This is a biblical response in the form of an open letter to Pastor Charles L. Worley of Providence Road Baptist Church and all those pastors who spew anti-gay statements from the pulpit.
I write this letter for 2 reasons. The first is to denounce the misrepresentation of the Bible and its core message of Christ in your speech and, second, to remind you of the Grace you seem to have forgotten...
I also write with 2 implicit assumptions. The first is that you hold the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. It is verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and entirely free from error; it is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice and the true basis of Christian union. The second is that you strive everyday to be more like Christ. He is your mentor, your model, your life's goal and the example you seek to emulate every day. If any of these premises don't apply to you, then I apologise and you can stop reading here.
However, if you agree with the above, then what follows is for you, from the depths of my heart.
...
I am disgusted.
Scratch that.
I am beyond disgusted. I am in the presence of a biblical abomination.
There is a bigger abomination than the issue of gay marriage. There is something worse as a Christian to be exposed to than the homosexuality of those who do not believe. There is something that saddens God more than what sinners do in their sin.
In God's eyes, it is when those who profess and teach His Holy name spew hateful, condemning words to those He has decided to die for. It is when His Grace is misrepresented by a false self-given justice that has no biblical basis at all.
The real abomination here are your hate-filled words.
THE (PERCEPTION OF) HATE
“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:22). The act of murder itself was certainly condemned, but hatred is a ‘heart’ sin, and any hateful thought or act is an act of murder in God’s eyes for which justice will be demanded, possibly not in this life but at the judgment. So heinous is the position of hate before God that a man who hates is said to be walking in darkness, as opposed to the light (1 John 2:9, 11).
THE REAL ABOMINATION
Let me be clear: your words were abhorred by God.
Proverbs 6:16-19 (NKJV)
16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.
When I compare this passage with the clip in the video, I see:
- a proud look
- hands that shed innocent blood
- a heart that devises wicked plans
- feet that are swift in running to evil
- And one who sows discord among brethren
Five out of seven...
MY CHRIST
The Christ I study, I preach, I expose on this site, I love and I have a growing relationship with is not the same one that you have preached on that Sunday morning. My Christ has reached out to the marginals, ate with the hated tax collectors and prostitutes, sat down with the sinners, healed the sick and graced the broken, over and over again. All in the name of announcing God's kingdom and the Way to it.
The only people Christ condemned, with the same strength you did in your sermon, were the Pharisees - a prideful religious group that pretended to speak on behalf of God while spewing hatred towards those God loved. Sound familiar ?
We do not seem to believe in the same Christ.
That same attitude from the video is the crowd anxious to stone the woman in John 8, the Samaritan village shunning the woman in John 4 and the unforgiving debtor in Matthew 18.
You have no right to represent Christ with those words. You are using God's name to validate a personal hatred you have towards a certain type of sinner. Christ has never used that language on anyone. And He is God!
LACK OF MEMORY
Do you not know that you are worthy of the same hell that homosexuals deserve ? Your secret sins, your lust of the eyes, your lust of the flesh and your pride of life give you the same one-way ticket you are wishing upon them. The only difference between you and 'them' is God's grace - i.e. nothing you ever did.
You, yourself, have put this verse on your website:
Ephesians 2:8 - 9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
So why boast now ?
Have you lost your way? Have you forgotten the infinite grace God has given you? Remember that grace that saved you from the abomination you were drowning in?
THE EFFECTS OF YOUR WORDS
And you are leading sheep down a dark path of hating the sinner above the sin.
These are the collected comments from your parishioners:
"So he had every right to say what he said about putting them in a pen and feeding them," Providence Road Baptist Church member Geneva Sims tells NBC news affiliate WCNC. "The Bible says they are worthy of death. He only preaches the word...God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve."
Adds member Stacey Pritchard: "Sometimes you’ve got to be scared straight. He is trying to save those people from going to hell."
Those two comments are riddled with doctrinal errors. Geneva Sims is as worthy of death as the homosexuals you cry out against! And no one was EVER 'scared straight' in the Bible. NO ONE. That wasn't how Jesus operated. Furthermore, you cannot save anyone from hell. Only the Holy Spirit has that power. We are but weak vessels proclaiming His Word.
Don't you see that they are following you in this dark path of condemnation?
You are responsible for them. You are their shepherd. You will be accountable to God for what you are teaching them and the effects on their lives. The hatred you demonstrate as a shepherd and His representative is as disgusting (if not more) than the sin of homosexuality. In James 3, I read of the damages your words can do. And the passage starts with: My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. (James 3:1-11)
MY REQUEST
Come back to the Gospel, come back to the real truth and ... grace. (John 1:14,17) Read that Bible open on the podium that is staring back at you. Understand the love God has for you, and asks you to show to others. Be broken before your God and your congregation. Put out a video to ask for forgiveness to the millions on the Internet who would wrongly associate Christ with your hate. Realise your pride in this and accept the wonderful Grace that is waiting in God's arms for you. Start preaching the Christ God wants you to preach, not the one you presented here.
And please, please, please, I beg of you in the name of the One who saved you from your sins in 1959:
Show Grace.
