"Let Him Who is Without Sin Cast the First Stone"

You know, sometimes I can't help but agree with the secular world.

(Have your feathers ready?  Because I'm probably going to ruffle them.)

I recently saw the following facebook status:

So let me get this straight - Larry King is getting his 8th Divorce, Elizabeth Taylor is possibly getting Married for a 9th time, Jesse James and Tiger Woods are screwing EVERYTHING, yet the idea of same Sex Marriage is what is going to destroy the institution of Marriage??? REALLY???

Now, I don't support same-gender marriage.  But really...what is there to say in response to that?

I can't disagree.  Marriages are falling apart all over the place, inside the Church as much as outside.  Half of all marriages end in divorce.  Half of all Christian marriages.  That means half of all people who stand at the alter and make a vow to each other, before God, and before their family and friends won't make good on their promise.

Young and old couples alike are shacking up together with no marital commitment to each other.  Single moms are common because pre-marital relationships are the norm.  Husbands and wives cheat on each other all over the place and take no responsibility for their actions.

Yet the Church tends to perseverate over same-gender relationships, and certainly not without throwing in a good measure of condemnation and disgust.

Again (I know I'm walking a fine line here), I'm not saying these things aren't wrong.  I believe strongly that God did not intend marriage to be anything other than between one man and one woman.  I believe that same-gender relationships disgust Him.

But that's not all I believe.

God hates divorce.  It disgusts Him.

Sleeping around disgusts Him.

Adultery disgusts Him.

Lust disgusts Him.

Pornography disgusts Him.

Rape disgusts Him.

Those of us who claim to follow Christ need to get off our high horse and down on our knees.  When people are making comments like the one above, then we as a Church need to take a step back and see where we're coming up short.  Because guess what.

Jesus hung out with sinners.

This is the part of Him that a lot of people don't like.  He talked to the ones that a lot of "Christians" won't even look at.

He stood up for the woman caught in adultery.  He reached out to the woman known as the town slut.  He forgave the people who spent their time at brothels and whorehouses.

He loved them.

He didn't condemn them.  Their sin already did that.

You know who He condemned?

The Pharisees.  The "Christians" of the day.  The ones who went to church and studied Scripture and never uttered a dirty word and who did all the right things.  The ones who claimed to bear His Name...but who really bore their own names.

I know several people who are in same-gender relationships.  And I have seen some of them struggle with real-life pain deeper than I have ever known.  They don't know it, but when I see their pain I hurt along with them.

Not because they have sin in their lives.

But because they hurt.

To these friends of mine, and to others caught in the same struggles, I apologize on behalf of the Church for our arrogance and failure to show grace to you like Jesus showed grace to us.  We are dirty, rotton sinners and have no right to distinguish between the sins of our fellow man when our own lives are so messed up.  I hope you are able to see past us when we get in the way of Grace and are able to see Jesus for all He is and longs to give you.

To my fellow Christ-followers, let's not forget the cost of Jesus' blood.  We are nothing without Him.  He doesn't ask us to condemn others, for then we become like Pharisees.  He asks us to love.  Love as He loves.