First the news…

(washblade.com) The biggest problem that black lawmakers have had to confront concerning the HIV/AIDS crisis in their communities is the political gag order imposed on them by their voting constituency’s homophobia and reluctance to even discuss the disease.

Will the leadership in fighting HIV/AIDS come from the black church?

“I grew up in the black church,” Dr. David Satcher, former Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health, told the New York Times in 1998. “I think the church has problems with the lifestyle of homosexuality. A real problem has been getting ministers that are even willing to talk about it in their pulpits.”

…The black church now understands there is a problem. But because of its discomfort in addressing issues related to sexuality, the church’s “outstretched hand,” when extended, is offered passively toward people who contracted the virus through IV-drug use and not those who contracted HIV/AIDS sexually. (more…)

For about a couple of years now, Black gay activists have been turning up the heat against Black churches that do not address the issue of AIDS to their congregation. While their criticism towards the Black church are justifiable to a certain extent, what I have not seen during this time is something that spells out EXACTLY what they are wanting the church to do. Churches all across America have programs that regularly assist folks that have the AIDS virus. Some of these programs go as far as visiting as well as providing transportation for the sick in general for doctor visits. In many of these cases, it has been “church folk” who were the only ones that regularly visited individuals with this dreaded disease. But you will not hear any of those stories from gay activists who endlessly drone on about the church is not doing enough.

About a year ago I condemned the unspoken rule in many Black churches of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” when it comes to homosexuals in the church. On one hand we are telling them that they are on a collision course with hell in their current lifestyle while at the same time they take active roles in church music programs and ministry administration. This is clearly a mixed message. Churches need to take a “back to the Bible” approach when dealing with this issue instead of burying it in hopes that it will just go away.

So the question remains: Are homosexuals really looking for leadership from the church sector? Since the Bible has been widely accepted as the absolute word of God for Christians (2 Timothy 3:16), I think that it is worth looking to the scriptures to see what it says SPECIFICALLY on homosexuality:

The extra comments below are from the website of Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry:

There are those who like to say that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. Various verses are cited (out of context) and the verses that people use to show that homosexuality is wrong are explained away. The world wants to change God’s words and meanings into something more suitable to its sinful desires. Nevertheless, the truth stands: The Bible condemns homosexuality as a sin. Let’s look at what it says.

Lev. 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”

Lev. 20:13, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltness is upon them”

1 Cor. 6:9-10, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

Rom. 1:26-28, “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper.”

(I think that it is also worth noting here that there are also plenty of scriptures that rebuke fornication between a man and woman as well. Since we are talking about homosexuality here, these are the scriptures that I am using for now).

Treating actions such as homosexuality as sin is nothing new for the church neither is LOVING the homosexual (sinner). Please read John 8:1-11 on how Jesus embraced an adulterer, forgave her, and told her to “…go and sin no more.” So on the issue of homosexuality, while different denominations will add their own spin on the scriptures, I think that Bible is very clear on how the church should handle this issue. This is why I still find it amazing that homosexual activists are making calls for the church to champion their cause. In a nutshell, they want the church to leave its true identity to embrace theirs.

I don’t know about you, but there is something hypocritical about that picture.