Prejudice in the Church (gaychurch.org)

We are hardly the first group to be ostracized and maligned by the church. Nor is this the first time leaders within the church have missed the truth. Christian history is littered with such stories. The Pharisees rejected Christ and then the Apostles turned around and rejected the Gentiles. The Catholic church tried to crush the reformation and in turn many Lutherans rejected the Anabaptist movement. In the mid 1700's the Anabaptist (Baptists) returned the favor and persecuted the Methodists. The church splintered again in the 1800's over the issue of slavery and then again with the advent of the 'Holiness' movement and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Azusa street).

The pace of God's revelations has only quickened over the past hundred years. With each ensuing wave of revelation, the church buckles, bends and stretches. Some invariably accept God’s revelations while others shy away from the unfamiliar and stick close to the known. Change invariably causes strife and contention within the church and schisms within Her leadership ranks. Change is never easy, but in God’s time, it does come.

During such times of tumult and pain, the minority who have caught sight of 'this new thing' invariably feel put upon, rejected, and even persecuted by the powers that be. The word "prejudice" comes to mind. It's an apt definition, for the word simply means to “prejudge” or to have a “preconceived idea, objection or complaint” about someone or something. In essence it means to pass judgment on someone or something without knowing all the facts.

This is a common mistake during difficult times. Take for instance the Pharisees. They had many preconceived ideas concerning the Messiah. One of these notions was that the Messiah would lead a great army and liberate Israel from their Roman oppressors. They believed the Messiah would then install them as the rightful leaders of God’s new kingdom.

They were in for a bit of a surprise however, as Jesus’ grand entrance into Jerusalem was on the back of a donkey, and His 'army' consisted of women, children and men of little or no rank. Overthrow the Romans? Jesus told the Jews to pay their taxes, and worse yet, to respect and pray for their Roman governors! As for installing the religious elite into leadership positions? Jesus told them that the “first shall be last, and the last first” (Mark 10:31). To top it off, instead of accolades, Jesus saved His harshest criticism for these same religious leaders calling them “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27-28) and “hypocrites” (Matthew 23:13) who had “neglect(ed) justice” and love (Luke 11:42)!

The religious leaders were not pleased! Nor were they willing to accept a Messiah that didn’t conform to the Messianic image they steadfastly believed in. Accepting Jesus would come at a high price for it meant letting go of the institutions and doctrines that they had spent lifetimes constructing. Bound by pride, fear and greed they didn’t want to question the very Laws and doctrines that legitimized their power and authority. The final error they committed was equating the salvation of Israel, not with obedience to God, but with the preservation and continuation of her institutions.

You would think the Apostles would have learned their lesson from the Pharisees, but not so. Soon after Jesus’ death and the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the Christian movement began to grow and expand. The problem was that more than just the Jews were getting ‘saved’. Many Gentiles and Samaritans were hearing the message and accepting Jesus Christ as well! What was the church supposed to do with these people?

There was no love loss between the Jews and the Gentiles. Long standing cultural prejudices existed between the two groups. Religious doctrines only deepened this rift. For example, the Jews believed that merely walking into a Gentile’s home or eating a meal with them caused a Jew to be defiled and required the Jew to be ceremonially cleansed. Making the whole idea of conversion even harder to accept was the widely held belief that the Messiah was only coming to save the Jews. So why were the Gentiles being saved? More troubling, what was the church supposed to do with these new converts?

The Apostles were concerned that if they accepted the Gentiles ‘just as they were,’ they ran the risk of alienating their existing congregants. Worse yet, they would be admitting to the world that they had misinterpreted the Lord’s wishes concerning this matter since they had openly declared that Jesus had only come for the Jews! Not only would this cause a great deal of embarrassment but it could raise some serious doubts concerning the validity of their leadership! These were just the first of many issues the Gentiles brought with them. For example, if anyone could be accepted into God’s Kingdom what now was the role for the Jew? Were they still God’s “chosen” people?

Do these questions sound familiar? They should. The story of the Gentiles reads as if someone were documenting the gay Christian movement today. Christian leaders today face many of the same questions and issues the early Apostles did. They wonder what to do with the gay Christian movement (those that are even aware of us!) and question how to reconcile acceptance of homosexuals with their established doctrine. They are asking themselves many of the same type of questions the early Apostles did.

For example, if homosexuals are condemned to hell, then why are they being saved and how can the proliferation of Spiritual gifts in gay congregations be explained? How should they address the homosexual “lifestyle”[1] that seems unnatural and offensive to many? Should they require homosexuals to be celibate or should they be left alone? And finally, if gays were welcomed into their churches, how can this be done without alienating their existing congregants?

I believe this particular period of the Church’s history offers us valuable insights into our own situation today. For instance, how did the Gentiles deal with being rejected by the religious leaders back in Jerusalem? What did they do during those long years before the Apostles finally accepted them? What caused the Jewish Christian community to finally accept them? What did the Gentiles do during this period to help their Jewish counterparts overcome their fears and prejudices?

Conversely, what caused the Apostles to realize their mistake? What gave them the courage to change their doctrine? How did they unify the church during this ordeal? And finally, how did they overcome their prejudices, misconceptions and fears concerning these ‘outsiders’? The path both sides took to reconciliation is an important roadmap for us today and one that gives us great hope for the future of God's church.

While we don’t have time to discuss all of these issues here (these ideas are discussed in detail in my book “Calling the Rainbow Nation Home”), we can gain much strength from the fact that the Gentile churches did in the end prevail. Not through picket lines and protest marches, but through prayer and dedication to the work God had given them to perform. That being to carry forth the message of reconciliation to their communities and eventually back to the Christian church as a whole.

There is little doubt in my mind that with God’s grace we will prevail in this matter. Scripture speaks of an end-time church without walls and division. A church without strife and contention. A church that is “without spot or wrinkle” standing before the Lord when He comes (Ephesians 5:25-28). Our time will come. But not through division and strife. It will come by relying upon Gods power and grace, love and mercy to see us through. Staying true to the vision and ministry God has set before us. That being, to bring God’s message of love and reconciliation not only to the gay community, but also to the Christian Church as a whole.

[1] I always find it offensive when people talk about the homosexual "lifestyle". Our "lifestyles" are as varied as anyone else. My particular families "lifestyle" revolves around God, our 18 year relationship, our children, friends and family, and the great outdoors. I'm not sure what is so "offensive" about that...