A judge rejected the claim against the WELS California Lutheran High School that the school discriminated against two students because of alleged lesbian inclinations. The attorneys will appeal the decision. The Ninth Circuit is great for writing new laws people never imagined before.
The judge ruled that a religious school has a right to religious opinions. My question is: WWFS?
The specific nature of homosexual sin is different from heterosexual sin, but its essence is identical: a failure to be and behave as God’s revealed will demands. Divine law remains the perfect tool to expose and convict sinners of their sin, and the unconditional gospel remains the perfect tool to comfort and empower forgiven sinners to enjoy life in Christ. God’s Word remains “living and active” for us and others. There is no need or room for revulsion or pessimism as we share the pardoning and purifying Word with our sometimes weak and wounded family members in Christ.
Share proper information
It is likely that you won’t always have the perfect words to say, and it is almost certain that you won’t have all the answers. But you can do some homework and choose your words carefully. Don’t weigh in prematurely with an inflexible answer to the “nature vs. nurture” question. Consider the possibility that both genetic and environmental factors may be involved, just as they often are in heterosexual sin, alcohol and drug abuse, or a variety of other addictions. Be quick to acknowledge that issues of sexual orientation can sometimes be challenging, but God’s grace and power is more than sufficient to give his people power to cope with reality.
In fostering fruits of faith, keep in mind that sanctification is not to be equated with marriage and heterosexual activity. Christians who lack heterosexual impulses may please God with celibate chastity that might involve a lifelong struggle against homosexual tendencies. To counsel them to “go and get attracted to the opposite sex” betrays a misunderstanding of sanctification and invites unnecessary frustration for those already burdened.
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GJ - I am a little confused. No, not about that.
Frosty Bivens, a Fuller Seminary liberal, seems to be promoting the line that people are born homosexual (a fact I have never witnessed in a hospital nursery). Also, he has repeated a previous WELS declaration that there is no difference between homosexual and heterosexual sin. This moral equivalency argument was copied from ELCA, by the way.
Moral equivalence is a popular logical fallacy. The Communist Revolution was just the same as the American Revolution (minus the slaughter, torture, and tyranny). The Boston Tea Party was terrorism, we are led to think by the elite. I know some fish and crabs got over-caffeinated, but how many humans died in the Boston Tea Party?
Sinful inclinations are inherently sinful, even though they are internal or mental.
KJV James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
WELS cannot even hold to the doctrine of Creation. God created men and women to long for a permanent, married, heterosexual relationship. Without desire there would be few marriages and even fewer babies.
I hate to bring up Luther when discussing doctrine with Lutherans. Luther makes them angry while Sweet calms them down. Luther consistently emphasized the impact of mental sin, that prevention of mental sin by force only inflames the sinful nature. The only solution is the Gospel Promises for those who realize their sin. Frosty seems to approve of an unnatural mental sin, as long as it is repressed.
Frosty is a major cheerleader for UOJ, so he is not likely to understand the Biblical concept of godly contrition and justification by faith.
Notice how easily one moves from UOJ to Situation Ethics. Naturally one can find enough in his article to fool a traditionalist. This is just a half-way step to outright advocacy, which will arrive when the closets empty in WELS.
Confidential to Frosty - the judge says, "It's OK to be Biblical."
