Sermon on Homosexuality in Ohio UMC church on 5/21

A friend that attends this church sent me this link. She said the sermon is getting a fair number of negative responses to what we both thought was a beautiful sermon. :cry:

She has sent out emails supporting the pastor and his efforts to include GBLT people of faith.

http://www.normandyumc.org/Sermon%20May21%202006.htm

<snip>
Let’s start with our basics. Our Church’s most important purpose is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, to share the love of God in a world that’s needful and hurting. Homosexuality is an important issue because homosexual people continue to suffer from our culture of negativity, and it continues to be a divisive issue for our church and for our society, and I believe God is doing a new thing among us.

The new thing God’s doing in our midst right now is to show us that homosexuality is not an act or acts of willful disobedience to God's law and commandments, but is a state of being. It’s an identity inherent in the make up of some persons. It’s who they are.

How does this assertion--this new thing--stand up in John Wesley's 4 tests of Christian truth and morals: scripture, tradition, experience and reason?
<snip>

He goes on to explain the true context of the Biblical passages that are often used to justify condemning homosexuality.

Its hard to find a theological basis for the christians going around condemning others for things like homosexuality. Most of the time its flat out hypocrisy, especially if you take into account the huge amount of scripture calling for charity to the poor, and the dangers of wealth.

and we all know that Adultery is one of the Big 10 No-No's that the fundies want to post in every courtroom/schoolhouse. Nope, no hypocrisy here

I'm going to "borrow" it and put it up on my blog-once I get off my ass and start working on it this week

I'm also going to contact the church and thank them

We need more people like the

This is what Christianity or any religion should be about.. love and community.

Kinda off topic..but the idea of "protecting" the present vs. "changing" for the future vaguely reminds me of X/1999. O8)