Posted on 11/30/2012 12:10:18 PM PST by Coleus
Controversy is stirring over recent comments made by Rick Warren, author of the best-selling book The Purpose-Driven Life and megachurch leader of Saddleback Church in California, who stated that homosexual behavior “might be” sinful, and that he believes homosexuals go to Heaven. During an interview this week with the Huffington Post, Warren was asked by Marc Lamont Hill if having romantic feelings for a member of the same sex is a sin. Leading up to the question, Warren was explaining that he does not hate homosexuals, and that people should disagree politely on the subject of homosexuality.
“I have many, many gay friends, and have worked around the world with them in gay organizations to try to stop AIDS,” he said. “We’re doing ‘World AIDS Day’ this weekend at Saddleback Church. My wife and I have given millions of dollars to help people with HIV/AIDS and have worked with gay organizations on that.” “What about the love part, though? I hear about the AIDS part,” asked Hill. “It’s not illegal to love somebody,” Warren replied. “But you think it’s a sin,” Hill asserted. “No, it’s not a sin to love somebody,” Warren said. “It might be a sin to have sex with them,” he added. “It might be.”
However, just moments prior, Hill aired a clip from an interview that Warren participated in on Piers Morgan this week, where Warren presented a slightly different answer. He began by responding to the question of whether or not a person can be born homosexual. “I think the jury is still out on that,” he said. “It wouldn’t bother me if there was a ‘gay gene’ found, because here’s what we know about life: I have all kinds of natural feelings in my life, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that I should act on every feeling. … I do not believe that attraction is a sin, but I do believe that some actions are sin.”
Warren stated during his interview with Hill that he believes sex outside of marriage is always sinful, however, and that he obtains his views from the Bible. “I make no bones about it. I’m an evangelical pastor, so my source of authority is, what does the Bible say about it?” he said. “However, people will have other sources of authority.”
“Or, different readings of the Bible,” Hill injected. “Or different readings — that’s very true,” Warren agreed. Later during the interview, when Hill asked Warren if he believes homosexuals will go to Hell, he replied that they will not. “No, not because they’re gay,” he said. “We go to Hell because we choose to reject the grace of God.” When Hill asked what happens to a homosexual that accepts Jesus, Warren responded enthusiastically. “He’s going to Heaven!” he declared. “Without a doubt.”
Warren is not the first evangelical to make the assertion, however. Earlier this year, megachurch author and speaker Joel Osteen similarly told popular talk show host Oprah that he also believes homosexuals are saved. “Will a gay person be accepted into heaven, as you see it?,” Oprah asked Osteen. “I believe they will,” he replied. Craig Gross of “XXXChurch” also made statements in July that he doesn’t think God would send homosexuals to Hell.
“Why do they (religious people) believe that the gay guy goes to Hell, but the fat preacher who builds some of the largest churches in the world makes it to Heaven?” Gross wrote in an online blog. However, many Christians view statements such as these as compromise against the word of God. “The concept of a ‘gay Christian’ is an oxymoron in light of numerous Scriptural instances wherein homosexual behavior is forbidden,” Alex Mason, policy analyst for the Family Policy Network, told Christian News Network. “One cannot live in a continual state of unrepentant sexual sin while calling themselves a Christian.”
“That’s not to say Christians can’t struggle with sin, including sexual sin,” he continued. “The Christian life as a constant struggle against sin, and just as some Christians struggle to defeat heterosexual lust, others may struggle to defeat homosexual lusts.”
Peter LaBarbera, the president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, agreed. He stated that he was shocked at Rick Warren’s comments. “You don’t want to give the impression that it’s fine and dandy to live the homosexual lifestyle and as long as I believe in Jesus, I can still go to Heaven,” he said. “It’s one thing to have attractions and [fight] that, [and another to embrace homosexual behavior].”
Mason, whose ministry operates the website HopeForHomosexuals.com, stated that Warren should have explained his beliefs further, so as not to jeopardize the eternity of valuable souls. “Warren failed to define what it means to ‘accept Christ,’ leaving viewers with the notion that a person can simply express a ‘belief’ in Jesus’ existence without turning away from the sins He died to atone,” he lamented.
“When you accept Christ, your behavior changes,” LaBarbera said. “And the attitude is [people like Warren] don’t want to talk about changes. … We know that God changes homosexuals, so why isn’t Rick Warren saying that?” LaBarbera also told Christian News Network that he thinks Warren is treading into very dangerous territory by insinuating that the issue of homosexual behavior is a grey area.
“What part of Romans 1 doesn’t Rick Warren understand? It’s so clear,” he said. “When you make statements like these, you end up losing the Biblical sense, and the Biblical sense is that this is an abomination.” Mason agreed, and outlined that sin needs to be taken seriously by those who wear the name of Christ.
