Methodist Pastor Gets It Right

February 5, 2009

Rev. Adam Hamilton from Church of the Redeemer (a United Methodist congregation) in Leawood, Kansas is nearly done with his sermon series “When Christians Get It Wrong”. Set to wrap it up this Sunday, last week’s installment was a doozy. He preached about how Christians get it wrong with homosexuals.

I listened to the sermon today (audio below) and he’s on the right track. He didn’t go as far as I would’ve preferred (I do have a stake in this, you know.), but it’s important to understand the massive risk he took. Early in the sermon Rev. Hamilton indicated that the last time he preached on homosexuality his church lost several hundred members. So it’s not without understanding the stakes that he decided to spend time talking about this.

His message, while not explicitly pro-gay, is one of inclusion and acceptance. He acknowledges the clobber verses, but goes into the objection to those. His main theme, though, is that it’s the Christian’s job to love, not condemn. That context in scripture plays a major part in how we already interpret the Bible, so why shouldn’t it in this case?

Most importantly, he makes the argument that gays and lesbians aren’t the Other. They’re the congregation’s children and grandchildren. It’s a point I’ve tried to drive home in my personal life with less than stellar success. Maybe Rev. Hamilton’s personal testimony as a straight pastor will carry more weight than a gay man in the pew.

I got the video from the Church of the Resurrection website. Take a look and let me know what you think. It’s about 45 minutes long. (Well what did you expect? He’s a preacher!)

hat tip to UMJeremy from Hacking Christianity. Head over there for his thoughts on the sermon.

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Categories Christianity, Methodist
Author Matt

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Daniel

Is a straight person’s testimony worth more than an gay persons? Does it really carry more weight? Nope. That’s just playing into the game. The internalized homophobia game.
http://blog.mattalgren.com Matt Algren

You misunderstand me. A straight person’s word doesn’t carry more weight than a gay person’s to me, but it might for another straight person. Sometimes straight skeptics question the veracity of our claims based on the fact that we have something to gain by agreeing with a certain interpretation. A straight person from within their group holding the position that the Bible doesn’t condemn homosexuality might have more of an impact than you or I will simply because they have nothing to gain.

Again, I’m not saying I care more; just that some fence sitters do. I can’t help but think that white people at the March on Washington and white Freedom Riders had a major impact among passive-racist whites.
faith.2.live.by

Romans 1 teaches:

18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ….

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ….

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.

27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. ….

32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

And 1 Corinthians 6 teaches:

9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders

10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Even as swindlers, liars, and drunkards need to come to repentance and be set free by the power of God, so do homosexuals.

No, this pastor did not get it right. Nor do other ‘christians’ who say homosexuals are accepted or ‘made that way’ by God. they’ve got it wrong, according to God’s standards.

Now, I personally have gay friends. They even call themselves christians. I dispute that fact with them, but I love them as people. but I won’t let them DECEIVE THEMSELVES into thinking that heaven is their place of living, upon death. 1 Corinthians 6 9-10 tells us otherwise.

And it is my duty, as a friend, to help them be free from sin so they can live eternally in heaven vs hell. Because I love them and care for them, I speak Truth to them. Unlike this pastor has done.

thank you.
http://blog.mattalgren.com Matt Algren

Hello, faith.2.live.by! Welcome!

Three points:

First, did you watch the sermon? I ask because Rev. Hamilton went into great depth about literalism and its downfalls as opposed to other interpretations of the Bible. He kind of answered your point for me, without even getting into the issue of mistranslation.

Second, it’s interesting to me that even if we accept your literalistic interpretation of these passages (which we don’t, but let’s pretend for a moment), you stopped just one verse short of getting yourself into a sticky situation both times. (Romans 2:1 and 1 Cor. 6:11)

Third, I don’t know either you or these gay friends you say you have, but I’d bet a hundred pesos that they have a very different view of your relationship than you do.
preecherswife

this is wonderful! thanks for posting. my husband (a methodist minister) is currently teaching an adam hamilton study on wednesday nights. good work!
http://blog.mattalgren.com Matt Algren

I’m usually wary of mega-church preachers (I’ve met too many Rick Warren types), but I’m impressed with Hamilton for more than the obvious reason.

Thanks for stopping by!
United Methodist Pastor

Amen on the proof-texting issue. I agree with Romans 2, “…you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others;…in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge are doing the very same things. Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT will be revealed. Even better, unless your life is without sin, you have no business judging someone else.

Many things I do not know, but I know that I am not God’s proxy when it comes to judgment. I am entirely unqualified for that position. I have the love of Christ to give to anyone that wants it–gay, straight, murderer, thief, spouse abuser, child abuser, shellfish eater, beard shaver, blended fabric wearer, name only Christian. God invites them to his house and it is not my place to offer them anything but Christ’s love and hospitality. In other words, keep the dirt swept off your own back porch and you won’t have time to worry about the dirt on anyone else’s but your own. Maybe you’ll even find that they have much to teach us about love that we don’t yet know. I would hate to miss that opportunity.
Faithfully Gay

I typically ignore most of these types of postings, however, an old friend linked it on her myspace. My friend is straight, married, two beautiful daughters. She’s knows I’m both a United Methodist and a homosexual.
In response to faith.2.live.by, I’m completely in awe. How someone can be so gloriously misguided within their own standard. Are you saying I can’t be a christian, note I didn’t parenthesize that, because I’m gay? Silly me, I thought by accepting Jesus Christ as my personal savior I’d taken a fairly monumental step towards christianity. You claim that you won’t let your “friends”, note that IS parenthesized, “deceive themselves.” I truly think you’re the one deceiving him/herself. It is your DUTY as a friend to accept them. To care, cherish, and love them. Not to Judge them or to put words of hatred and damnation into God’s mouth.
It’s at times like this where I truly feel you need to worry about your own afterlife, because MY God knows my heart. I have no fear. As Matt pointed out you seem to have skipped a few portions in your recitation. Looks like it’s time for you to close your mouth and open your mind. Would you like another interpretation of this issue? It’s a little less serious, but in essence as much Truth as you claim to share:

“The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love heterosexuals. It’s just that they need more supervision.” ~Lynn Lavner

In Joy and Laughter,
Aaron