Not Completely True?

I'm going to disclose upfront that I'm a Christian. That may be relevant to what you think about this post. But read on friends. I realize we all make mistakes and thankfully we can all be forgiven. But let's get to reality on a news story that I read today (to get some background, read the article in The Seattle PI, link below). I think most guys would agree that if one guy sleeps with another guy, (with or without meth) that guy could be considered a homosexual. Maybe even bisexual if you didn’t want to claim or say definitively that someone was a homosexual. And to take this further, maybe you wouldn’t say either but you probably wouldn’t say that the guy is "completely heterosexual". Common sense and logic, are you still with me? Good. Alright, so someone is homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual. Who really cares, right? We're all people and we all matter. And maybe you even wanted to be kindhearted or civilized and say that maybe what people do in their homes and bedrooms is really their business (a diplomatic and fair answer at that). And maybe you even say that sexuality is something between yourself and God if you wanted to be spiritual about it. But who emerges from the debacle that Ted Haggard created for himself and claims that he's "completely heterosexual"? C'mon man, you've been caught. We get it. You partied with meth and handled some of your private business with another dude (on more than one occassion). Most people don’t even care except for maybe those in your congregation and a certain portion of Christians (ok, and maybe some D.A.R.E. reps). Just admit that you're not "completely heterosexual" and most people will give you a pass. You say sorry, I was misguided in what I previously thought/believed/felt, maybe I’m a little confused as to what I am now but I’m willing to try to figure it out and when I do, maybe I’ll get back to you. Or maybe I won’t get back to you and decide that it’s my business as to how I go about it. Maybe I even live my life differently as to what I find out. Maybe I'm gay/bi/unsure. Most people would think that’s cool; get back to us or not and that’s that. But to deny any homosexuality, or even worse, use the term "completely heterosexual" is trying to take people for another ride while trying to sell some snake oil to the public. And who knows? Maybe that's even more insulting to the gay community (as if the evangelical right and gay community were in so much agreement before). Could he possibly be gay? Say it ain't so! If you're a little dense, I was being sarcastic there. My general beef with this is that yet again, some (not all) Christian fundamentalists are so consumed in their own denial that they can’t even admit that one of their own is quite possibly gay or bi. It’s not like the guy got drunk and said “I love you man!” to a buddy. And really, who hasn’t done that at least once? But to act like this guy isn’t possibly gay and that homosexuality couldn't possibly be in the midst of the Christian right is completely silly. You can have your own view of the situation and homosexuality in general, but to say that somebody is completely hetero (and yes, the term used was "completely heterosexual") when you’ve admitted to having a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex is well, lying (yet another sin). So really, if you’re trying to bring more people to Christ, quit playing politics and look at the situation for what it is. Maybe then more people would take a harder look at our faith instead of dismissing it because of the few evangelicals who refuse to see the reality that we all live in. The reality is that yes, there are homosexuals out there (maybe they're even in your congregation). Trying to deny a probable reality is insanity or on a lesser scale, dishonest, or on an even lesser scale, not completely true. The dishonest or not completely true part is something Jesus would have a problem with. Ultimately what should be the moral of the story is this: be honest, kind, forgiving and forthright; no one (who really knows God) will hate you for it.

Seattle PI