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Christian churches should not allow the ordination of gays. Here is a very simple and Biblical way of looking at the problem.

1) What constitutes a Christian Church? If a church wishes to identify itself by applying the identity of Jesus Christ in its characteristics, then that implies that the church wishes to be known as a place in which the teachings of Jesus are studied and applied, and where the person of Jesus is worshiped.

2) How should a Christian Church regard homosexuality? Jesus taught that any sexual immorality was an abomination. But, then again, any sin is an abomination. Consider, "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication (porneia), theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man." (Mark 7:21-23) Now, porneia, translated as fornication is a broad term covering any sexual immorality in terms of the Old Testament. This includes, obviously, homosexuality. Jesus forbids homosexuality, he calls it sin, and there is really no argument about it that holds any real sincerity.

3) Can someone be an unrepentant sinner and still be a member of the clergy? Of course god's forgiveness covers all sin, and if we were to select clergy on the basis of an absence of sin, no one would be allowed into service. But that's not the question. Can someone be unrepentant about their sin and be a willing pastor? Scripture tells us, clearly, no. In the book of I Timothy, Chapter 3, Saint Paul delineates the requirements of clerical authority. He commands that the leaders of the church be husbands of one wife, blameless, and of good character. This means, that someone who is sinning, regardless of the kind of sin, in an unrepentant way, is disqualified.

4) Can someone be gay and not an unrepentant sinner? This is a tough question. In MY opinion, homosexuality is a choice. It is like saying, "Today I will steal a car." Theft is a sin. It was my choice to steal a car. Sexual immorality is a sin. If someone chooses to commit a homosexual act, that is a will to sin in that particular manner. So, if someone commits a homosexual act, repents of it and leads his life with the intention of never committing that act again, then that person is as forgiven, as covered by the righteousness of Christ, as qualified for the clergy, as anyone else.

The problem with this is that almost every gay person I have talked to who is leading an repentantly gay lifestyle claims that he cannot choose to stop being gay. He cannot choose to abandon this lifestyle. If gays claim this is true, then by definition, they are unqualified to become clergy.

It is definitely not easy to tell anyone that they are living an unrepentant lifestyle. It doesn't matter if it is gossip, envy, lying, stealing or sexual immorality. All sin is an abomination to God. The problem, though, with the issue of homosexuals in leadership positions is that they are willfully flouting God's grace and denying their need for forgiveness. they are claiming that their particular brand of sin isn't really a sin at all. It is somehow different. The homosexual is in the same position as any human being. We are all fallen short of the perfection of godliness. But Jesus offers us the escape hatch. All we need to do is to recognize that we need the escape hatch of forgiveness. Being an unrepentant sinner, to choose to continue in a sinful lifestyle, is to sit next to the escape hatch and claim that we don't really need it.

Learn more about this author, John Devera.
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