Presbyterian Church (USA) is the latest protestant denomination to ordain homosexuals. The act of ordaining is supposed to signify a human recognition of the Jesus Christ’s calling of individuals to serve as His special representative. As representatives of God and Christ, ordained church leaders function a visible ambassadors of the divine will and purpose. As Jesus represented God during his earthly work, so too ordained church leaders are expected to fulfill the mission of the Lord Jesus.
Ordination is thus a multi-fold process. The qualifications include becoming a citizen of God’s kingdom through the merits of Jesus Christ. The life transforming event is intellectual but rather relational. People are confronted by the presence of God within an environment of learning about God, his kingdom, laws, justice, mercy, love, and holiness. The divine confrontation is an invitation to a change of life as well as citizenship. In the presence of God’s loving holiness, individuals become aware of unholy aspects of their lives. Adults often misinterpret this to mean they must work harder at being better to alleviate the guilt after God’s visitation. They misconstrue the part God is to play in that change: God is the actual source of achieving mature righteous living. However, God invites individuals to become members of His kingdom through the merits of Jesus alone. Training in citizenship comes after accepting the invitation. The church and its leaders serve as role models. Before God calls individuals to that role, they must first be members of His kingdom and have become citizens of good moral standing.
The standard the Church is supposed to use the same criteria to validate people called of God to ordained service. God reveals his chose of individuals to others, especially other ordained leaders, in the Church who in turn are to evaluate the same by God’s law and gospel. In other words, the book on citizenship, which is the Bible.
When consider what that book states about homosexuality and other immoral practices, it soon discovered that God and Jesus Christ are opposed to it. God’s chosen representative, Moses, taught the Israelites God’s laws concerning it. In the book titled Leviticus, Moses is quoted as saying, “You shall not lie with men as with women; it is an abomination…. If a man lie with man, as he lies with a woman, both have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death…. Do not defile yourselves by doing these things: for in [this] the nations are defiled which I cast out before you.” (Leviticus 20:10-20;18:24) In the book of Revelation, Jesus’ word to the Church reaffirmed the divine law against such behaviors. (see Revelation 2:6, 14-15, 20; 9:20-21; 21:7-8)
Some attempt to use the absence of any mention of sodomy in the gospels as positive affirmation that neither God nor Christ was against it. This erroneous argument ignores the fact that the Mosaic law was Jewish law during the Second Temple era. No mention was necessary because the death penalty was a sufficient deterrent.
Like other mainline protestant denominations, the Presbyterian has succumbed to the flirtations of the spirit of the age. The alluring politics of social acceptability propagandized by many different secular schemes, ideological and party agendas, and religious argumentation, the political Church has blindly embraced liberal democracy’s moral relativity. Sleeping with the devil may be too harsh an indictment. In keeping with actual crime against the Lord Jesus, it is more realistic to charge those leaders with sleeping with the devil’s children and with one another. Just as Israel played the harlot with surrounding nations, so her daughter, the Church, is now betraying her lover for others.
A little sensuality, a little drunkenness, a little dancing, and a little flirting add up to a lot of immorality and apostasy.
The gospel of tolerance preached by those ravaging wolves pretending to be children of God in His kingdom apparently dulls the keen senses of spiritual discerners causing many a sheep (over half of Presbyterians) blindness.
Even so, come soon Lord Jesus.