“The Christian Apology to Gay People” Controversy

11 CommentsGay community, Salt

I posted my article “Why I Will Apologize at the WeHo Pride Parade” to Facebook and was surprised at how some Christians actually thought I was carrying out a plan derived from the very pit of Hell itself!

You must read the article, but in a nutshell, my strategy for engaging the West Hollywood homosexual community on Sunday is to start off my Gospel conversation with a heartfelt apology because some,  in the name of Christianity, have singled gays for some gross bullying. I will use my apology as a springboard for sharing the full counsel of God with the listener.

Though most understood and agreed with my tactic, others didn’t:

One man wrote: “Steve S…. For you to apologize to those who are haters of God and perverters of His ways is unimaginable… God’s laws are written on your heart and you know better. Shame on you for the shame and disgrace you bring His holy name!”

Then he finished with:

Have you been to a “Gay Pride” parade? Have you seen the gross perversion that is flaunted there? And shall you walk up and say,”Excuse me would you please stop performing [perverted acts] with that other man so I can apologize to you for all those bad things “Christians” have said about you?” Then you can tell them, “You can go back to mocking God when I’m finished!”

The fact that you are a “pastor”, an Ambassador of Christ and one who presents the “Gospel” to others… The message you give people may well be the only hope in their life ever and if it’s anything than the true “Gospel” then woe to you because you will stand before God and be judged accordingly… Your responsibility is much more than those who don’t pastor or teach… And in light of full disclosure, you seem like a nice guy and very likable… But so is Bill Clinton.

Love is choosing the highest good of another. In my subjective opinion, if you follow thru on your OP then I neither see you as loving the homosexuals, those who are observing you and you influence nor loving God. My advice would be to consider your ways and to proceed carefully… God’s loving kindness to you.

Another evangelist, from the East Coast who is very prominent in the news for getting arrested, expressed his disgust with this comment: Shame on you

One gay man joined the discussion, understood my purpose and affirmed it:

“Steve, I really appreciate this, it’s nice to see that there are those who preach who do care about us, who don’t refer to us in degrading language, who don’t accuse of causing hurricanes and tornadoes, who don’t start off saying “I love you” and then immediately berate us with “sodomite” and “fag”.

“I don’t claim to represent the entire GLBTQ Community, but dude to dude, I appreciate your statement and your apology is completely accepted.”

A former member of our church who left years ago and is pursuing the gay lifestyle also understood my intentions:

“I know him personally and he has always treated me with kindness and love!  I might not agree with everything Pastor Steve says or does but he does his best to be like Jesus!”

The conclusion of the controversy? The “hardcore” evangelists did not agree with me. They want me to say the same things over and over and over again to a gay person who, in all likelihood, knows that they are living a sinful lifestyle. So this is how I closed the conversation:

“I think…that if I tell a person over and over again, “You’re going to Hell. Repent!” they will then understand it. Should I say this 7 times? 77 times? Perhaps, 7 x 70 times? Nah. I’ll tell them a few times then be their friend. Like Jesus. Thankfully, salvation is of the Lord!”

And a great brother in the Lord gave me my marching orders: “Pastor Steve P. Sanchez your last comment hit the nail on the head in this discussion. Salvation is of The Lord. And, obviously Pastor Steve has a good relationship with many different people that have posted on this thread. They know where Pastor Steve stands, yet they can still communicate with him peacefully. We are told to try and live peaceably among all men. Jesus was a friend of sinners and to think He knew the hearts of everyone around Him…. He is gracious and we should be too.”

What do you think?

Here’s my first YouTube video ever: An interview with a lesbian.

Comments (11)

