Letter Twenty-Five:
The Church’s Response to the Alternative Culture
My Dear Family,
What makes our household peaceful and tranquil is a deep respect for others and keeping healthy boundaries. Everyone relates to others differently. There are strong relationships between men and women, men with men, and women with women. We see all of this in Scripture. In these close relationships, there can easily arise sexual attraction within us. Whatever these attractions may be, we must live with tight boundaries.
This mortal and temporary life can be either a little bit of heaven or a little bit of hell. Heaven is living within the moral boundaries God set before us. Hell is chaos, the breaking of boundaries. Breaking boundaries always carries with it consequences. Classic examples of this are Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment (murder), and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (adultery), describing the ensuing hells they lived out.
When addressing homosexuality, it is often asked, when challenged about who they are, “Would I choose such a lifestyle?” Behind this question is the admission that it is not an easy life. It is, in fact, on many levels a very hard life. The question presents itself: is this because of the persecution by the “straights” of society, or because homosexuality is inherently contra-nature?
For sure, many say the problem is squarely about persecution by homophobes, while others would say it is because they violate nature. I believe that the truth lies in both camps. Even though in our culture homosexuals are largely accepted in many ways, it is also clear that they are persecuted on many fronts, and that is wrong and non-Christian. The Church knows a whole lot about the horror of being “despised and rejected,” and must, like Her Lord, reach out to those who are persecuted, sheltering and protecting them, without condoning sin.
On the other hand, we acknowledge the truth of Dostoevsky’s saying, “Drive nature out the door, and it will fly in at the window.” Breaking boundaries carries with it consequences that are unavoidable: physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual trauma. It is simplistic and naïve to say that if society were to just accept homosexuality as normal, all would be fine.
The contemporary Church finds Herself in a delicate balancing act. We must learn to be welcoming and inviting toward LGBTQ+ people but must challenge them about the healthy boundaries God set before them, acknowledging that it is very hard to be an obedient and radical disciple of Jesus Christ. The challenge goes in both directions.
Yours in Christ,
Father John Worgul
Takeaway
The contemporary Church finds Herself in a delicate balancing act. We must learn to be welcoming and inviting toward LGBTQ+ people, but must challenge them about the healthy boundaries God set before us.
Discussion Questions
- How is it possible to love people who identify themselves by their sexual orientation and also challenge them about their alternative culture?
- Describe how we in our church congregation might do this.