Sally Kern Addressed the Controversy and Her Motivation

Look, I consider myself a conservative Christian. I believe in the authority of Scripture concerning all matters, including sexuality. Thus, I -- being a same-sex attracted person -- have taken on the call of Matthew 19:12 to be a "eunuch for the Kingdom" and remain celibate instead of pursuing homosexual relationships.

That being said, I still have many gay friends and even a family member, and I care about them all deeply. They hardly all fit into a singular "lifestyle." Some are virgins and are waiting for a lifelong partnership, others are monogamous with their life partners, and some are lifelong celibates like myself even though they still call themselves "gay." I may not agree with all my friends on religious grounds, but I am far from saying that they are tearing down the moral fabric of the country. I still think heterosexuals in general still hold that title. That Ms. Kern makes so many generalizations about homosexuality shows that she has not given the issue much thought, and is relying on suspicious "research" rather than her own personal experiences with gay men and women.

I don't understand how there is any way to defend Sally Kern's language. There were a million better ways for her to say the truth -- and, indeed, tons of other people say it better than her all the time -- but she continues to use tired rhetoric. "Love the sinner; hate the sin" has been used so often that people aren't even understanding the meaning anymore. This issue is more complicated than that, and Ms. Kern needs to recognize that. If she was so concerned about showing love, then she needed to phrase her sentences in a way that wouldn't be taken in such a hostile manner. She didn't, though, and she isn't apologizing for it. Not recognizing when you might be wrong is not Christ-like; it's childish.

I can't imagine a single gay person I know being inspired to follow Christ after listening to Sally Kern. I know that if I was not already two years into the decision to be celibate, Ms. Kern's speech would probably keep me away from such discipleship. You shall know them by their fruits, and I can't see Ms. Kern producing any fruits.

You did not give me facts. You told me to type "gay agenda" into Google. That hardly qualifies as solid research. As for the Victory Fund, they have every right to support their candidates for whatever reasons they choose, just as you have the right to support Sally Kern. As for the Word of God, it's all well and good, but it was out of context in terms of the debate we were having. (And personally, I think those texts could apply to any generation, for there have always been lovers of pleasure -- gay and straight -- calling themselves Christians).

I didn't judge you to be incoherent. You simply were, because your language is sloppy and your writing style (if indeed it can be called "style") is hard to follow. Simply being older than me is not a reason for me to respect you. You have to earn that respect, and you have not. By the way, I never said you were addressing me as sub-human. I said you weren't addressing me as a normal human, meaning you weren't actually responding to what I had written and were flying off on unrelated tangents instead. Once again, you have shown an unwillingness to read or think carefully, so why should I continue to engage you here?

As for argument (also called "debate" or "discussion"), it's a natural fact of life. You either debate with the people with whom you disagree, or you stay silent altogether. You can't have a public voice and throw your hat into the arena of ideas without expecting to engage in rational and respectful discourse with opposing views. You can choose one or the other, but you can't have your cake and eat it too.

I regard you as a brother in Christ, which is part of the reason I'm taking such an attitude. I would never talk to a non-Christian this way, because I would not want to be a stumbling block to them. You, however, have quite a bit of growing to do (which is not, of course, to say that I don't), and I just wanted to point that out.

God's word does not teach us that people in authority or elders are to earn respect.

What, so I'm supposed to give you a free pass just because you're older? I'll need specific verses and their appropriate contexts to believe that, sorry. From my understanding, as Christians we're supposed to hold up all earthly authority to the light of Scripture to see if they measure up or not. I'm not saying if you do or don't, but I stand by my comments. I also believe the Bible (and I do that without having to ever have been homeschooled, imagine that), and my parents taught me everything I need to know.

We have the same beliefs about the fact that homosexuality is a broken condition. Then again, mere humanity is a broken condition, and I refuse to believe that homosexuality is a worse sin than any other. Thus, I'm not so concerned about a gay political agenda, no more so than a Muslim, atheist, Buddhist, radical feminist, radical environmentalist, or even extremist Christian political agenda. I never said that Sally Kern didn't have the right to say what she said. I just don't think it was wise of her -- as a Christian -- to say it in the way she did.

As for my attitude, it just is what it is. I am a believer in Christ and so are you, so I prefer to do away with the pleasantries and just get right into it. This is ultimately a discussion about how to best be faithful to God and be a light to others. We have different views about that, but I'm not suggesting that you aren't saved or are a bad Christian. If I offended you, sorry, but at the same time you probably shouldn't be letting a 19-year-old's "disrespect" get to you. I call it as I see it, nothing more or less.

Concerning my struggle, it's not as tough as it seems, because I don't let it get me down, and I refuse to see myself as anything less than a loved child of God. There are so many people so much more broken than me and in so much more need of a Savior, that I don't really have the time to get hung up on my own struggles (real or perceived). In all things I am more than a conqueror, so you don't really have to be worried. My age is a great time, because I am young, hopeful, and energetic -- with the world at my fingertips and God by my side. I usually enjoy engaging people in debate like this, but since you don't want to, we can leave it at that. You should, however, put some type of disclaimer on your blog about the type of comments you do and do not want, in order to avoid this type of altercation in the future.

Regards,

Jay