A friend of mine asked me a question about a hot social topic that is sure to ruffle some feathers but here goes:

It was regarding an item we saw on the news about a group of Christians who were protesting outside the funeral service of a U.S. Marine. The reason for their protest was because the soldier was gay. The question asked to me was, “From a Christian perspective, who was wrong: the soldier, the protestors, or both?”

As I said, my response may elicit some negative responses, but I have to tell it like it is.

Make no mistake about it, according to the scriptures, homosexual acts are sinful. They are wrong and should not be practiced if one is trying to please God. In fact, the Lord goes so far as to say that such actions are abominations to Him. That’s pretty strong language.

Of course, you need to keep in mind that I’m taking for granted here the authority of the scriptures. Based on many previous articles and teachings (see: “New Testament Accuracy”), I firmly believe that the scriptures we have today are the words of God transmitted accurately to us over the years. We must establish this fact first before we can use them as the “standard.”

With that being said, now let’s look at the actions of the Christian protesters. While they are perfectly within their bounds to voice their negative opinion, I find their actions to be utterly tasteless, insensitive, and quite frankly, hypocritical. The funeral of a human being is no place to try to “make a point” of one’s convictions. I say “hypocritical” because you don’t see these same Christians protesting at the funeral of a soldier who was unmarried and yet lived with his girlfriend (fornication). Or of a businessman who was ruthless (and even illegal) in his dealings with his clients. Unfortunately, we all sin. Just because some people don’t sin the same way we do is no reason for us to point it out to the world. It seems to me that these protestors are merely trying to exploit the “hot issue” of the day for their own publicity.

It is common during a funeral service for a minister to not only attempt to provide spiritual comfort to those grieving but also to try to get them to reflect on their own spiritual relationship. It is at such times that most people tend to turn inward and try to come to grips with their own mortality. But a funeral is definitely not the place to point the finger at someone’s sin and use that opportunity to “further your cause.”

Jesus paid a hefty price to facilitate a chance for us to get right with God. He literally paid with His own blood. We need to use care in delivering that precious message. While it is true that every sinner needs to hear it, we must be sensitive enough to present that message at the right time and in the right place. We should follow Jesus’ example. While on earth, He never forced anyone to follow Him. He would say, “Hear this… See this… Come to Me and allow Me to help you.” We have an awesome privilege in sharing the love of God. Let’s not demean it by a lack of sensitivity.

Let’s hear your opinion…