tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055415185081247209.post6788181188287730692..comments2023-05-22T03:50:11.148-05:00Comments on Love Radically: Something Must Be DoneUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055415185081247209.post-65555839087380963592010-11-17T01:30:26.418-06:002010-11-17T01:30:26.418-06:00My son was an active Christian in high school. He ...My son was an active Christian in high school. He was heavily involved in music in our UMC congregation, and was at church even more than his mother and me. And he was president of his high school Bible club.<br /><br />About ten years ago he came out of the closet. He was forbidden by our UMC pastor to appear on the platform for music. The Bible club advisor suggested that he step as president "for the good of the club."<br /><br />After he came out, he attempted suicide three times. Conservative Christians, at church and in the public school, closed ranks against him. They silenced him. <br /><br />He was angry--angry at the church, angry at the Bible, and angry at God.<br /><br />It took him about six months to recover from the shunning. Our local Metropolitan Community Church was instrumental in his healing. He slowly realized that God was not against him, that the Bible was not against him, and that the church wasn't against him, just part of it.<br /><br />You choose the label. Some will call the reaction of these folks God-fearing courage in the face of pressure to be politically correct. Or perhaps standing against the tide of wickedness that threatens our land.<br /><br />I call it injustice and oppression that could have cost my son his life. I could call the pastor and the club advisor "Church Bullies" or "Bible Bullies."<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ7Ai4c0fJYRon Goetzhttp://www.biblethumpingliberal.comnoreply@blogger.com