Thursday, April 17, 2008

A HERO WHO SEPARATES THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF

“'I know I will be cut off from many within the Christian community, and if so, then they didn’t get the point of the life of Christ. I believe by me living my life honestly and authentically now, I am able to be a better person and a better Christian. '" [For the full article, see here.]

Now, see the following two comments posted as they were written regarding that article concerning a man who courageously chooses to live an authentic Christian life:

Posted by Karen 04/17/08 10:00 CST

This is so sickening. I sure as heck hope that your "teachings" on your show to children all over does not now make you a HYPOCRITE in the eyes of GOD. Please do not from here on out refer to yourself as a "Christian" as the very meaning of this word is to be Christ like - and your lifestyle of CHOICE which you have now "come out" into is totally against the teachings of God in the Scriptures of The Holy Bible. Please, I beg you do not "sell" this lifestyle you have CHOISEN to the young people of the World. You and others like you CANNOT re-write Gods 10 Commendments nor re-invent His meaning behind each and every one of them and there is NO room for misinterpretation of any one of the Ten Commendments. You have CHOSEN your gay sex lifestyle please do not put the BURDEN on God to forgive you and accept YOU for the way YOU are - because HE did not "CREATE" you the way you have CHOSEN. As you should know - God will be there for you when you are ready to REPENT for your sinful ways. Wow, people like YOU make MY World inch closer and closer and closer each minute to the END - and I do not appreciate that. Right is Right and Wrong is Wrong - there is NO in between."

Posted by avennbrown 04/17/08 00:23 CST

Great work Azariah. As a pentecostal high profile preacher i'm well aware of the price one can pay to be honest with yourself and others. I came out 16 years ago now after 22 years trying everything to change my sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual including 16 years of marriage. I could never go back to living in the closet. its a dark place of fear and shame. Living with authenticity and integrity is so liberating. i'm sure your courage will inspire others as mine has.

Jesus says that we are to love and not judge others. Indeed, He says that all of the laws and commandments are fulfilled by love:

"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:35-40)

Given Jesus' teachings, and given that condemnation of homosexuality is found neither in the Ten Commandments, the writings of the prophets, or in the words we have of Jesus, which of these two people who wrote the above comments is a "Bible-believing" Christian?

To put a finer point on it, an atheist wrote:

"Posted by greenpointguy 04/17/08 07:07 CST

As an athiest, I say BRAVO to you...you are a true hero to countless terrified, closeted Christians, forced to follow SELECTIVELY chosen Levitican rules of behavior, written thousands of years ago by a tribe located halfway around the earth, with little to none of the cultural background of Americans today THANK YOU."

This self-proclaimed atheist shows far more understanding of biblical interpretation concerning homosexuality, and shows himself to be far more loving and understanding to another human being who risks losing "it all" for the sake of being an authentic Christian, than the professing "Christ-like" individual, Karen, and all who think like her, who would smugly and self-righteously spew such ignorant and hateful rhetoric against another human being.

It is someone like Azariah Southworth, the host of "The Remix," a popular Christian youth show, who comes out who is a vehicle for separating the wheat from the chaff; the Christian from the non-Christian; the sheep from the wolves.

Indeed, the atheist who commented has shown more understanding of the Gospel than do all the Karens out there.

God bless Azariah Southworth, and all the Azariah Southworths, who take Jesus' lesson to us very seriously and who seek to live out that lesson: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul." (Mark 8:36)

When Azariah Southworth says, regarding his coming out: "I know I will be cut off from many within the Christian community," he is tragically speaking the truth.

The fact is that anyone who would "cut him off," or keep silent when he is "cut off," is not a Christian, and no "Christian community" that is a Christian community in fact, would "cut him off," nor would it cut off any other Christian from full fellowship.

As I've written before, it is my firm belief that Gay people are currently God's instrument to separate the wheat from the chaff in the institutional Church!

UPDATE: 4/19/08 See here.
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