World View
As a full disclaimer, homosexuality is a sin. There’s no debating that, even if it isn’t popular to state that opinion in the culture.
“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.”- Leviticus 18:22-23 ESV
“Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.” - 1 Timothy 1:9-11
“And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.””
Revelation 18:9-10 ESV
I bring up the homosexuality point, because I wanted to share a recent experience. I’m in a small music group. One of our music group members is a member of a Lutheran church here in town that has a full-time music director and choir. They asked us if we’d be willing to accompany them to perform “Be Still, My Soul”, a very beautiful song. We agreed. Unfortunately, the performance was scheduled for a particular date which just happened to be the day that our son was planning a 3rd birthday party for our granddaughter. So, I dropped out of practicing with the group for this event. Ultimately, the birthday party idea fell apart but instead of joining the group last minute, I decided to watch the video of the service with the performance online.
I have heard people describe Lutheran services as only being a half step from Catholic services due to the liturgy and order of service. As far as the liturgy, I’d say this is true for this church. However, this is an ELCA church meaning, as far as the Lutheran spectrum goes, they are liberal.
The performance was near the end of the service so I watched the whole service to get to it. They have a female pastor. We’ll put the gender portion out of the conversation for a moment, so that I can share the meat of the message.
Her sermon was on love to coincide with their Gospel reading from John. As she got into her sermon, she mentioned that that their Methodist sister denomination council had just lifted their ban on LGBT pastors and that this was consistent with showing our love as Jesus commanded us.
I was watching this recorded so I immediately rewound to make sure I heard her correctly. I did and, quite honestly, the rest of her sermon was a blur as I thought through my faith as it was impacted by her statement. I’ve always been taught to love the sinner and hate the sin so I don’t feel as though I’m not following the command to love by my conviction that homosexuality is a sin. Additionally, I believe in subservient leadership meaning that leaders have great responsibility due to their power and influence over those they lead. Putting those two concepts together, for me, excludes an unrepentant sinner from being a pastor. I started thinking about what other types of unrepentant sin would cause a person to not be qualified to be a pastor. Certainly, someone like Jim Baker, a pastor convicted and sent to prison for church fraud in the 80s should be seriously scrutinized before ever being allowed to be a pastor again. But that isn’t necessarily unrepentant sin. What about someone who is racist and uses the “n” word? While, in my opinion, that would not make such a person pastor material, I don’t know if that is unrepentant sin either. I guess I could concoct some scenario in which a person unrepentantly disowned their mother or father but how would that come up in a pastor calling?
“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.” - Romans 2:1-11
I had to conclude that I am not qualified to judge unrepentant sin. The best I can do is to apply the perception of sin test offered in the New Testament.
“If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—”- 1 Corinthians 10:27-28
Pastors have great responsibilities and, because of their role, are always under scrutiny. Praise God when you are in a church family that has a good one!
