3.21.2007 | "equally made in the image of God"

The quotation is from Albert Mohler's March 2, 2007 controversial article, "Is Your Baby Gay? What If You Could Know? What If You Could Do Something About It?". The bottom line for a Christian is how does one deal with a sinner. The answer, for Dr. Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is, as it should be for all Christians: exactly the same, across the board.

From Dr. Mohler's article, some context:

The biblical basis for establishing the dignity of all persons -- the fact that all humans are made in God's image -- reminds us that this means all persons, including those who may be marked by a predisposition toward homosexuality. For the sake of clarity, we must insist at all times that all persons -- whether identified as heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian, transsexual, transgendered, bisexual, or whatever -- are equally made in the image of God.

It is interesting that the so-called liberals of today are so eager to pass off any and all sins as being "hardwired" in our DNA. A man is a violent and recidivist criminal? It's in his genes.

So too does it appear that homosexuality is in the genes. Stated differently, it appears that those who have sexual attraction to those of the same sex, what used to be called in less politically correct times "sexual deviancy," may truly not be able to help themselves.

Except for the not-small matter of not sinning. Even liberals would not advocate tolerating a violent rapist on the loose, just because he "can't help himself." Apparently, however, homosexual behavior is simply not considered a sin, simply because "that's how God made us." Well, God made the rapist and the torturer; He even, in His wisdom, made mosquitos. Perhaps the Almighty was having a bad day...

But the essence of what a Christian should expect from any sinner is this: go and sin no more. This is too simple for the liberal media, and we (or at least Dr. Mohler, with whom I stand on this issue) are accused of all sorts of heinous bigotry because we label sin as sin. And wrong.

Turning now to a self-described man who lacks faith, Harold Meyerson, whose column today is snarkily titled "God and His Gays." Meyerson is blind to an essential of the Christian faith, that we are all made in God's image, but that we also all sin.

Meyerson, likely along with many of those of the liberal side of the spectrum, just doesn't seem to get that while God may have made us with free will, which caused the Fall, we are not damned because of that choice made by Adam and Eve (I'm being alegorical here; we are all Adam or Eve). We are saved by the grace of Christ, and our Lord wasn't averse to hanging out with sinners. Sinners who are told to "go, and sin no more."

This last is the key; the essence that is lacking in the columnist's understanding. Rather, in a bit of Christian-bashing, he writes:

That sidesteps, however, the conundrum that a gay person may follow the same God-given instincts as a straight person -- let's assume fidelity and the desire for church sanctification in both cases -- and end up damned while the straight person ends up saved. Indeed, it means that a gay person's duty is to suppress his God-given instincts while a straight person's duty is to fulfill his.

"God-given instincts" can be blamed for any and all things. But this is wrong. God made us in His image, but we are clearly not perfect. So we sin. Sin, by definition, turns us away from God. God does not call us to sin; we do that all by ourselves.

Salvation awaits those who are successful at turning towards God, and, by definition, turning away from sin. If that means not doing "what comes naturally" in this world, isn't that a small price to pay for ultimate union with God?

Oh, Harold Meyerson, in case you're reading this: "ultimate union with God" is another way of writing "saved."