Some Thoughts on Homosexuality

Alright, a post like this was going to happen sooner or later, and since I had a conversation with a student about this last night, I might as well post some of my thoughts as they're fresh in my mind.

These are just some early thoughts and are entirely open to debate.

First of all, I find little evidence in the Bible to suggest that homosexuality is a lifestyle that God wants for us. That being said, this is my interpretation and understanding at this point in my faith and in my life. If the Bible is my key insight into the character and history of God, then this is the first evidence for my suggestion.

Now, if I believe that homosexuality is contrary to God's will, then I would categorize it with everything else that is contrary to God's will. In Christianity, this is referred to as sin, of course. A very basic definition of sin would be to call it "contrariness to God's will."

This being said, there are many kinds of sin: theft, slander, murder, gossip, cruelty, etc. According to James 2:10, "whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." Therefore, I believe that all sin is equal.

I also believe that I am a person who sins on a daily level. I often think ill of others. I often harbour resentment against others when I do not get attention. I have a tendency to pre-judge others before I even get a chance to know them. I sometimes fail to come through for my friends. I am a human being, and I am not able to cast the first stone in judgement.

Therefore, I believe that someone who struggles with homosexuality is no different than my own personal struggles with sin. Does this excuse commitment of sin? Of course not. Refer to Romans 6 for more details on this.

I will certainly not use someone's sexual orientation as a judgement against their ability to love and perform acts of compassion. I will not use it to judge their worthiness to be a friend of mine. I will treat their sexual orientation as something to be overcome like I would any sin in someone who I follow Christ with. That being said, I believe that a person who struggles with homosexuality can be a follower of Christ. Just as I am a follower of Christ with my own struggles.

Those are my initial thoughts, and they are entirely open to discussion.

Maternity Leave

Disappointing news for Michele and I yesterday in the expectation of our first child. Apparently, a woman may only make up to 50-55% of her normal wages during her maternity leave. This seems like a rather discrepant deal for women (being the only sex capable to bear children and all).

I'm not sure about much of the conversation around this topic, but I will see what I can't find out over the next while.

Sometime Sunday Spotlight

It was in 1994 that I first made a conscious decision to follow this Jesus fellow, and honestly, the outlook for so-called Christian "safe" music was not good. DC Talk's "Time is Tickin' Away" was still a big hit around this time (no offence to those guys, it just wasn't what a grunge fan as myself was looking for to speak to him spiritually).

Then a friend introduced me to Sometime Sunday, a band formerly on the Tooth and Nail record label. As far as I can tell, these guys only ever released one major label album called Stone in 1994. This album definitely redeemed my take on music that tried to purport a Christian message. It was heavy, raw, creative, and talented. It was exactly what I needed at that point in my life (thanks to Mark Cafazzo wherever you are).

Songs like "Guilty" spoke about the hardships a person experiences when he/she tries to overcome repetitive bad habits. "Crawl" has one of the most memorable grooves that I've ever heard. There was also an easter egg towards the end of the album called "Home;" a song which I would call a ballad worthy of mention amongst other early 90's rock/grunge ballads like "Black," "Black Hole Sun," etc.

Unfortunately, I have found few weblinks to anything on Sometime Sunday. Even the Tooth and Nail website has very little on this former alumni artist. But if you know of any, or have any additional info on whatever happened to these guys, please let me know.