myopic pilgrim

Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary use words.

The reason why many people love that quote is how it surprises us by showing the way we’ve limited how to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. I found a post where someone extends what Francis of Assisi said about preaching the gospel, applying it to other aspects of the Christian life. Here’s an example:

Worship always, and when necessary, use music. (Matt Stone)

I acknowledge that it seems a little cheap to substitute a few words on great quote. But I can’t object to examining our preconceptions if it’ll yield a broader perspective.

Will from I Don’t Dance Anymore… wrote a thought-provoking post about homosexuality, its source and its relationship to identity. It started a sparky conversation in the comments, i.e. it was shedding actual light, not just heat. Go read it.

As he wrote about the debate on homosexuality being a conscious choice or being a result of genetics, he got to me to thinking. I’ve realized for awhile that it doesn’t matter which is true. Either way we still all need Christ. We still all have sins we’re predisposed to. The new thought (for me at least) is for heterosexuals. Did they make a choice to be attracted to the opposite sex? Or was it something inside them that moves them in that direction?

Perhaps it’s unthinkable to some heterosexuals to even conceive of being attracted to the same sex because their sexual orientation is so ingrained, which in turn means its unthinkable for anyone else to feel differently. You like your toast buttered on the bottom? That’s heresy. I can’t choose to be attracted to men. I can’t even begin.

But according to Will and I agree with him, that’s not even the point. The point is we are all broken people. He writes:

The Church should say, “Who cares? You’re broken that way? Oh, well me, I’m broken this way… see over here? Yeah… God’s slowly putting me back together, though. He’s slowly healing me. You know, he will heal you, too, if you want him to.”