Two posts in two different places (1, 2) have prompted me to write about one of the problems that faces the church in the twnety-first century. The recent headlines in the Episcopal have told the story of an internal struggle between those who support the ordination of a gay bishop and those who oppose such a move. Of course, it’s not as simple as that. Rather, it’s a much larger question about sexuality, sin, and human relationships. Churches are being divided over this point, and as fingers are being pointed, I think there is a chance for reconciliation. Here are a few thoughts to that end.

First, I think we need to stop bickering about whether homosexuality is a choice or not. To even have that debate is to reveal a complete lack of understanding about the nature of sin. We need to get back to the doctrine of original sin, and understand that we’re all “born that way”. We’re all born into sin — lust, greed, pride, malice, gluttony, sloth, and envy, to name a few. We’re born broken and disobedient. We’re born in need of a savior. Apart from the power of Christ, we are stuck in this condition. We cannot overcome our present condition on our own.

But in Christ, we all have the power to overcome this sinful condition. All of us — adulterers, thieves, liars, murderers — can overcome our sinful nature through Christ’s death on the cross. We’re forgiven, and we’re empowered.

Does this mean that we will never have sinful urges, thoughts, or desires? No. Does it mean that we will never act on them? No. It means that we are free from the bondage of sin. Our once sinful souls are being healed , day by day, through our knowledge of Christ.

That means that the church is a collection of homosexuals, alcoholics, pedophiles, addicts, prostitutes, and crooks all in some stage of treatment. For some, there has been miraculous, instant healing. They no longer find themselves struggling with a particular sinful urge. They have found hope and healing. For others, the struggle continues. God has chosen not to relieve the thorn in their flesh, leaving some to struggle daily against temptation. But we do not struggle on our own, hopeless and defeated. We struggle aided by the power of the Holy Spirit, to overcome our condition. Sanctification is a process that comes slow for many.

So where does that leave us practically when it comes to homosexuals in the church? I think evangelicals need to stop treating church as a country club that only welcomes in those who meet certain criteria for membership. The church should be a broad collection of believers who are daily picking up their crosses and following after Christ. It should contain sinners of all stripes, not just those who do a nice job hiding their sinfulness under a pretense.

I’ve been in churches like this before, and it’s a truly awesome thing to see the children of God — unwashed, unkempt, and unashamed — casting their burdens on Christ. I think the lesson of Christ is that believers need to welcome sinners into the church just as they are.

At the same time, I think it’s time we acknowledge homosexuality as a sin. The church has always taught this. Scripture seems pretty clear about this. Sexuality has been confused and confounded in recent years, but the Bible remains clear on the role of sex in human relationships. Monogamous, heterosexual marriage is the only place for sex.

If someone is living in a relationship outisde of these bounds, then that person is in need of healing and restoration. That person should be welcomed into the church and accepted for the person God made him or her to be. That person should be prayed for and with, with the hope that he or she will (1) acknowledge his or her need of healing, (2) partner with fellow believers in prayer, fasting, scripture reading, and other spiritual disciplines to grow closer to Christ, and (3) repent of this sin and with God’s help strive to live according to His law and commands. If that person stumbles, struggles, screws up, backslides, falls down, or simply makes a mistake, then the church should be there to pick him or her back up, show them the love of Christ, and be willing to work with them to get back on the right path.

However, those people who are openly struggling with sin, refusing to acknowledge their behavior as sin, and remain openly unrepentent should not be given leadership positions within the church. They should remain part of the body, but they cannot be expected to be the spiritual leader of the body.

What this means for most evangelicals is that we have to stop living in a bubble that keeps out gays and lesbians. Their sin is no worse than ours. They are no more in need of healing than we are. I believe God has provided us with a tremendous opportunity to reach out to homosexuals, to find out how they struggle, and to walk with them into healing. This might mean we find ourselves in some unlikely places, ministering to people very much unlike ourselves.

I can remember spending one summer in New York when I as in high school with a youth group missions team. One of the opporunities we had was to spend some time with AIDS patients who were living in a residential clinic on 44th Street. We weren’t there to evangelize them or to “fix” them. We were there to get to know them. To find out what it’s like to be gay and dying of AIDS. I can remember taking them on our sight-seeing trips, as we went to see all the tourist traps of New York. We ate pizza together as we talked about our very different lives. We invited them to church with us. Some accepted, others declined. But I can remember one guy who came with us to church, who had hung out with us all week. He was in his 40s or 50s, in the early stages of AIDS. He loved being in church with us because he felt accepted. He enjoyed worshipping with us, asking questions, and sharing the fellowship of believers.

Some members of our team kept in touch with him over the years. I don’t know what his spiritual condition is today or if he’s even still alive. But I do know that as Christians, we need to spend more time building relationships with those people that we don’t always feel comfortable being with, because that’s where Christ has called us to be.