Well I don't mind drama, but when it costs lives I will.
I came from a fundementalist church ministry that had serious
shortfalls in dealing with the issue of homosexuality. It showed
the condition as a basic defect with stock answers for dealing with
it and expected outcomes of people who struggle with it. The
characters who struggled with the issue are always shown as
cardboard characters in the church plays, sermons, and what have
you not. Youth pastor also used scientifically incorrect
information to back up his stance, saying homosexuality is not
natural because even animals did not do it, which flies quite in
the face of the over 3000 species of animals who are observed to do
it. But these are the kinds of things that were fed to our
minds.
Turned out one of my friends who was a leader in the ministry
stuggled with the issue, and when it came to light nobody knew how
to handle it. Basically I personally felt it was
mishandled because everybody had no idea what it really was
like, as well as an empathy for the situtation. They desired a
particular outcome so much for him it seems they missed out the
person entirely. Anyway long story short I think they blotched
their attempts to help him because they were simply unable to
think out of the fundementalist box they've locked themselves
into.
So yes, I think it's imperative that Christians who WANT to show
what the love of Christ is do not see this as simply a culture or
value war, or something that should be fought from across the
picket lines. Truth is, if anything, it is the general poor
treatment any understanding of homosexuals and their struggles that
gives a lot of steam to the pro-gay movement.
