BEHIND THE PULPIT: OUT OF THE CLOSET!
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| BISHOP JIMMY SWILLEY OF CONYERS, GA |
Once again the church world has to deal with another "closet" moment in the pulpit. Jimmy Swilley, pastor of a large mega-church, called "Church in the Now", has publicly told his people and the world that he is a 'gay man'. He claims that "timing is everything", and that he chose this time due to the recent rash of suicides among young gay men who were "bullied".
Cynthia Tucker, Pulitzer Prize winner of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, wrote, "In an era of unprincipled politicians, lying preachers, and swindling CEOs, Jim Swilley stands out as a man of courage and principle, living genuine Christian values. He's the pastor of a Conyers church, and he's come out as a gay man." Re-read that line.....I have underlined the words....let it sink in what she is saying....what the "world" is saying today.
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| "Church in the Now" I watched the entire video of this man's confession before his mid-week crowd. Though not surprised, I was seriously offended by the manner is which he used the Scriptures. He openly suggested that the Bible is fallible. He didn't say that a 'translation' was fallible, but the Bible is.... Okay, if I believe that, then in what can I trust? He openly stated that when it comes to relationships, you cannot trust the Apostle Paul. He was referring to the first chapter in the Book of Romans, where the Word says, "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another." (Romans 1:24 NIV) He smirked at the Old Testament Scriptures indicating that those passages in Leviticus do not apply today. To me, this "man of the cloth" failed the test of Hermeneutics which says that the principles in both Old and New Testaments override the 'culture' of that day. I would agree there are verses in the Bible that were given for a particular time - but, I also know that they are given "for our examples". In other words, there are principles that are valid and unchanging. This principle is throughout the entire Bible - that homosexuality is a sin......not an orientation....not a life-style alone ..... a sin against God who made us "male and female". We all believe that God loves sinners.....but God loves us too much to leave us the way He finds us. We all need HIS forgiveness and His ability to change our lives to fit His plan for our lives. So, we are now faced with another challenge. Do we interpret the Bible to fit our lifestyle? Can we interpret Scripture so subjectively to approve the way we think? At what point do we let God speak from Himself, for all time? I choose to let God speak for Himself. I choose to change my way of thinking to fit the Bible. I choose to accept Paul's teachings as "inspired by the Spirit", and not his opinions. Only in one passage did Paul suggest that it was his opinion.....and that wasn't in Romans 1. Check out these great FINDS on AMAZON!!! |
