Hello Hippies!!!
Friends and Family as well, I know
it has been a long time since I have blogged, but I think now is the time to
fire this old literary disaster back up. The passed few months have been a
pretty exciting and wild ride with some ups and downs, the most of which have
been ups. I’m thankful to everyone who puts up with me and my crap and am
thankful for everyone in my life. By taking the time to read this, I hope you
are willing to listen to a bit more. So, lets just do it. Lets get right to what
I want to say. The reason why I’m reviving this blog;
As many of
you know, our President, Barak Obama, has said some things in support of
homosexual marriage that have created quite the discussion on facebook, blogs,
news and any other public forum imaginable. The Christian reaction to this
matter is what Im going to talk about. Im going to piss some of you off. Some
of you may unfriend me, or stop talking to me. I do not care. You are probably
the one I’m talking to anyways. Some dear friends of mine, Christian leaders I
look up to, and Christian peers I have studied and taught with, you are the
ones I’m taking to. Are you ready?
The Jackassery has to stop. You pharisaical fools need to shut your
mouths before you destroy your witness entirely, and the witness of those
around you who call themselves “Christians” and are actually try to reach the
lost of the world.
Before we
go any further, allow me to preface this as so; I do NOT condone homosexuality,
or homosexual marriage. As a FOLLOWER of JESUS I know those things to be
biblically wrong. But, also as a FOLLOW of JESUS, I know that how “CHRISTIANS”
have approached the subject is wrong as well. Some of you, you hypocrites need
to remove the plank from you’re eye!
We are a
nation of freedom for EVERYONE. Freedom, Liberty and equal opportunity in the
USA are free for everyone to who wants them and are the very things our
soldiers die to protect. In the United States, we have a separation of Church
and state. We have no “State Religion.” Those of you that believe we are a
“Christian” nation are wrong. We are a
nation where anyone is free to practice whatever religion they want. A lot of
you are conservatives and want to take all control away from the government and
give it solely to the people, but at the same time, you want the government to
control what people do that you don’t like. You are hypocrites. As a country of “separation of church and
state” it is in our government and presidents best interest to support free and
equal rights for everyone; gay, straight, black, white, Mexican and everyone in
between. The Governments jobs and the president’s job are not to cater to
Christianity. If your upset that they are not leading the way you want them
too, then shut your mouth, and vote for someone else, that is YOURE right. I had a good conversation with a guy who
said, “As a Christian, I feel like it is my duty to try and elect people that
have the same moral (or Christian) beliefs as I do.” I couldn’t agree with him
more. That is certainly, his (and yours!) free American right. We went on to
agree that how some of you “leaders” in the church are approaching this
situation and are going to kill any hopes we have of reaching anyone.
In total
agreement that homosexuality is a sin, and homosexual marriage is not what
biblical marriage is supposed to be (and biblical marriage and legal binding state
recognized marriage are two entirely different things) lets consider this; what
would Jesus say or do? Some of you still rock a WWJD bracelet every day and you
didn’t stop to think, “What would Jesus say?” Do you think Jesus would stand in
the streets and preach? Do you think he would make a homophobic homo-bashing
blog or web post? Do you think he would tweet or status update and bash our
president or his ideas? I THINK NOT! Jesus is God, and knowing that GOD IS LOVE,
we must know that he would just simply open his doors and invite gay people and
their spouses and friends into his house. He would be a polite and respectful
guest in their house and show them nothing but love. Have you forgot that IT IS
NOT YOU THAT saves anyone, but Jesus is the one who saves him or her? Those of
you that have taken the time to make some boisterous post about homosexual
marriage; when was the last time you had something to say to the guys that have
files full of porn on their computers, or guys that are cheating on or abusing
their wives and children? When was the last time you had something to say about
the couples in your church living together out of wedlock? When was the last
time you had something to say about adolescent guys living in their mom’s
basement playing video games all hours of the day refusing to grow up? When was
the last time you confessed the sin in your own life in front of your church to
show them as sinners go, you are the worst?
Vocally
standing up against homosexuality, homosexual marriage isn’t having the effect
you might think. You are just convincing your pharisaical crony friends that
they should be the same way as you and give gay people even more of a reason to
hate Christianity and the Christian church. You know about gay pride parades
and marches and protests, right? Why do you think gay people stand up for those
things??? Because Christians condemn them for their beliefs. You “Christians”
are enablers, not loving followers of Christ like you should be. Maybe you need
to take the time to reread the story of Zacchaeus.
Ill tell
you what I’m going to do, sometime in the next 2 years (is my plan) we are gong
to start having church in Cincinnati, and in this church, gay, straight, white
black or whoever will be welcomed with love. We wont preform homosexual
marriages, but we will not cast homosexuals out, or people that support
homosexuality or homosexual marriage. We will love them and tell them about
Jesus and let the spirit do its work on them. We will defend the word, but also
follow the first two commandments as best as we can. Sin is sin and it is not
my place to judge sinners. Its my job as a Christian to share the message of
the Gospel and let the love of Jesus, and the power of the spirit transform the
lost.
If you are a gay friend of mine and
are reading this, please accept my apologies for Christians that have turned
you off, pissed you off or made you feel unwelcomed or unloved. You know I love
you and you are always welcomed to hang out with me and my peeps. You are always
welcome into my house. We will NEVER judge you here, because we are probably
way worse people than you are.
Please, leaders and dear friends, I hope you find this in
stern corrective love. Please stop talking. Please stop being so foolish. Stop
making it harder for Christians to reach the lost and broken. Stop trying to
change or save people when that is not your job. Just follow the first two
commandments, teach the bible to those who give you an ear to listen, and love
everyone as Jesus would love them. Let our government be our government that
treats and supports EVERYONE EQUALLY and vote for whoever you want, but keep
your propaganda to yourself. Find a gay couple and get to know them. Don’t tell
them who you are or what you do unless they ask. Invite them into your house,
let them eat at your table and watch your TV and play your games. Love them and
cherish them as lost people and let the love of Jesus and the power of the
Spirit work on their lives. I love you all; gay, straight, leader, follower,
Christian or not, Pharisee or follower of Jesus. I hope you can open your eyes
to the real message and take the time to love somebody.
Much Love Hippies!
Levi
