Michael Brown - Town Hall
InterVarsity
Christian Fellowship is one of the leading campus ministries, and its
publishing arm, InterVarsity Press, is one of the top Christian
publishers. But this fine ministry is learning the hard way that,
when it comes to homosexuality, you cannot straddle the fence.
In
a moment, I’ll explain exactly why I say that InterVarsity has
tried to straddle the fence when it comes to homosexuality, but
first, here’s the relevant background.
Last
week, InterVarsity announced “that it will begin dismissing
employees who disagree with its theological stance on human sexuality
starting on November 11.”
As reported on The
Atlantic,
“Rather than force employees to sign a document outlining their
position, the organization is asking employees to out themselves.
Once the employees inform their supervisor of their personal views,
the ‘involuntary
terminations’
will be triggered.”
From
the standpoint of the historic, biblical faith, there is nothing in
the least bit controversial about this, and InterVarsity is actually
calling on its employees to act with integrity: If they do not agree
with the ministry’s moral and spiritual standards, standards they
agreed to uphold when joining the ministry, they should immediately
resign.
As
for the specific issue of men having sexual and romantic
relationships with other men and women having sexual and romantic
relationships with other women, this is a non-negotiable and it
represents a line that must be drawn in the sand. CARTOON
Not
surprisingly, given today’s confused and compromised spiritual
climate, there has been a backlash from within InterVarsity.
As
Jonathan Merritt reports on
the Religion News Service, “40 authors in InterVarsity’s
publishing house stable including Shane Claiborne, David Dark,
Christena Cleveland, Ian Morgan Cron, and Chris Heuertz are calling
on IVCF head Tom Lin to immediately replace the policy with one that
makes space for opposing views. The letter indicates that the signers
‘do not all share the same theological or political views’ but
‘are united in our concern for the dignity and care of our fellow
Christians whose jobs are threatened by your policy.’”
Also
this week, “a public
protest letter from
‘concerned ICVF alumni’ was posted onChange.org and
addressed to Tom Lin and IVCF’s board of trustees. Similar to the
authors’ letter, this petition stated that signers ‘hold a range
of beliefs with regard to marriage and human sexuality.’”
The
protest letter specifically states that,
“we would be remiss not to address the particular pain, rejection,
and fear that this policy has caused lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer, and intersex members of InterVarsity in the days
since its publication. Being LGBTQI in InterVarsity has never been
easy, even for those who agree with its traditional position, but
this policy places additional burdens on our siblings in Christ who
too often have been marginalized or outcast among Christian
communities. Whatever our disagreements, InterVarsity can and must do
better.”
To
be sure, we are called to exercise compassion towards brothers and
sisters who struggle with same-sex attraction and gender identity
confusion, walking together with them as they seek wholeness and
pursue holiness. But those who claim that you can follow Jesus and
engage in homosexual practice must be lovingly corrected and, if they
refuse to repent, put out of the fellowship, in particular if they
are living this out themselves. That’s what love requires.
And
it is here that InterVarsity has brought some of these troubles on
itself (and I say this with the utmost respect for this important
ministry).
In
2009, InterVarsity published Andrew Marin’s book Love
Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community,
a book which at one and the same time was incredible and terrible, a
book that everyone needed to read and everyone needed to avoid.
To
explain, Marin’s recounting of the painful experiences of many LGBT
people and their sense of being hated by God and rejected by the
church is powerful and moving, something that every caring Christian
should read. I remember one particular night when I had to put the
book down, get alone in my room, and fall to my knees and weep. These
stories were absolutely heartbreaking, moving me to tears of love for
LGBT individuals.
On
the other hand, the scriptural section of the book was absolutely
abysmal, representing, in my mind, the worst treatment of scripture I
have ever seen in a book published by a major evangelical publisher.
The
clear words of the Bible prohibiting homosexual practice were twisted
beyond recognition by Andrew Marin – again, I have never seen that
which is so clear be made into that is which is so obscure – to the
point that Prof. Robert Gagnon, the foremost authority on the Bible
and homosexuality, wrote a lengthy
review that
absolutely savaged Marin’s treatment of Scripture.
Marin’s
response to Gagnon, to which Gagon replied,
further underscored the bankruptcy of his scriptural and moral
arguments.
Although
other examples could be cited, this is the most glaring example of
InterVarsity giving major exposure to an author who refuses to say
that homosexual practice is sin (he has not responded to several
invitations to join me on the air to clarify his position) and who
intentionally dances around the issue when addressing what the Bible
clearly says. (Again, see Gagnon on this; there’s no real dispute
about Marin avoiding these issues.)
And
so, while InterVarsity did well to call for churches to reach out
with sensitivity and compassion to the LGBT community and to
recognize the struggles experienced by many true believers, they
erred seriously by putting forth the mixed message of Marin and
others, a message that surely was felt in InterVarsity’s campus
ministry as well.
Now,
they are paying the price, as others who feel that Christians can
differ when it comes to fundamentals of sexual morality are calling
on InterVarsity to reverse its position, thereby committing spiritual
suicide.
There
is, then, only one way forward for InterVarsity in the days ahead.
They
must hold the line without wavering, not backing down or apologizing
for the policy they have announced, taking whatever flack or backlash
comes their way. And they must be careful not to put out mixed
messages in the future.
If
they do, the blessing of God will be with them.
If
they fold here, they will cease to be a relevant ministry in the
years to come.
Let’s
pray for the leaders of InterVarsity to do what is right and for
those who oppose them in the name of Jesus to see the error of their
ways.
http://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2016/10/12/intervarsity-learns-that-you-cannot-straddle-the-fence-when-it-comes-to-homosexuality-n2231370
No comments:
Post a Comment