The sudden emergence of a relative unknown, Rev. John Thomas, to fill the position seemed at the time to be merely a safe choice.  I had the opportunity to have the first interview John gave after receiving the nomination, during which he articulated his personal faith in Jesus Christ and in most of the central truths of the Christian faith without equivocation.  While not entirely surprised, I was disappointed to watch him, after he assumed office, devolve into a fervent advocate for the religious legitimization of sexual license.  Now, sadly, we know the extent to which taking that path wounded his soul and impaired his judgment.

But why does it matter? Although the priceless line “divorcing his wife to live in a committed relationship” from his original press release will live on in irony, shouldn’t we just chalk this up as just another clergy affair?  Does it matter beyond the paralysis it seems to have caused in the Cleveland headquarters of the United Church of Christ where current President Geoffrey Black is reported to have been blindsided? Does it matter beyond whatever damage it has done to the credibility of all who serve and worship in the UCC? While we’re not all young, we probably will get over it.

No, it matters because John Thomas, has become an illustration for the failure of his own message. He appears to have believed that when he actualized his internal inclination to bond sexually with a younger woman with whom he perhaps shared a deeper friendship than he did with his wife, that he was engaging in a “love” that God would certainly understand and accept. If you preach that each person’s ‘natural’ orientation can be actualized with God’s full approval whether it leads to sexual relationship with someone of the same gender or both genders than of course why wouldn’t that apply to men attracted to more than one woman?  Wouldn’t it?

 So why on earth would he now have his ministerial standing suspended for such a thing? Is it merely some ‘boundary’ deal about their working relationship or some old school understanding of adultery?  And if the boundaries of what is right in the sight of God are, after all, evolving in our progressive enlightenment, why should some committee in Ohio get to make life miserable for these wonderful, important people who have traveled the world together advocating for peace and justice, just because they loved each other?

This affair is a graphic parable for where all this leads. The absurdity is an object lesson we cannot avoid. The truth is sin is sin, God’s boundaries on love, life and marriage have not moved. Thomas has exposed the fallibility of the progressive ideology in much the same way that Ted Haggard exposed the evangelical idolatry of fame and fortune that placed him in a position of trust. It is a shame that Thomas, a man who once had a strong faith and was theologically trained fell for his own sales pitch and reduced himself to just another shabby moral failure.

The times ahead will be hard on John and Lydia. They will not find doing relationship in the harsh light of disdain and scandal without their positions of influence and their international travel schedule an easy thing. Chicago can be harsh and gray in winter and even in spring.  The parable, however, must not be missed. Our own inclinations are fallen and self -deceptive. Without the redemptive power of Jesus Christ to transform our nature and renew our minds we cannot trust ourselves. The way of self-actualization does not lead to salvation or for that matter to true love. And yes, there is grace – but it comes by way of the cross. It comes by way of repentance, of dying to ourselves, all of ourselves, to be alive again, sexually and otherwise in Jesus Christ.

In His Grace,

David Runnion-Bareford

A Day Of Reckoning Is Upon Us

Will it be “Morning in America”? – or “Mourning in America”?

We face overwhelming international crises [partial list]

* A convulsing, global economic meltdown touches every facet of life
* Global poverty (3 billion) takes an incalculable toll (75 million more added last year)
* Countless additional millions moving into poverty at this moment due to the financial crisis
* Pervasive increase in global hunger (1 billion), with resulting malnutrition and diseases
* Systemic injustice for billions of the poorest, marginalized and oppressed in many nations
* Rampant illiteracy: leads to economic/political disenfranchisement for hundreds of millions
* Increases in natural disasters creates long-term financial, social and psychological impact
* The unrelenting specter of global terrorism; failure to crush Al Quida and Taliban
* The spread of radical, militant, global, Jihadistic, Islamic fundamentalism
* Incalculable toll on lives and treasure of intractable six-year war in Iraq – for many nations
* The expanding war in Afghanistan; generals say it can’t be won militarily
* Nuclear North Korea; potential of nuclear Iran; threat of a destabilized nuclear Pakistan
* Proliferation of nuclear materials; nightmare of nuclear weapons in hands of terrorists
* On-going genocide (millions in Sudan, Congo etc); failure of the world to stop it
* Spiraling Israeli/Palestinian conflict holds threat of major Middle East conflagration
* Political/economic challenges in the rise of China; massive US indebtedness to China
* Energy crisis – made up of economic and environmental crises
* Potentially irreversible, destructive trends in climate changes/global warming
* The global spread of AIDS; emerging epidemics/ pandemics; seen in the decimation of Africa
* Deforestation and desertification of the planet, threatening both climate and human survival
* Population growth magnifying world’s desperate lack of pure water sources for billions
* Burgeoning international markets for all forms of pornography (esp. via internet)
* Global scourge of human trafficking in prostitution (esp. children) and slavery
* Rise in religious persecution, especially against Christians throughout the Majority World
* United Nations and other world bodies prove impotent before many of these global crises
* Diminished respect for and confidence about US leadership in the global geo-political arena
* Gospel crisis: Still nearly 3 billion “unreached people” with no knowledge of Christ

We face additional overwhelming national crises [partial list]

