Arms Open Wide

Through a working knowledge of God's Word and the illumination of the Spirit, we can learn and
walk in truth. 1st Corinthians 2 says this:
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

In our walk with the Lord, we are called to exercise discernment.  We have been given powerful resources through which we learn and grow in God's truth.  When we encounter teaching that appears to be spiritual or religious, but does not line up with the Word of God, then we can have the sensitivity to reject that teaching.  We can train our spirits, our consciences, to bear witness with God's truth, and we can become more skilled in accepting or rejecting what we hear.

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Through His writings, Paul teaches us what the productive, fulfilling Christian life is to look like.  In
Philippians 1, we read:
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

My experience in my interviews with popular Christian speaker and author Jen Hatmaker is that our discussions have been challenging and insightful.  We have chatted about her groundbreaking book, 7,  which warned against the dangers of excess, as well as another book she wrote called, Interrupted.

And, don't let the current news stories on Christian news sites affect your opinion of this leading author.  Go directly to her Facebook page and read her comments.  Among them are these words, referring to what she said at a recent speaking engagement:

One things I said was that it is high time Christians opened wide their arms, wide their churches, wide their tables, wide their homes to the LGBT community. So great has our condemnation and exclusion been, that gay Christian teens are SEVEN TIMES more likely to commit suicide.

Nope. No. No ma'am. Not on my watch. No more. This is so far outside the gospel of Jesus that I don't even recognize its reflection. I can't. I won't. I refuse.

So, she appears to be saying that the church should be intentional about ministering to those who are in the gay community.  I hear her heart, and totally agree...I think we have incredible ministry opportunities we have to those who are struggling with what the Bible clearly calls sin.  People who are struggling with homosexuality are struggling with a sin problem, but so are those who are trapped in greed, lust, jealousy - and so many others.  We are all sinners in need of a Savior.

So, I don't really have any qualms with what I've shared so far.  One paragraph, though, could produce some concern - here's a portion:

Here are my arms open wide. So wide that every last one of you can jump inside. You are so dear, so beloved, so precious and important. You matter so desperately and your life is worthy and beautiful. There is nothing "wrong with you," or in any case, nothing more right or wrong than any of us...

She also adds, "Jesus still loves us beyond all reason and lives to make us all new, restored, whole."

I certainly don't want to pick apart her words, but I think that we have to be cautious when we are talking about "inclusiveness."  Chelsen Vicari, who has also been a guest on my radio show, picks up on that, when she writes on the Patheos website:

Fierce love and a call for unhindered welcomes for all into the body of Christ are to be applauded and, more importantly, emulated. The problem here is that some of Hatmaker’s sentiments seem to walk that squishy, blurry line between embracing grace and rejecting Christian moral ethics.

Vicari points out that...

...she doesn’t mention the need for repentance of sin. If, instead, Hatmaker’s post read, “Here are my arms open wide. Jump in so I can walk with you in love and accountability through the difficulty we all face denying sin. It will be tough to break intimate bonds with your partner, live single and celibate, but I’m here to provide you community and comfort,” then I can promise you the jubilant responses to her post, would have been phrased very differently.

Hatmaker conveniently leaves out any mention of change, but she does say that Jesus wants to make us all "new, restored, whole."  Katelyn Beaty writes at ChristianityToday.com:

Despite all that she doesn’t say and that some understandably wish she said, Hatmaker is surely right to say the gospel begins with an unconditional announcement of God’s love. God’s love may not end there, but it surely begins there. Especially in a time of fear, hand-wringing, and division, may we not make our love more dependent on preconditions than does God himself.

So, while Jen Hatmaker has extended an olive branch to the gay community, I still don't count her among the religious leaders who have embraced gay marriage, as a Religion News Service piece by Jonathan Merritt, suggests.  He quotes LifeWay Research leader Ed Stetzer in his opening paragraph:

In June of 2015, Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research told The New York Times, “Well-known evangelicals who have shifted on same-sex marriage, you could fit them all in an S.U.V.” But prominent evangelical Christians continue to become publicly affirming of LGBT persons, and serious religion-watchers only expect the trend to continue. Stetzer’s S.U.V. is quickly becoming an convoy, and now prominent Christian author Jen Hatmaker appears to be riding along too.

The problem with that analysis is that there is no evidence in the Facebook post that Hatmaker has "shifted" on same-sex marriage.  And, public affirmation of LGBT persons is definitely not an affirmation of their actions or agenda.   So, while Jen Hatmaker seems to be more tolerant in her approach, there is no evidence that she has joined some sort of "convoy" - she doesn't even say whether or not she believes that homosexual behavior is Biblically acceptable in some way, although the "There is nothing 'wrong with you,'" line is a bit troubling, but it is followed by, "or in any case, nothing more right or wrong than any of us..."

I think there are two truths that we have to deal with regarding the nature of sin.  First of all, while homosexuality is an elevated issue in our culture today, we still recognize that it is not a special class of sin.  No matter how activist push the notion that it is a type of behavior that needs special protection.  Truth is, Jesus came to this earth to save sinners, and He has invited all to come into a relationship with Him.  His love is extended to all.

But, we also recognize that even though Jesus does issue the invitation, it is never His intent to leave us the way we came.  That means healing and transformation in the areas where we struggle, where we walk in sin.  He offers us forgiveness and freedom, but we have to recognize that the dynamics of our salvation involve a willingness to change and to surrender to His ways.  That applies to all of us, in all of our sins.

Finally, I think we have to process everything we read, hear, and see in light of God's truth. Whatever Bible teacher you choose to expose yourself to, it's important that we check their contentions against the truth of Scripture.  There are many Bible teachers out there who give incredible insight, but we can recognize that God's Word is our ultimate authority, so we need to take the Bible knowledge we acquire and be discerning and sensitive to the Spirit.