I’ve been keeping an eye on the gay marriage fight in California. Most of us saw Sean Penn’s Oscar speech. While I disagree with many of Mr Penn’s views, I do agree with one. The “signs of hate” is wrong.

John 8:3-11 – /3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group /4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. /5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” /6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. /7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” /8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

/9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. /10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

/11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Jesus fought against a religious system that made it hard for people to come to God. Yet today, our church’s fight viciously against abortion, homosexuality, etc. I don’t have a problem with the fight. The fight is good. However, we stand against the purposes of Christ when our rhetoric becomes hate-filled and damning. Sinners know where the Church stands. I’d argue that if you had to get them to be gut honest, they’d tell you they were “sinners.” But why do we need to make them state the obvious to us. They need to come to God and be cleaned, not come to us to be cleaned so that they can come to God.

We have to understand the sides in the fight. The sides aren’t sinner vs saved, because then it comes down to your interpretation (or admittance) of truth. If that’s the case, then it’s just a screaming match that no one will ever win. The sides are God vs what keeps people from Him. If we agree that sin keeps people from God, then by all means, we have to speak Truth against the sin. However, in our fight against the sin, we’ve made it personal. We have pointed our fingers, screamed and held up signs. Where is the love in that? It seems we’d rather pick up rocks, than offer a hand of love and forgiveness…

With every finger we point, our own guilt is more evident. The Pharisee in us is more evident. We would rather hate sinners and love our closet sins, than hate our own sin and love the sinner.

“Do this in remembrance…” How many times have you heard that in your church? Most church’s even carved on a table. But what are we remembering? We’re all just sinners saved by grace. And even now, our righteousness is as filthy rags (in today’s language, that’d be tampons or pads, in case you were wondering). And we remember our personal need for a savior. In connecting back to the memory, we’re reminded of the need in all of us.

Luke 6:36-38 – /36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. /37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. /38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

PS. How twisted is it that we’ve taken verse 38 that’s clearly about forgiveness about money?