What do you do with this?
Just had a conversation with a friend who is trying to minister to a man in his church. As the man has expressed interest in joining the church, he asks my friend "do you know my story"? When the "story" comes out, this man who has been saved and baptized had an operation to change her anatomical construction into that of a man. What would you do as a leader of this church as you discover these details of the past?
BTW- this man has exressed sorrow and repentance over having this operation, is not pro-transgender or pro-homosexuality. He has said that his counsel to other people and his own worldview is now squarely on the basis of the Scripture.
PS -- I believe that this situation is in the same "family" of situations as ministry to a convicted sex offender in your congregation.
posted by Pastor Mike Paris @ 11:08 PM
8 Comments:
Seems like your "job" as a pastor would be to make sure that this person acknowledges their past sinful life and has asked for God's forgiveness, and has repented (turned away from those sins).
After that, there's really not anything for you to do except to accept this sinner the same way you would the one who sinned by stealing candy or disobeying their parents when they were younger.
Show me where it says....
Assuming this person isn't convinced that they have sinned, what scripture reference(s) would you use to discuss?
take it or leave it....
http://www.rightremedy.org/tracts/25
WWJD?
Yes, exactly, WWJD?
He did live in a world with the "benefit" of surgical proceedures to remove the trappings of gender definition.
He did not have the "benefit" of modern psychological studies and advances in counseling models.
He did not in fact encourage those he encountered to keep on sinning. What is the sin here? (I think that this is where Thad is headed)
I wonder if there is not some amount of negative response to who God has made you to be in here. A revolt, rebellion against the Creator. I believe that the recovery process probably has to work through the issues of gender (make and female created He them, et al) and of identity/value of each person in Christ (1 Corinthians).
We need also to check that this person is convinced that this is not right behavior. This has been verbally assented to. The assertion was convincing and on target. I am unsure how to *test* this confession, and I am not sure that we eevn need to verify it in order to accept it.
These are my initial thoughts,
keep searchng with me,
don't settle for the pat answers,
Mike
This person is a living soul and therefore is important to God.
Take a look at it through the lens of 1 corinthians 13. That is how we should respond. That is how Jesus would respond. Will it be easy? No.
Any exposition on 1 Cor 13, Todd?
Do you have any ideas? I don't think I saw this situation addressed in 1 Cor 13. How do we transition from the Christian Hallmark greeting card passage to dealing with repentant sinners?
Mike
I was thinking specifically about vs. 7 -love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. If this believer was truely a part of a body of believers/community it would be evident if their belief is genuine. I would say give them the benefit of the doubt and disciple! They shall know us by our love.
I just received a mailing from desiringGod ministries that applies to this discussion. In it Piper refers to the incident w the adulterous woman and how Christ reacted. He had a lot of Good points in it but way too long for me to retype it here I will see if it is on his website.
Main point was Christ said "go and sin no more --your sins have been forgiven" there will still be earthly consequences for our sin but God can and will even use those to conform us to His image if we walk by faith. That is what justification is all about. We are seen as righteous in the sight of God through Christ. Halleluejah
here it is: http://www.desiringgod.org/AboutUs/MonthlyNewsletter/
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