One man's meat is definitely another man's poison and the issue regarding Greenbelt and the invitation of Gene Robinson at least superficially appears to fit well into this old adage.
I was asked recently to speak to a pro-gay group which was beginning to grow in a local church by a friend of one of the members. I happened across the person identified as a ringleader (at our local BP garage - that great pastoral centre of church!) and greeted him and asked how life was.
After the usual preamble I asked how church was and he told me that one of their former number had returned into their circle and how he'd been effectively excluded because he'd been exposed as having a homosexual relationship. Two or three of them had gone out for a couple of meals with the bloke and invited him to their house group and were helping him to assess his inclinations and the expectations of sexual activity and behaviour in terns of the Christian faith.
Apparently he was confused and hurt and because he was treated rather badly by the Christians he had found himself pushed further into a place which he realised he wasn't really in (a common situation in gender confusion cases - unsure, dabbling and then pushed hard into it by those who want the person to be 'normal')!
I've met him twice and he's not gay, he's never even played penetrative games, he was confused and someone took the opportunity to take advantage of it and also 'out' him - usually works as the 'Christians' then do the rest to confirm what wasn't there (sadly).
The group weren't 'pro gay' and neither is the bloke 'gay' but of course it's much easier to take offence and make accusations than to find out the facts and behave as a believer, isn't it?
Those three / four people engaged with the unfortunate fellow far from being 'pro gay' were actually finding out what was fact, what was fiction and what was all in the head and nowhere else. I saw their 'pro gay' as being pastoral. I saw it as living the entreaties of Paul and seeking to restore one caught in a sin (which our sad fellow had been) GENTLY!
For in this way do we uphold the law and the prophets and act as Jesus would have done and as Jesus would have us act.
We should never refrain from an opportunity to dialogue for in this way we might restore others and perhaps even be restored ourselves!
PAX!
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