On World Vision and my Broken Heart

Two days ago, encouraging the pressure which inevitably broke World Vision’s decision to hire men or women who are in legal same-sex marriages, I saw a pastor in my community tweet that “faithful followers of Jesus must speak out against ‘churches’ who in the name of love embrace that which Jesus doesn’t.” Fascinating. Which issues should we speak out against first? Legalism would be high on my list. As I’ve been reading more bloggers like Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner, I begin to believe I’m not as alone in the world as I once was. They have well articulated the strange obsession that many evangelical Christians have with homosexuality. How many times have you heard a comment from the pulpit or even an entire message on homosexuality in the past decade? How many tweets, Facebook posts, Chick-fil-a days, Duck Dynasty campaigns, WorldVision tweets occurred from evangelicals clarifying that homosexuality is still a sin in the eyes of God? Countless.

What about generosity? Or loving your neighbor? (What’s that mean anyway? Kind of abstract. Let’s leave it alone). Or the love of money. Now there is a tough one, especially here in Dallas. We like our money and we like our things. We like our expensive schools and our country club memberships and our luxury cars and generally, we don’t catch all that much slack for it. Our greed and materialism is a cultural norm. Shhh. Don’t talk about that. That might convict us all, not just a select few. (self included)

But homosexuality. Man, we better make sure and keep reminding people it’s a sin. I’ve been through so many of the phases of anger on this. And just when I think I’ve decided to let it go, decided to ignore the comments, something like World Vision happens and I think really? You would pull your support from a hungry child over this? You would be willing to clarify that a person in a same-sex relationship is not fit to serve God’s kingdom? Who is fit to serve then? Tell me where the line is drawn.

I just cannot stop weeping this morning as I read through Galatians and Ephesians searching for just the right passage to wrap this all up. There is so much here clarifying God’s grace for us! But here is what I am accepting as real: there isn’t the perfect passage to resolve this debate. We are going to disagree, I am afraid, forever. Because this one “issue” has become such a stronghold, I believe as much for those who oppose it as it is to those who are oppressed by it.

If I could unwind the lives of my friends and show you’re their stories, you would see. You would see their hurt, pain and hiding; and ulcers that suddenly went away when they came out; and the abuse they suffered at the hands of their own siblings. You would see their loneliness and confusion as they looked for a safe person to tell.

You would also see their great talent. Their incredible capacity for love and forgiveness. If you would look with eyes of love to really see them as people and not as an issue, you would, I promise you would GRATEFULLY STAND BY THEM in the office, on the factory line, at the kitchen counter, in their cubicle, at the dinner table, and most certainly, I assure you, on the mission field feeding a hungry child.

My beloved friends, you know who you are. I will not stop standing for you. I thank God for you. I love you.