May He bless you in His Grace and Truth,
- GraceGuy
PS. This letter was sent to Pastor Worley.
I write this letter for 2 reasons. The first is to denounce the misrepresentation of the Bible and its core message of Christ in your speech and, second, to remind you of the Grace you seem to have forgotten...
I also write with 2 implicit assumptions. The first is that you hold the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. It is verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and entirely free from error; it is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice and the true basis of Christian union. The second is that you strive everyday to be more like Christ. He is your mentor, your model, your life's goal and the example you seek to emulate every day. If any of these premises don't apply to you, then I apologise and you can stop reading here.
However, if you agree with the above, then what follows is for you, from the depths of my heart.
...
I am disgusted.
Scratch that.
I am beyond disgusted. I am in the presence of a biblical abomination.
There is a bigger abomination than the issue of gay marriage. There is something worse as a Christian to be exposed to than the homosexuality of those who do not believe. There is something that saddens God more than what sinners do in their sin.
In God's eyes, it is when those who profess and teach His Holy name spew hateful, condemning words to those He has decided to die for. It is when His Grace is misrepresented by a false self-given justice that has no biblical basis at all.
The real abomination here are your hate-filled words.
THE (PERCEPTION OF) HATE
“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:22). The act of murder itself was certainly condemned, but hatred is a ‘heart’ sin, and any hateful thought or act is an act of murder in God’s eyes for which justice will be demanded, possibly not in this life but at the judgment. So heinous is the position of hate before God that a man who hates is said to be walking in darkness, as opposed to the light (1 John 2:9, 11).
THE REAL ABOMINATION
Let me be clear: your words were abhorred by God.
Proverbs 6:16-19 (NKJV)
16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.
When I compare this passage with the clip in the video, I see:
- a proud look
- hands that shed innocent blood
- a heart that devises wicked plans
- feet that are swift in running to evil
- And one who sows discord among brethren
Five out of seven...
MY CHRIST
The Christ I study, I preach, I expose on this site, I love and I have a growing relationship with is not the same one that you have preached on that Sunday morning. My Christ has reached out to the marginals, ate with the hated tax collectors and prostitutes, sat down with the sinners, healed the sick and graced the broken, over and over again. All in the name of announcing God's kingdom and the Way to it.
The only people Christ condemned, with the same strength you did in your sermon, were the Pharisees - a prideful religious group that pretended to speak on behalf of God while spewing hatred towards those God loved. Sound familiar ?
We do not seem to believe in the same Christ.
That same attitude from the video is the crowd anxious to stone the woman in John 8, the Samaritan village shunning the woman in John 4 and the unforgiving debtor in Matthew 18.
You have no right to represent Christ with those words. You are using God's name to validate a personal hatred you have towards a certain type of sinner. Christ has never used that language on anyone. And He is God!
LACK OF MEMORY
Do you not know that you are worthy of the same hell that homosexuals deserve ? Your secret sins, your lust of the eyes, your lust of the flesh and your pride of life give you the same one-way ticket you are wishing upon them. The only difference between you and 'them' is God's grace - i.e. nothing you ever did.
You, yourself, have put this verse on your website:
Ephesians 2:8 - 9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
So why boast now ?
Have you lost your way? Have you forgotten the infinite grace God has given you? Remember that grace that saved you from the abomination you were drowning in?
THE EFFECTS OF YOUR WORDS
And you are leading sheep down a dark path of hating the sinner above the sin.
These are the collected comments from your parishioners:
"So he had every right to say what he said about putting them in a pen and feeding them," Providence Road Baptist Church member Geneva Sims tells NBC news affiliate WCNC. "The Bible says they are worthy of death. He only preaches the word...God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve."
Adds member Stacey Pritchard: "Sometimes you’ve got to be scared straight. He is trying to save those people from going to hell."
Those two comments are riddled with doctrinal errors. Geneva Sims is as worthy of death as the homosexuals you cry out against! And no one was EVER 'scared straight' in the Bible. NO ONE. That wasn't how Jesus operated. Furthermore, you cannot save anyone from hell. Only the Holy Spirit has that power. We are but weak vessels proclaiming His Word.
Don't you see that they are following you in this dark path of condemnation?
You are responsible for them. You are their shepherd. You will be accountable to God for what you are teaching them and the effects on their lives. The hatred you demonstrate as a shepherd and His representative is as disgusting (if not more) than the sin of homosexuality. In James 3, I read of the damages your words can do. And the passage starts with: My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. (James 3:1-11)
MY REQUEST
Come back to the Gospel, come back to the real truth and ... grace. (John 1:14,17) Read that Bible open on the podium that is staring back at you. Understand the love God has for you, and asks you to show to others. Be broken before your God and your congregation. Put out a video to ask for forgiveness to the millions on the Internet who would wrongly associate Christ with your hate. Realise your pride in this and accept the wonderful Grace that is waiting in God's arms for you. Start preaching the Christ God wants you to preach, not the one you presented here.
And please, please, please, I beg of you in the name of the One who saved you from your sins in 1959:
Show Grace.
May He bless you in His Grace and Truth,
- GraceGuy
PS. This letter was sent to Pastor Worley.
RSS Feed