  2. Susan

    Reply

    i’ve been meditating on this issue for months, and am trying to figure out what is wrong with this picture. After reading the posts on FB, I think I understand something more at this point. There are so many factors involved with evangelists preaching to ‘sinners’ especially those who are Gay. On the one hand, you have those who feel they just have a responsibility to ‘preach the truth’ and the hearer just simply needs to repent and turn to Christ for salvation. But there are others, who seem to realize that human beings are complex beings. They are people who are created in God’s image, yet that image is so marred by sin. Sin is the fabric of what all of us are made of, whether we are Gay or not.
    I see people out there who are hearing the Gospel and the call to repentance, but yet they struggle so much to come to Christ. It is not always complete rebellion though. Many, many people, and I would include Gays in this category, are ‘stuck’ in their sin. They can’t just wake up one morning and say, ‘I am not going to be Gay anymore. Now I can truly come to Jesus Christ and take Him as my Lord and Savior.’ Being Gay has been engrained in them. It is part of them, and we tell them to ‘repent’ or they will burn in hell if they don’t. Don’t get me wrong though. Homosexuality is immoral, and God will judge all immorality. But God really does love us, and God really does want to help the Gay person to be set free from sin.
    None of us understands the depths of our sin, nor do we repent of every single sin we have ever done when we come to Christ, but as the process of sanctification goes on in our lives, we see things that are sin, that we didn’t see yesterday, or last year, or ten years ago. And we either repent from them, or, we seek to be delivered from them so we can repent and go on in our walk with the Lord.
    I think of two men who were in our church years ago. Both of them were heavy smokers. Both had tried hard to quit and were prayed over, etc. and nothing happened. The one man I know wanted to do evangelism, but always felt like his smoking was a stumbling block to those he would share the Gospel with. It was a burden for him. One day, God miraculously set him free from smoking. The chains were broken and he was totally free forever from smoking. But it didn’t happen the day he got saved. It was many years later. The same for the other man. God set him free and he gave his testimony of it as well.
    I think some of our evangelist friends don’t understand the whole concept of struggling with sin. I assume they believe that we can ‘quit’ sinning by choosing to do so. I agree that there are some sins we can ‘quit’. But sin is part of our make up and that can’t be undone, except when we are in a new heaven and new earth. Yes, we can repent. God grants us repentance. God gives us the faith we need to have. Yes, we are responsible, but we can’t clean up our act before we come to God. God gives us the ability to say ‘no’ to sin and ‘yes’ to righteousness. If we think we can deliver ourselves from sin, we are going to be disappointed and likely to turn against God and defend ourselves in our sin (like the Gay community has now done). There are effective Bible based ministries that help Gay people to be delivered as well.
    I think we need to accept Gay people as valid human beings. We even should love them. I don’t think that by accepting and loving them, we are communicating that they are saved. I think that’s where some evangelists and I would differ. Just because a person is Gay, and I accept him/her as a person, doesn’t mean that I am trying to get him to join the church or be part of a Christian fellowship. You can love and accept people without endorsing their sin. If we don’t start loving these people, we are going to appear to the world like we are from ‘Westboro’. It would be a terrible representation of the true and living God.

  3. Steve L.

    Reply

    It is so very important to be extra courteous when sharing the gospel with anyone! As Peter instructs us… “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”
    (1 Pet. 3:15 ESV)
    One commentator writes: “due respect towards man, and reverence towards God, remembering His cause does not need man’s hot temper to uphold it.”

    Our lives must reflect Christ for without holiness, no one will see the lord! (in us)

    • Susan

      Reply

      I agree with this and think this concept has been lost in the church today! We have to show respect for every human being, because of the simple fact that everyone is created in God’s image. Plus, we need to treat them the same way that God would treat them. We need to treat others, in the same way we would want to be treated.

  4. inotowok

    Reply

    More of an interrogation than an interview, I’d say. It reeks of judgment. Painful to watch.

  5. Gary

    Reply

    Why do you bash gays so much. What about feeding the poor, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison. Jesus did not say bash people. I think people who are homophobic probably have the same tendencies and are scared.

    • Steve Sanchez

      Reply

      I’m sorry, who are you referring to when you say someone is gay bashing. And, at a church where I pastor, we do those other things.

  6. TommyWou

    Reply

    To any closeted LGBT folks out there:

    There is nothing wrong with your sexuality, any shame you feel is just a cultural thing, you can let it go and be loved for who you are.

    • Steve Sanchez

      Reply

      Yes, you can be loved for who you are as long as you live in this world, and given the current climate in our country, yes, you will not feel much shame in this liberalized culture that has rejected God.

      But, if you want to be loved by God and forgiven of your sins, like the sin of lying (if you’ve ever done that, then you are a liar), or stealing (ever done that?) or misused God’s name which is blasphemy, or looked with lust which Jesus calls adultery, if you’ve sinned even one time, including the sin of homosexuality, then you will be found guilty and end up in Hell. And yes, homosexuality is a sin no matter what you or any advocate may say.

      But God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, suffered and died for all your sins, was buried for three days and rose again. If you, Tommy Wou, or any other person reading this puts your trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross and turn away from your sin, including the homosexuality that you condone, then God will forgive you.

      While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

      Please Tommy, consider this. Thanks for your comments. I appreciate them. Please reply back.

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