What's the Difference?

Although this is not what I am going to be writing about, here is the verse that stuck out to me in my Bible reading today. (There is a new link for daily Bible reading on the right that will take you though the whole Bible in a year... or just do the NT portion to go thorough the NT in a year)

"While here in jail, I've fathered a child, so to speak. And here he is, hand-carrying this letter—Onesimus! He was useless to you before; now he's useful to both of us. I'm sending him back to you, but it feels like I'm cutting off my right arm in doing so. I wanted in the worst way to keep him here as your stand-in to help out while I'm in jail for the Message. But I didn't want to do anything behind your back, make you do a good deed that you hadn't willingly agreed to." Philemon 1:10-14

Lets avoid doing anything "under the table". Success in the ministry of life often requires a simple rule: "Except in protecting others, keep no secrets."

Now on to what I actually wanted to write about:

I thought I would bring up a theological question from a book that I have been reading by Dan Kimball called They Like Jesus but not the Church. This is a real life situation that we have to consider... and to quote Jason French's blog... "If your theology isn't practical, it doesn't work."

"Imagine an unmarried couple who are living together and are sexually active. They enter your church and tell you they aren't Christians yet, but are interest in God and are checking out your church. They begin attending your worship gatherings, and you are happy to see them there, hoping they will come to trust in Jesus. You know they are living together, and you see them respectfully showing their affection by holding hands in church and putting their arms around one another.
But what if a gay couple did the same thing?
How would you answer the following questions?

• How are these two couples different in Jesus' eyes?
• Theologically, what is the difference between the straight couple and the homosexual couple?
• How would your reaction differ?
• How would your church react?"

(Kimball, Dan, They Like Jesus but not the Church, P. 148)

He goes on to state at the end of the chapter: "We can hold to a doctrinal position about homosexuality while moving from being known as a community that fears and even looks down on homosexuals to being know as a community that welcomes and loves them, yet doesn't affirm anything that the Scriptures don't." (Kimball, Dan, They Like Jesus but not the Church, P. 161)

An interesting thought! Your reactions?

Then after you react feel free to respond with this qualification:

I only want biblical answers to the questions posed by Kimball. Biblical answers in context to the passage you are bringing them from.

Or just reflect on this and how we treat sin and the unchurched differently that we probably should given the nature of who we were before we were saved. After all: "All have sinned and fallen short of God's Glory."