IN THE JUNE 28 Sunday Sun, an article written by Mark Boyce with a headline that read Christianity Keeps On Evolving, appeared on page 16A.
The gist of the article speaks to an apparent shift in the position of the Church on very serious issues – “colonialism, slavery, racism against blacks, the denial of women’s rights, and child labour, to name a few,” from a position of support and defence of these things to one of opposition to them after, the article stated, “public opinion went the other way”.
I accept the history of abuses by church leaders perpetuated for personal gain.
These abuses were condemned by the true people of God with many [of the latter] dying for standing on the side of the oppressed.
The Biblical basis of the various liberation theologies abounding in the world today arose to ensure the rights of the oppressed.
Of greater interest in the article is its ending: “It wouldn’t surprise me if, eventually, some biblical clarifications on gay rights were to arise.” Extrapolating from this article, it appears to assert that given the evolutionary past of the Church, it would not be far-fetched to expect the Church will one day be on the side of the homosexual, defending their rights to same-sex relationships and marriage.
If this extrapolation is correct, thereis an implied challenge to the efficacy of any statement declaring the reality and nature of God.
Where is this implied, you ask? In the very last sentence, and its relation to the flow of the entire article which appears to be, that if societies wait long enough, the church will issue a corrected position on the exclusion of persons who maintain their desire for same-sex relationships and marriage.
How did the church arrive at this position? The church believes the Bible to be the Word of God. The Bible is clear, unambiguous and unequivocal in its stance against sexual immorality (adultery, fornication, homosexuality); oppression and exploitation of the poor and the weak (modern-day colonialism and slavery); judging others (racism against any race); injustice (denial of women’s rights and child labour).
The question of same-sex marriage was never raised because marriage was a communal celebration which lasted for days with much feasting and those societies did not allow homosexual relations to get that far.
Does the reader of The Bible accept the existence of the God it described in it? The answer to this question puts Mr Boyce’s article in clear perspective. To assert that one day this God will, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, lead the church to now “evolve” to a theological position that defends sin as being acceptable unto Him, is to deny and refute the attributes of this holy God, to whom sin is detestable.
Everyone who reads The Bible must individually decide if this God is either a living God or an idol (an unreal god made up in the imagination of an adherent). We either believe God is as described in The Bible or we deny this description.
We have the responsibility of being true to who we declare ourselves to be, whether whether we be Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Rastafarian, Buddhist, or of any other faith.
In the teachings we all believe to be given by our various gods, the sins of greed, pride, jealousy, envy, murder, theft, fornication, homosexuality, adultery, lying, selfishness, hatred, malice, injustice, blasphemy and other sins, are all to be discontinued when we come to know and develop a relationship with our god.
We emphatically state that our God does not accept sin, nor will He direct His people to accept sin. Anyone who says God says that God has changed God’s mind on accepting any sin is lying. God will deal with that person.
If God changes His mind on sin, accepts, encourages and condones sin, God denies Himself and ceases to be the truth.
So Mr Boyce’s article about the Church “evolving” and purporting that one day we may see the church, led by the indwelling Holy Spirit, accepting, condoning and actively defending and encouraging sin makes a mockery of our God, attempts to makes a lie of Christianity and denies the very existence of the church as a community of people called to follow a living, righteous and Holy God who speaks to us through His Holy Spirit.
There is no way that the God who is described and declared in The Bible will ever lead His community of faithful followers to declare sin acceptable. Some elements of the church may make unbiblical pronouncements, but the truth always shines through.
Christianity’s God is real!
– Rev. Winston Jones, Bethlehem Moravian Church
