The Absolutists of Change

Here is a recent article I wrote for the Exodus International Blog:

Change is an unavoidable and necessary part of life.  Sometimes it may involve the smallest adjustment in our day and other times it might involve a radical transformation.  Some people like change and others will do everything in their power to avoid it (and often these two types are married to each other).  As it relates to sexual orientation, the term “change” has often been a point of confusion.  But does it have to be?  Is the problem that there are those who insist that change be defined as an absolute and unconditional concept?  I believe so.  The question we must ask is,

“For change to be authentic, must it be absolute?”

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A Lesson from Sesame Street

Here is Op-ed I wrote for Charisma Magazine addressing the recent petition for Bert & Ernie from Sesame Street to marry and identify as a gay couple.  The response given by the producers of Sesame Street is an excellent lesson for many churches and ministry leaders.

Just when you think things couldn’t get more bizarre, they have. This past week a petition was launched calling for the marriage of two iconic characters from Sesame Street, Bert and Ernie. The petition asks that the marriage be executed in a “tasteful” way in order to “Let us teach tolerance of those that are different.”

The petition was filed on the activist site Change.org that has become the equivalent of a national blacklist registry of individuals and organizations who hold to a conservative view on marriage and sexuality. While the site has had some success in intimidating organizations such as Apple and most recently Starbucks to comply with their demands, Sesame Street held strong and stated that Bert and Ernie are best friends and as puppets, they do not have a sexual orientation.

My question is how far will this go? A recent Op-ed in the New York Times called for the legalization of polygamy between loving and consenting adults. Will we see a petition launched for the marriage of Kermit, Miss Piggy and the Cookie Monster to teach that love between consenting individuals, no matter how many, is acceptable and should be celebrated? Of course, this is an extreme situation. But is it?

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When Christianity Offends

Charisma Online recently published my article on the challenges Christians face in today’s culture war on homosexuality.  Read “When Christianity Offends”.

What If Ted Had Told the Truth?

This is a commentary I wrote for Ministry Today, January 20, 2009.

 

Ted Haggard is using an upcoming HBO documentary to chastise the church for how it handled his sex-and-drugs scandal in 2006. Read one pastor’s take on why he may have a point.


Ted Haggard is at it again. The former pastor of a Colorado mega church who admitted to a sexual relationship with a male escort in 2006, is now sharing his story in a documentary called The Trials of Ted Haggard. On January 29, the film premieres on HBO and will re-examine the scandal that rocked the evangelical world. For many, this film will reopen old wounds and stir up feelings thought to be dead and buried.I question why Haggard chose this particular outlet to voice the pain and frustration of his private journey. While I can only imagine the suffering Haggard has endured over the past two years, I cannot excuse some of his choices. And now, once again, it seems the church will have to deal with another reminder of those choices. But maybe there are some things worth being reminded of.

In recent news reports, Ted Haggard chastised church leaders for missing an opportunity to use his scandal to “communicate the gospel worldwide.” Despite how we may feel about the circumstances surrounding Haggard, I believe we have the responsibility to ask: Is he right? Did we, the global Christian church, somehow miss an opportunity to respond to those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attraction with the gospel of truth? While these are valid questions that demand our attention, I believe there is another question that addresses an issue just as important, if not far greater:

What if Ted had told the truth? (click here for the entire article)