His argument is an interesting one, but I think that the answer he has arrived at is the wrong answer. Consider the following hypothetical arguments:
-----------
EXAMPLE ONE
Jesus would have me to love my neighbor. My neighbor happens to derive great pleasure from attending dog fights which often result in the death of one or more pit bulls. I don't approve of dog fighting, but I don't want to alienate my neighbor, and he's invited me to attend the dog fight scheduled for next weekend. So I've decided to go and watch as the two dogs viciously attack each other, while grown men bet on the winners and losers, in order to show my love for my neighbor and hopefully win him over to Christ.
EXAMPLE TWO
Jesus would have me to love my neighbor. My neighbor happens to derive great pleasure from sexual orgies involving numerous people, and occasionally children and even animals. I don't approve of such sexual relationships, but I don't want to alienate my neighbor, and he's invited me to attend the orgy scheduled for next weekend. So I've decided to go and watch as the twenty or more people engage in all kinds of sexual acts with one another, in order to show my love for my neighbor and hopefully win him over to Christ.
EXAMPLE THREE
Jesus would have me to love my neighbor. My neighbor just informed me that she will be visiting the local abortion clinic next weekend in order to abort her unborn child. I don't approve of abortion, but I don't want to alienate my neighbor. So I've decided to go and stand by her side in the operating room as she murders her unborn child, in order to show my love for my neighbor and hopefully win her over to Christ.
EXAMPLE FOUR
Jesus would have me to love my neighbor. My neighbor isn't a Christian, she's a Wiccan. Every now and then, she and her coven spend the weekend at the lake, where they like to shed all of their clothes and sing praises to their deities. I don't want to alienate my neighbor. So I've decided to go and watch as she and her friends worship the Horned God and the Great Mother goddess in the nude, in order to show my love for my neighbor and hopefully win her over to Christ.
-----------
By now, I think it ought to be clear about where I stand on the question of whether or not one should attend a gay wedding. Yes, we should show the love of Christ to all people, even to unbelievers who regularly participate in evil or sinful activities. But we need to be careful, lest our naive attempts to show the love of Christ should be interpreted as condonation. To attend a gay wedding would be to implicitly endorse such a wedding. I personally could not and would not do such a thing, any more than I would attend a cruel dog fight or a sexual orgy or an abortion or a pagan worship service. If the only way to stay friends with the types of people who engage in such activities is to implicitly endorse their activities, then our choice ought to be clear.
James 4:4 states that friendship with the world is enmity towards God. I don't think that that means that we can't have friendly conversations with unbelievers who are caught up in sin. Jesus' willingness to associate with heathens and tax collectors ought to demonstrate the fallacy of such an interpretation. But I do believe that there is a clear line in the sand, which we as Christians dare not cross. Even unbelievers have a greater tendency to respect Christians when Christians demonstrate integrity by acting in accordance with our convictions.
It is possible to be friends with an unbeliever, but when we compromise our moral values in the name of showing the love of Christ, we also become friends with the world and with the "god of this world" (Satan). That is clearly unacceptable.
No comments:
Post a Comment