* National financial meltdown, with loss so far of over 2 trillion dollars in Americans’ savings
* A catastrophe due to greed, fraud and arrogance – more of a “crisis of character”; a “moral crisis”
* Unprecedented national deficit (many in both political parties say it is “out of control”)
* Whole states moving into massive debt, some into bankruptcy
* Looming insolvency for social safety nets (such as Medicaid, Social Security)
* Massive personal indebtedness of US citizens – $13,000 average credit card debt
* Beginnings of deep, long-term recession, with falling wages, rise in unemployment
* The sub-prime mortgage crisis with resulting homelessness for millions
* Millions of retirees live in fear of financial freefall and the gutting of retirement resources
* Gradual deflation of the middle class with the significant growth of a genuine “under-class”
* Fifty million Americans live daily in inescapable, disabling poverty
* Over 37 million US citizens go to bed hungry; 11% of households facing daily lack of food
* National health care crisis; over 40 million Americans with no insurance at all
* Growing burden of an aging population, seen in accelerating cases of cancer and dementia
* Neglect and deterioration of infrastructures across the nation (roads, schools, bridges, etc)
* Impact – financial and personal – of increases in disastrous hurricanes, tornados, floods, fires
* Failure of Congress to adequately secure the homeland per 9/11 Commission (ports, borders etc)
* Flood of illegal immigrations, complicating the effort to maintain national security
* Increased threats of paralyzing Internet sabotages, at both government and business levels
* Seemingly unending wars on two fronts – with our military stretched to the “breaking point”
* Major deficiencies and inequalities in American education; falling behind most developed nations
* A divided, ineffective Congress – often under the sway of lobbyists and special interest groups
* Polarization over faith and politics, undermining the social cohesion essential to national survival
* Crisis of leadership throughout society; frequently evidenced in incompetence and corruption
* “Culture wars” – struggles for the existence of absolutes in the face of pluralism and multiculturalism
* An emerging “culture of death” replacing a “culture of life”: abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research
* Moral freefall – seen vividly in the pervasive sexualizing of our culture (esp. pornography)
* Sexual revolution continues, with intercourse experienced at increasingly younger ages
* The rising crusade for gay rights at all levels, demanding a reconstituting of the social contract
* The battle over definition/re-definition and preservation of traditional marriage
* Millions of divorces annually, with its long-term psychological impact on children
* Increase in violence – child abuse; gangs in our streets; gratuitous violence for mass entertainment
* Unrelenting flood of illegal drugs, destroying millions of youth as well as whole communities
* Rapid rise in incarcerations (US has highest rates and the highest numbers in the world)
* Rapid rise nationally of reported cases of depression and suicide
* Growing wide-spread rejection of religion’s right to play a role in the public square
* Vibrant faith undermined by Christians’ own choices to politicize biblical Christianity
* Atheistic scholars and their followers attacking the Christian faith more openly and boldly
* Over 100 million Americans have never darkened a church door; plus influx of world religions

Additional, serious crises inside the church [partial list]

* 80% of US congregations are stagnant or dying in terms of membership
* 80% of youth from evangelical families leave the church after high school
* 80% of pastors are burdened with a spirit of isolation and hopelessness
* 40% of evangelical men wrestle with addiction to pornography
* High profile scandals among leaders discredit us; such as multiple lawsuits for pedophilia
* Millions sitting in our pews on Sunday remain unconverted (50% by one major survey)
* Less that 3% of Christians’ annual incomes are given to the work of Christ
* Some 96% of Christians discovered to be “biblically illiterate” (cf. Barna Research)
* Nearly 67% of evangelicals surveyed believe that Jesus is not the only way to Heaven
* Although 84% believe in absolute standards, 40% mostly rely on their own common sense
* Research indicates most Christians rarely talk to each other about the wonders of Christ
* Significant numbers of believers fear growing in intimacy with Christ (80% by one survey)
* Above all, multitudes of Christians remain captive to the greatest crisis of all. It is a “crisis of Christology”. It is the significant shortfall in how we see, seek, savor, serve, share and speak about God’s Son for ALL that He is. Increasing numbers of spiritual leaders identify this as the seminal crisis for the Church at this hour. But it also comprises the greatest crisis the world is facing whether the world realizes it or not. Every crisis of Christology inside the Church hinders unbelievers outside the Church from discovering their one God-given hope – found in the supremacy of Christ and the blessings of His redeeming Reign.

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APPEAL: Adding up all these crises, clearly a “day of reckoning” is upon us. Therefore, we must pray and prepare for God’s Spirit to use God’s Word to re-convert God’s people back to God’s Son for ALL that He is. We must pray and prepare for a widespread Christ-awakening movement in America, one that mobilizes believers everywhere to serve His glorious reign in the midst of, and for the sake of, all other crises. What other hope do we have? We stand at a crossroads – at a defining moment. Will it be “mourning” for America? … or will there arise a fresh, Christ-exalting “morning” for America? Is it not time for such a nationwide Christ-awakening to become for all of us the ultimate “change we can believe in”?

In this article she describes a powerful reality that has changed the orientation of her life: “[After I prayed] I knew that deep down something had changed. I knew that I wanted God more than my homosexuality.”

“I walk in freedom” is a powerful testimony to the liberating power of the Lord Jesus Christ and why our mainline emphases are so wrong headed at time.

In our attempts at compassion, we end up encouraging more and more abuse. Thankfully Christine Sneeringer writes to show us another path, a path of healing and hope in Jesus Christ the Lord we confess each Lord’s Day as we recite the Apostle’s Creed.