“Christians should not, for one moment, hesitate when asked about behaviors that Scripture clearly calls sinful,” he said. “It is impossible for anyone to legitimize or make holy what God Himself has called unholy.”
“The Apostle Paul did not hesitate to faithfully echo God’s standards in his letter to the Corinthians, wherein he included a long list of sins that will keep people from the kingdom of God, including the sin of homosexuality,” Mason continued, citing 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. “Modern preachers would do well to follow Paul’s example in condemning that which God has condemned, while also proclaiming that the only hope for sinners – homosexual and heterosexual alike — is faith in Jesus Christ: ‘All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
LaBarbera said that Warren should not only have called homosexual behavior sin, but should have gone deeper to the root issue. “It’s also sinful to lust after another man,” LaBarbera said. “We can’t advocate sin as believers, and we have to think about how that the person that’s struggling with homosexuality is going to hear this.” “There is no Biblical basis for his statements,” he added. “I think Rick Warren needs to retract that ['might be'] statement and clarify it. If he does not retract it, he has fallen into error.”
“Rick Warren has a heart for lost souls, but he seems fearful he’ll offend people he could otherwise lead to salvation by telling the truth about their sin. That may indicate an inadequate faith in God’s sovereignty, or a failure to fully believe God’s Word has the power to transform lives,” Mason concluded. “I pray he’ll find the courage to be just as determined to be the salt of the earth as he is to be a light to the world.” Requests for comment were not returned by Saddleback Church.
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Where does Warren say that he doesn’t know that homosexual behavior is a sin?
All things being equal an unrepentant Sodomite is damned. A repentant Sodomite is saved.
He must be taking some of that new LsD floating around.. most of DC and modern day media is on it..
Can a gay go to heaven? ABSOLUTELY! so long as he repents of his sins, all of them, not just homosexual ones. Same as anybody else.
Does this mean he will change his orientation? Don't know. Does he mean he will never sin again with a homosexual act? It's possible, but also possible that he will.
What it SHOULD mean, IMO, is that he should recognize the sinful nature of this behavior and stop trying to justify it to the world, leading others down the wide road to Hell.
I much prefer a hypocrite that has ideals that he's not strong enough to always follow to ones such as these:
Matthew 23:13
1) Each of us should recognize that, yes, we are a sinner.
2) Each of us should repent of our sins, and confess it as sinful behavior.
3) Each of us should go forth and try to sin no more -- although we will fail, we should make the effort.
The guys marching in the Gay Pride Parades? They fail on all three counts. I'm not sure Warren is all that concerned though.
Here, let me rub your nose in it:
“No, it’s not a sin to love somebody,” Warren said. “It might be a sin to have sex with them,” he added. “It might be.”
“might be” means “possibly could not be”.
Now, don’t poop on the carpet again.
Won’t take you long to answer this. Which quote from Warren is at odds with the bible?
I thought the Bible says that Man should not lay with man???
it might be a sin? Is he for real?
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1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God is not for those that embrace sin... We are all sinners, but Thank God for verse 11:
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
We were sinners (all of us), but Thank God that He can clean us by His spirit, and break us from the bondage of Satan.
1 John 3:8-9 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
'Sin' in this case means living and walking in sin, not the occasional (and presumably the more, and more, infrequent) stumble.
False preacher, and apparent snake in the grass Rick Warren, preaches a lie, while encouraging the people snared in sin to remain in these chains. It is the opposite of 'love' to encourage someone to march off into hell.
He's either starkers or playing footsies with heresy. Or both.
I am very disappointed in these comments. There is this great desire in evangelical circles to appear loving and welcoming to all. This I agree with. I think we can show love to all sinners (like me).
However, I am increasingly alarmed that the church is shrinking back from the Word of God by deliberately blurring the line of what constitutes sin. As a result, the church has lost its saltiness and is largely become impotent.
The church has lost it’s power in large measure because we try to tell people that whatever they’re doing isn’t really sin... but they need salvation. Why does anyone need salvation if what they are doing isn’t wrong, or may not be wrong “for them”?
We are on very dangerous ground here and evangelical leadership talk like this greatly serves to demoralize and confuse the average Christian. After all, why should I stand alone im my community of friends and call homosexuality sin if evangelical “leaders” publicly state that homosexuality is okay, contrary to I Corinthians?
Having said that, I have no problem working with AIDS groups or with those who practice homosexuality any more than I would have a problem working with the guy who is living with his girlfriend. But in either case the behavior is sinful and anyone who is a Christ follower cannot abide both in Christ and in a lifestyle of sin.
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I didn’t get the point about fat preachers. Does the Bible say that fat people will go to hell?
Where in that quote does he refer to homosexuals? It’s a sin for an unmarried man and woman to have sex also. Why could he not be referring to that?
You clean the freaking carpet and take a reading comprehension course while you’re at it.
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