Christianity and Homosexuality.

The Church has a bad press about it's attitude towards homosexuality, and whilst I don't want this blog to discuss what the Bible says in regards to homosexuality, because everyone has different opinions, I want to draw the attention away from this widely debated topic, and onto other parts of scripture which are often ignored

The majority of times 'sexual immorality' is mentioned in the Bible, especially in the New Testament  it is listed in a list of 'sins.' Why? Because, a sin is a sin, there are not big sins or little sins. They all have an equal weighting to God, because we have turned away from him and his rule. And yet, the Church often portrays sexual sin, especially homosexuality, as a massive sin, when it's not. Therefore, as a sinner, how can I condemn someone else who sins? I can't. Because they could point out the places in my life where I sin. Whilst I believe being accountable to other Christians is important, mentally condemning others who I see 'sin worse than me' is wrong. Utterly wrong.

Why? Matthew says:

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with his question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

Matthew 22:36-40

Because Jesus says that loving one another is the second most important thing, and how can I love someone if I always condemn them? I don't see that as love, through loving them I may talk about what I see as wrong in their life, but in all they do I should support them even if I believe they will be hurt in the end. 

Lets say, my non-christian friend dated a guy with girlfriend. I would say it was wrong, but I wouldn't stop being her friend, and I would always be there to listen to what they'd done and then support her if/when he hurt her. Why? Because she's my friend and I love her, just because what I see she is doing is wrong doesn't stop me loving her. 

In the same way, as Christians I feel we are called to love everyone, it Jesus loved the outcasts of society, and so we should also love everyone even if what we believe that the lifestyle they live is against that of the bible. Jesus spoke to prostitutes and tax collectors, his best friends were fishermen, and so, as Christians we should also reflect that love. We should love accountants and politicians, we should be-friend people for who they are rather than the labels that society gives people.

I don't know whether I want the bill for gay marriage to be passed, I can see pros and cons for each argument  but I know whatever happens I am called to love other people for that is what God has called me to do foremost. 

Reflections

I've not blogged for a while, because I've not felt like it. And yet, there are so many things I feel I should blog about. I'm currently sat at home, and I'm meant to be working, listening to the Rugby. My sister travels out to South Africa next weekend, so I'm home to see her for the last time in three and a half months. 

Which is making me think about my own trip to Uganda in the summer, all I learnt, and all the things I wanted to change about myself, which I haven't. But, I wonder how have I changed, because I know I am different to the person I was seven months ago when I arrived in Uganda, I know I am different to the person I was before I left home and came to York. And now, as I've reached the halfway point of my third year I wonder what God has in store for me in the future. 

Next year will be different, I'll be a masters student, so I'll have a different student experience than I've been enjoying for the last three years. I'll be living with new people, and a lot of my friends will no longer be in York. I don't know what I'll be doing my research in, where I will be living, but I know that God knows. And that gives me hope. 

I still don't feel close to God, but I still know he's part of my life, I know that he's in control, and he knows what I'm currently feeling. Since my blog 'Deserts and Doubts' I've discovered a new song, whilst I cried the first time I listed to it, it now gives me strength to face each day and helps me to remember whatever is happening God is in control. 

"This is my prayer in the desert

When all that's within me feels dry

This is my prayer in my hunger and need

My God is a God who provides." 

Slavery: It still happens.

I first heard about 'Stop the Traffik' at Spring Harvest probably in 2006, and was shocked that slavery still exists, but know seven years down the line it still shocks me, not as much as it did. But it's the stats that hit me, time after time, the same stats the only difference - they're increasing. 

Two days ago, 11th January, it was 'Human Trafficking Awareness Day', so as I always run a little late, here's my part is making people aware. Human Trafficking isn't just about the sex trade, although that takes up a major part, it involves people being forced to work in agriculture and mining. And if that isn't horrific enough, unlike the well known transatlantic slave trade where the slaves were seen as long term investments  today's slaves are seen as 'disposable tools' merely a way of increasing profits. 

So, some stats:

• 600,000 - 800,00 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year. Approximately 80% are women and girls. Up of 50% are minors.
              - US Departement of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2005
• Human trafficking is the second largest source of illegal income worldwide, exceed only by drugs trafficking.
               - Belser 2005 (Arms comes third)
• 1.2 million children are trafficked every year
              - Estimated by UNICEF
• People trafficking is the fastest growing means by which people are enslaved, the fastest growing international crime, and one of the largest sources of income for organised crime.
               - The UN Office on Drugs and Crime

And that's only a few. Something that hits me hard, is the child sex slave. I saw this poster early in the week, and well it speaks for it's self. 

So, my question is: What are we going to do about this? 

Because, there is no way that slavery is right, so WHY does it still exist? 

Please, please check out the Stop the Traffik website

(I'll update this is a few days/hours time when I've done some work and researched into ways to support organisations like 'Stop the Traffik')

biblesync vs. Exam Stress

For those lovely people who read this and don't attend York University - this week is exam week, potentially my favourite week of the year, not only does it ruin Christmas but there is too little time between exams to feel remotely prepared for the next. Therefore, like other people I end up very stressed. However, unlike previous years I now get biblesync directly to my email account. Although, I don't check it very often, the past two days I have and God has pulled out the stoppers with some brilliant passages.

Tuesday 8th January 

At some point during the day, it hit me that I wasn't quite sure how I was going to get through the remainder of the week. On Monday afternoon I had my first exam, the only one I had revised for (so far) and it hadn't gone as well as I'd like. So whilst procrastinating I decided to check my email account and see what the biblesync passages were for that day, and the following is one of them: 

Matthew 6:25-34: Do Not Worry

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

Matthew 6:25-27

Pretty good! It was really helpful for me to be reminded that despite everything that was going on, despite me feeling that these exams where the most important thing in the world, that God has the situation in control. And he knows exactly what I'm going to do in my life, and he's going to make sure I get the grades to do that. So instead of fretting, I need to remember that God knows everything because he created everything! And at the end of the day, my trust needs to be in him, not my own academic success. Because, life is so much more than work, life is about living. I also really like the translation in The Message:

"There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body" and I can imagine, far more to knowledge than intelligence.

Because, at the end of the day, God isn't interested in how clever you are, but what you've learnt in life, and how those lessons have changed you.

Wednesday 9th January

Yesterday I had sore red eye, and by this morning it was swollen, so my lovely housemate told me that I had to go to the doctors because it was infected. So, at 9 am this morning I headed off to campus....and it wasn't until 10:40 that I arrived at the library, very frustrated that I had 'wasted' over and hour and a half at the doctors and annoyed that I had got conjunctivitis. Anyway, like yesterday I logged into my email account and this the first line read:

"LORD my God, I take refuge in you;

save and deliver me from all who purse me."

Psalm 7:1

It wasn't what I needed to pray exactly, whilst what was pursing me wasn't people (which is what David sang about) it was my emotions, and yet I still needed saving from them. I needed to me reminded (yet again) that I couldn't relay on myself, I have to relay on God, I have to admit my weaknesses and take refuge in him. And so I have. And God has answered, he has saved me from my emotions, and I feel calmness and I am confident that when I sit my exam this evening, God will be with me, sitting alongside me, as he is in every part of my life.

God bless x