The Christian communities tend to be embarrassed by enthusiasm.
This isn’t about Tammy Faye anyhow. One could speculate that the homo groups fooled her in her moment of need. I think Christians underestimate the power of God to turn even sins to the future benefit of the sinner.
One thing rings in my mind. Jesus told the Pharisees that the prostitutes were getting into the kingdom of heaven before the Pharisees were. We will forgive a sinner of some sins, but not of other sins, because we have created a false dichotomy. And sometimes the dichotomy is based in our own hypocrisies — our failure to respond to the gospel call to express the positive grace that is visibly lacking in those we consider the condemnable set. Of course those other people have a responsibility to God to express that grace too, but till WE do it, how are we going to lead THEM to do it? We won’t.
And I have a bit of a hobby horse here. Christian America has flunked the “glorify God in your bodies” test. Big time. That is why they cannot help homos and fall on the false dichotomy of either excusing the sin or execrating the sinners as being only stoneworthy. As a former sex sinner (though not by buggery) I find this bugs me big time. God had to walk me personally to that grace, with a few moments of precious help from loving Christians who understood my burden. The rest of Christian America was, in the main, too busy being hypocrites about their sex lives!
I certainly appreciate your honesty about where you were and where God has brought you - by HIS grace - not by our own works. And, while many on here lash out at the homosexuals, and those who commit abortion - they are knee deep in their own sins. Gluttony is also a sin, according to the Bible. We are all sinners saved by grace - not by works - lest any man boast. All of our righteousness is as filthy rags -
The Bible lumps adultery and fornication right in the same verse as homosexuality. Yes, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their homosexual sis, but, if you read the NT, and especially in the book of Corinthians - you will find that there were homosexuals who accepted Christ and turned from their sexual sins. Paul addresses them specifically. God will turn them over to a reprobate mind if they refuse to repent of their sin, and they will continue to burn with lust for each other.
But, regardless of the judgmental attitudes of so many on here - Jesus died for ALL - and that includes the homosexuals, adulterers, etc. As hard as it is to imagine - He loves them as much as HE loved us when we were floundering around in our sin-soaked ways. He did not LOVE our sins, however.
I mentioned Tammy Faye because she was thrown into this thread, and I responded.
God isn’t against people having money - he is against the LOVE of money - because that is the root of all evil - the love of it. Most of the patriarchs in the OT were very wealthy - and God used them mightily and blessed them. So many believe that Christians are to walk around in rags and worship in store-front buildings to prove their Christianity. Even Paul said that at times he had an abundance - and at other times he lacked -