I am not condemning Knapp or any person who is trying to seek Jesus and, simultaneously, working through issues of their own sexuality, especially in the time in which we live when many lines are less defined than in the past. What I do condemn is the idea that each of us can invent, create or imagine our own theology, call it Christian and expect other Christians to accept it uncritically. Some lines are blurred, but there still are lines and we do ourselves nor our culture any good by trying to move them or obliterate them altogether.
Right on! I'd only add one more comment, Knapp says to her criticizers, "you do not know me and you do not have the right to speak to me in the manner you have publicly." So she can say Christianity and homosexuality is consistent and those opposed cannot ... this is the new tolerance.
And since I've recently focused on bad advice given to those dealing with homosexuals, here's a great post by Trevin Wax offering advice to us as we interact on the issue.
1. We need to shift emphasis from the truth that “everyone is a sinner” to the necessity of repentance. ... Ultimately, the debate is not about homosexuality versus other sins. It’s about whether or not repentance is integral to the Christian life.
2. We must not allow ourselves to be defined by our sexual attractions. ... Our goal is not authenticity. It is to be true to the self that is redeemed, transformed by the gospel and the power of the Spirit, under the authority of God’s Word. That is why we must make distinctions between sexual urges and sexual behavior. One might not choose one’s temptation, but we do choose our behavior. ... it’s the traditionalist who has the high view of humanity, understanding that we are more than our sexual urges and we have an inherent worth and value that leads us to do more than simply act on whatever instincts we feel.
3. We must expose the arrogance and judgmentalism of those who would so flippantly dismiss the witness of Christians for two thousand years. ... Knapp has flippantly dismissed the consensus of two thousand years of Christian scholarship and witness, not to mention the vast majority of Christians outside the West who continue to see homosexual behavior as sinful. ... I’d like to see someone gently point out the implicit judgmentalism of the “homosexual behavior is legitimate” view.
4. We need soft hearts toward Christians struggling with same-sex attraction. ... Jennifer Knapp’s point of view appears to be liberating and compassionate. It’s actually condemning and dismissive. How so? Consider the people in our churches who are struggling with same-sex attraction and temptation. Consider these believers who are walking alongside other Christians, choosing daily to remain celibate, to crucify these desires as a part of their painful sanctification. Knapp dismisses the legitimacy of struggling with such attractions by saying that one should just give up the fight, for homosexual behavior is not even a sin. This kind of hard-heartedness toward fellow pilgrims is not coming from the traditionalist pastor, but from Knapp, who considers herself to be liberated from that struggle.
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