Recently, Duck Dynasty patriarch, Phil Robertson, got himself into what the media is calling “hot water” over remarks he made when asked about homosexuality in an interview with GQ.  Here’s what he said:

“It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus,” Robertson told GQ. “That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”

“Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong. Sin becomes fine,” he later added. “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

These were Phil Robertson’s remarks from the GQ article found here.

Now, I could write some huge diatribe about homosexuality being sin and we could go back and forth in the comment section of this post. But rather, I will simply say the following:  Phil quoted the Bible. And because Phil quoted the Bible and because his statements reflect the teaching in the Bible, I agree with him. In both the Old Testament (Lev 18:22, 20:13) and the New Testament (Rom 1:26-27), the Bible teaches that homosexuality is an abomination. That is pretty clear.

But this post isn’t a debate on the rights and wrongs of homosexuality. What this post is about is the extreme misrepresentation of what Christianity is about by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Here’s their response:

“Phil and his family claim to be Christian, but Phil’s lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe. He clearly knows nothing about gay people or the majority of Louisianans –- and Americans — who support legal recognition for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. Phil’s decision to push vile and extreme stereotypes is a stain on A&E and his sponsors who now need to reexamine their ties to someone with such public disdain for LGBT people and families.”

It is this part that troubles me: “Phil’s lies about an entire community fly in the face of what true Christians believe.”

What do true Christians believe about homosexuality? What should they believe? For starters, they should believe that it is a sin, as the Bible teaches. But in the mix of dealing with this issue, generally the term love is brought to the top. “We should love. We should accept people where they are. That’s what Jesus does.” Most people would say that, right?

Let’s think about that for just a moment.

God’s love for us is quite literally unimaginable. John 3:16 is just the tip of the iceberg. It is overwhelming and unbelievable! God’s love is more amazing than anything. Ever. But there are some attributes of God’s love that people misrepresent, especially in this debate, and I’d like to talk about one for a moment.

God’s love accepts people as they are.

This is a good thought, one that is very comforting. No matter where we are, God’s love can find us. Romans 8:38-39 (ESV) says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Isn’t it awesome that there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love? In the heights of heaven or the depths of hell, neither angels nor demons – NOTHING. Even sin. Even homosexuality.

But here is the misunderstanding: while God’s love accepts us where we are, it refuses to leave us where it found us.

Have you ever gotten lost? I have. It is a bit unsettling. Now, since iPhones and Google Maps and all of that it is much harder to get lost, but back in the days you had to use a map, it happened a lot.

Imagine you got lost. You were way lost. You stopped at a gas station and asked the attendant for directions. You told the attendant where you were going and how you got to where you are. The attendant says, “Yep, you ARE lost,” but then went about their job. They know how to get where I want to go, but they simply leave me where I am.

God’s love is a guarantee. God’s love will let you know you are lost, that you are in need of help, but, unlike the attendant in the story, it won’t leave you where it found you.

We all want to be better. We all want to do better. We all want to fulfill our destinies and reach our purpose. But there are things in our lives that need to be dealt with. God’s love wants to help you deal with them by turning your attention to the only One who can do anything about it – Jesus.

So maybe people, when they talk about love, really mean SHOWING God’s love to people. That’s fair enough. But even then, a person who really loves you will refuse to keep their mouth shut when you are about to do, or are doing something, that is going to cause you great heartache, or in the matter of sin, eternity in Heaven.

We have a responsibility, as true Christians, to love people, no matter their circumstance, situation, or mindset, but we also have an obligation to show them what that love really means. We have an obligation to help them by taking them to the Source.

I think how we help makes the difference. What we say and how we say it makes the difference.

There are a lot of debates about this Phil Robertson situation online right now. Every news channel is blowing it up. Members of GLAAD and every other pro-gay organization are guest-appearing on talk shows, and most are denigrating Phil’s remarks. And honestly, I don’t think most Christians have had a very good track record when dealing with this debate. I know in the past I have come on way too strong with my remarks.

But here’s the bottom line: God’s love is amazing and infinite, but it refuses to leave us in the same sinful state it found us in. So the real question isn’t is homosexuality wrong or right. That has been answered very clearly. The real question is this:

How are you going to help bring those on the other side of the debate to a genuine, loving relationship with Jesus Christ?

Name-calling won’t do it. Shouting that they are wrong from the mountaintops won’t either. Love, genuine concern, and when the time is right, an honest conversation about right and wrong, will. After all, I know when God’s love found me I didn’t want to stay the same. But it took someone showing me that love, and it took my willingness to let his love do its work in me.

Psalm 103:11-12 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

In the midst of this debate, let’s show love. Real love. God’s love. And by doing so, not only will people know we are true Christians, but they will be able to comprehend God’s life-changing love for them as well.

Love. And Be Blessed.
J