I don't fully agree with this, but it's really irrelevant. The point is that Jesus cares about sin, however you define it. People do sometimes focus too much on other people's sins instead of their own. But you have a picture of Jesus that's too one-sided in the other direction.
No, my "picture of Jesus" is being derived from the overall essence of his message, not the legalistic religious minutia. Jesus was murdered by his own Jewish "church". Yet modern Christians are all tripping over themselves trying to adhere to every jot and tittle of ancient Jewish religious dogma. And in the process they are still murdering Jesus in their hearts and minds, just as their ancient Jewish mentors did 2000 years ago.
I don't care that some 2000 year old Jews didn't like homosexuality, and thought it was a sin. Their opinions on the matter mean nothing to me. They have long since shown their true colors and I'm more interested in the essential message of Christ: that God's love acting in us and through us to each other, will heal us and save us from ourselves. And that message goes for homosexuals and sinners of any kind. Of which we are ALL active members.
Says you. You are very good at projection. Do you have the humility to admit that perhaps you are wrong about them? That it's possible that they think they are truly doing the right thing, that denying him membership is the best thing for him because condoning his lifestyle would just help him along a path that they think is a sinful and destructive?
I have no doubt that they think they are doing the right thing. But that only shows me how sick and confused the worship of religious righteousness makes people. And how wrong. Nothing kills the spirit of God's love and forgiveness in the heart and mind like the illusion of self-righteousness.
People want to be accepted and appreciated but this guy's homosexuality wasn't going to be accepted or appreciated regardless of his membership status.
Of course. Because these church members all believe their sins don't stink as much as his. They are hypocrites, and they are wrong. They blame him because he refuses to "repent" his homosexuality, while they refuse to even acknowledge their own arrogance, self-righteousness, bigotry, and dishonesty.
I'm open to the idea that the church's decision wasn't the best one, but you don't seem able to make that point without projecting all sorts of bad motives on them. :nono:
"Good people" are full of bad motives. That's what sin is: "bad motive". And the first step to being a Christian, is to acknowledge that we are riddled with this sin. And to acknowledge that we need constant grace and forgiveness, because of it.
And once we know we need constant forgiveness for ourselves, we will see that so does everyone else. And that as we forgive them, we will find ourselves forgiven, in turn.
But this church didn't want to forgive the homo, because they don't really believe they need to be forgiven, themselves. Because they the think their sins don't stink as much, or that they don't really sin at all. They haven't even taken the first step of being Christian. Yet they pose themselves as if they are the very hand of God's righteousness.
What a pack of Pharisees, feeding their own righteousness with the blood of their condemned and outcast sinners!