Amy Beth – hi! Where are you at these days? I wonder if you know one of my best friends, Cleve May. He graduated the same year as you (I think).

Thanks for stopping by and saying hello.

peace,
Chad

I think that people forget what their attitudes and convictions can lead to. I am a very blessed and fairly happy man. Just came through a lot of fire to get here.

I truly do believe that the “clobber” verses have been taken out of context and mistranslated. But I am afraid that the truth will never be enough for some people to rearrange their beliefs.

Guess it’s a matter of finding out where one fits in .

Thanks for your comment. Sorry I am so late in responding. I have been traveling and haven’t been devoting as much time as I used to to blogging.

Just a few brief remarks:

1 – Matthew 7:13-14 need not be about an eternal destiny. Jesus came to give life. We will never find life if we do not walk the way Jesus walked. An interesting historical note: In Jesus’ day there were gates that were wide and narrow. If you were traveling by camel or had lots of supplies (baggage) that you were carrying and wished to enter by the narrow gate you would have to drop all that you were carrying with you. The wider gate allowed access without having to change very much. This is the way most of us go through life – holding on to our possessions, not wishing to change very much. Essentially, Jesus is instructing us to drop our baggage, to change, to enter the narrow way that leads to true life. None of this must insist on some eternal hell as the only alternative.

2 – Comments like “the fire shall never be quenched” speak to the seriousness or consequences of our choices. God is not to be trifled with. There will certainly be a day of Judgement when the world will be set to rights and we will have to answer for ourselves. But this must not be divorced from grace. Judgment and grace are two sides of the same coin. What’s more, the Bible is not adverse to hyperbole. Jesus, a Jew, spoke in hyperbole often (as did the prophets before him). It’s a way of speaking that gets one’s point across in dramatic fashion. There are examples in Revelation, for instance, where John writes that the smoke never ceases to rise and yet these same people who are ostensibly being tormented for ever are the same people that are later on entering the Kingdom and paying homage to the Lamb.

I need to pause here and get to work on Sunday’s sermon. If you are still around and would like to discuss this some more I’d be happy to. Again, thanks for stopping by!

grace and peace.

Thank you for being so vulnerable here and sharing your story. I pray that God continue to restore you and renew you and that you find peace. I know that there are many, many Christians and many churches who would rejoice at your homecoming.

grace and peace,
Chad

I attempted suicide the first time in 6th grade. I had begun to be called “faggot” at school. My father was beating me for suspecting I was queer. I literally had no friends and my existence seemed so dark and so lonely. I would read the bible and found no comfort. I avoided mirrors and did not like to look at myself from grades 6 through 9. I was afraid I would see a demon instead of me.

I attempted suicide two more times as I thought it would be better for me to end my life than be the disgusting perversion before God. Obviously, I was not successful. By not succeeding, I thought myself weak and a bigger disappointment to God.

I did get married and had a son. My exwife knew all about my past before we started to date. I told her of my struggles and desires. I asked her to pray with me. Eventually it became too much and she left with my son. She left when he was just about 2. I haven’t seen him since he was 3 and he turned 15 this year.

I went through a severe depression where I tried to kill myself one more time. Once again unsuccessful. In my mind I kept hearing how disgusting I was. How I must be demon filled. How Satan had won my soul and how I would burn forever in Hell. For surely, God could never love me.

I am not writing this for sympathy. But rather, to validate the point that gays growing up in the church have been damaged and have been hurt and traumatized. I have felt the pull of God in my life to his ministry since I was a child. But, how could I be gay and minister?

I have been with my partner for 10 years now. There have been some major ups and downs but we do love one another very much. He is my best friend. It hurts my heart so much that people see us as disgusting and demon filled. My faith has been questioned and I look, earnestly, for a ray of hope. That is why when I read this, parts of me wept. Thank you for your writings and for those that have commented on the post. There are a lot of people like me that are waiting to come “home”.

What about Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

“…few there be that find it.” Doesn’t sound like everyone makes it –

or

Isaiah 66:24 “And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.”

“…neither shall their fire be quenched” — sure doesn’t sound temporary.

Since neither of these passages involve the controversial word “aionios,” I look forward to your interpretation.

May God bless you with His wisdom.
Merryheart