I attended the Gay Christian Network conference in Denver in January with 6 other Australians. It was a great time of Christian fellowship and learning. The keynote speaker was Philip Yancey. He is a well know evangelical Christian author and journalist who has written books including “Whats so amazing about Grace” and “Where is God when it hurts?” I took notes and am posting it below for your infomation:

Philip Yancey was the target of much criticism for attending the GCN conference. But he said – imagine the criticism that gay Christians must get. He asked the question about how should we deal with the divide between those who see homosexuality as a sin and those who see it as an issue of social justice. He said that it would be good as Christians to start on the common ground and then work outwards.

Common ground:

1) We are all flawed, fallen and sinful. We all have desires which are at odds to what God wants from us. From the time of Eden onwards, God has given us the task of ordering our desires.

2) The difference between Christians and non-Christians is that we have a path to forgiveness. Not that we are better at ordering our desires, but that we have a place to go when we fail. Our weakness and struggle may be our greatest spiritual gift as we daily depend on God. Water always flows downwards. Grace like water always flows downwards. Yancey had spoken with a group of prostitutes. Heard their stories of shame, violence and abuse. Jesus talked of them – that the prostitutes and tax collectors would come first in the kingdom of God. By being at the lowest, we cry out to God. She who has been forgiven much loves much. With Grace, people often do not get what they deserve. The more righteous a person seems the more they were threatened by Jesus. For those who are filled with shame and hurt, Jesus is the answer. For God is love. He talked about his friendship with Mel White who worked with high profile evangelicals. When Mel came out, he was called an abomination. It is interesting that his mother said of him “he may be an abomination, but he is still our pride and joy.” God sees us as his pride and joy.

3) Reconciliation. Jesus knew what it was to be oppressed. He spoke with both oppressors and the oppressed. He had hard words for the oppressors but called the oppressed blessed. We live in a polarised world of division. It takes Grace to be around those who oppose you and think differently to you. We are called to be reconciled to those who oppose us. Love is a critical trust in the changeability of the enemy and a mistrust in the certainty of one’s own position. The Church can add to the polarity of society. But it can also take the lead in the way to liberation started by Jesus on the cross. We can learn through family and friends as we try to follow Jesus.

4) The greatest danger is that when we fail, we will feel cast off and rejected by God. He gave the example of Peter who misunderstood the message of the Cross (“get behind me Satan”). He also sank when he tried to walk on water. Ultimately, he denied Jesus 3 times. Then came the reconciliation – Peter do you love me? Then feed my sheep. Peter would have been changed by his failures in the way he treats people.

The less certain ground.

Yancey stated he does not hold an opinion on the issues affecting gay Christians. There are differences within churches and within GCN. The evangelical church needs people in the middle ground working on reconciliation. No “side” will get everything it wants. Both sides need to stretch. Gay Christians believe. Otherwise, why would they get together in worship of God? The Bible is God’s word to us and we need to struggle with what the Bible says to us. Both sides need to engage in dialogue. Chastity outside of marriage is stated in the Bible. But churches should quit the double standard between straights and homosexuals and not worry about same sex marriage, but same marriage sex. Our goal is the beloved community. We may disagree on fundamental issues but be reconciled in the Body of Christ.

Yancey – I have a dream the church will be a place not of differences but of what we have in common. People who are sinners saved by Grace. Black and white, Jew and gentile, gay and straight at the foot of the Cross.” God found a way to bridge the distance between a cosmic God and a sinful us. Surely we can find a way to be in reconciliation with each other.

It is traditional for many of the conference attendees to volunteer for a service project:

Service Project – Angel Heart

This community volunteering organisation was formed to provide nutritious meals to people and their dependants who are suffering from life threatening illnesses such as cancer, kidney disease and HIV. For this project 8 volunteers from GCN went to help pack and package meals. Over a period of 4 hours, we packaged 450 meals. There were other service projects for which there were GCN volunteers – packing food parcels for the needy and organising a social dance for the elderly

Hi Kizza

God found a way to bridge the distance between a cosmic God and a sinful us. Surely we can find a way to be in reconciliation with each other.

Love the above line from the presentation notes!

Thanks for posting this.

Blessings,

Ann Maree

Thanks for the notes. It’s awesome to see more and more high profile Christians being supportive of LGBT people.