, occasionally pick my nose, and will someday sleep with someone of the opposite sex. But apparently I live an alright lifestyle?
In keeping this short, because I have other things to do right now, like go feed Jessica’s cats, and pack for Cornerstone, I will summarize:
There is a lot of labeling in the gay community, coming from the non-gay community, especially the evangelical community. Most of this labeling isn’t meant to be harmful in any way. Most evangelicals I know would say that they love and care for gay people, and actually mean it.
But the way we use our language sometimes doesn’t really demonstrate this.
To my friends who are evangelicals that disagree with being gay: Let’s not simply call someone gay, or say that they have live a gay lifestyle, but recognize them as people, Children of God if we want to get all preachy here, who seek romantic intimacy from the same sex. Sin or not.
To my friends who are gay, or are Christians who support homosexuality: I’m sorry that I, at times, and many of my friends, or many Christians have fucked (no pun intended) you over. Understand that this isn’t an easy arithmetic problem for most, including myself.
To anyone and everyone: Let’s ALL, no matter religion, race, sexual preferance, etc. not tolerate violence, hate, abuse towards anybody. Period. Cool? If that isn’t cool, email me.
Well said, Very well said, in fact.
After all, some of us have chosen the evangelical lifestyle (although I sometimes think I need to be delivered from that!). And we don’t refer to ‘the straight lifestyle’.
It seems that many of us like labels–they make things so organized and impersonal. But they are also usually demeaning, and often way too generalized.
It’s very cool!
Cool. And you’re right, we HAVE fucked a lot of people over. I’m still trying to make amends. I love your subtitle: write your truths in pencil… I’d say “I” have been changing my beliefs a lot over the last few years, but my hope and prayer is that it’s God who is changing them.
Found your blog through Al (above).
Blessings,
Peter
This is rather interesting, are we because our beliefs not allowed to call them what everyone else calls them? I consider myself a christian and love gay people, even to the point of defending them from fools that don’t understand them but I don’t think that we should abstain from using terms that are common, like gay and homosexual lifestyle, just because we don’t want to offend. I think a lot of people want tolerance from Christians but are not tolerant when we they try to reach out. Anyway, I digress…