Dan Savage Was Right

Dan Savage spoke, and the Internet exploded.

He rejected the Bible as “bullshit” in a keynote address to high-school journalists, and then described students who chose to walk away as “pansy-assed.” Since being uploaded to YouTube on April 27, the video of his speech has received over 600,000 views. In describing those who had the courage to take a stand as pansies, Savage flouted his prominent “It Gets Better” anti-bullying campaign (started in the wake of the suicides of Tyler Clementi and other gay or gay-seeming youth), as well as his less well-known stance against effeminophobia within the gay community. His hypocrisy is painfully evident.

And yet, in the rush to (rightly) condemn, conservative responses have often overlooked the fact that Savage was on to something. In the past year, commentators including Elizabeth Scalia, Melinda Selmys, and Mark Shea have written articles to present the gay community as something other than simply an enemy. Each made clear their adherence to orthodox sexual ethics, but each nonetheless received a venomous response from many of their Christian readers.

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Evermyrtle

The WORD OF GOD tells us that this evil will come into the world in the "end days". These are the days just before the return of JESUS CHRIST, when HE will come and "The dead inc CHRIST shall rie to meet HIM in the air and then those who have served HIM will rise to meet HIM.

HEAVE AND EARTH SHALL PASS AWAY BUT MY WORDS WILL NOT PASS AWAY.
- della
  
  Did you understand what this writer was saying? How could Savage be "on to something" speaking like this and calling the Bible bs? Evermyrtle, you are so right! God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This writer seemed anti-Christian to me. Since when is it wrong for us Christians to stand up against sin? I don't know about you but I feel like we have been called out on the carpet for standing up for the Word of God.
  - M Green
    
    No, he's saying that he's on to something in that Christians apparently don't stand up to the abuse that gays are getting because they are gay. I've certainly seen it, but I've also seen many people allow bullying of Christians when they were not Christians. Most of the Christians I know condemn homosexuality but would NEVER tolerate a homosexual being beaten or mocked to tears. I certainly don't.
    - Linda F.
      
      I agree, M Green. Even though I oppose homosexuality, because I believe it to be a sin in the eyes of God, I have no problem with standing up to people like Fred Phelps and his ilk. In fact, I have already … and I've been called a "w****" and a "f** enabler" because of it. You know what? I'd do it again, in a heartbeat.
    - Michael
      
      I feel the same way!
    - Sandy Anderson
      
      I will stand and have stood with the homosexual, as well as the transgender YET still speaking out against the sin… NONE of us anywhere is without sin and that is a fact. Oh yeah we can deny it and claim to be righteous and holy and all that. YET Jesus Himself hung out with the prostitute and the homeless and He is our KING… I praise God that I am willing to stand and come beside and show mercy where mercy is needed and yet show the scripture to be acurate. I will not deny the compassion to a sinner, as I to am a sinner saved by grace and redeemed by a blood sacrifice.
  - Evermyrtle
    
    Yes indeed, I am very much aware of what is being said and what is going on in the world, today. It as was told in the prophecy of GOD'S WORD.
    
    I am much like other Christians. I study , GOD'S WORD every day. What I was trying to say is "Don't be alarmed, we have been fore warned that these evils coming into the world You can find these records in Matt 24, Mark 13, Luke17 and 21,1Peter 2, i John 2:18 and other places. in the Bible
    
    If I condemn or if I do not condemn this behavior, will make no difference whatever because I don't have to speak for GOD to know what I believe.
keyboardshark

The point he was supposedly "right" about was a straw man he sets up mixed with a true statement: "He recounts a hypothetical Christian who claims, “I’m sorry, we can’t do anything about bullying, because it says right there in Leviticus, in Timothy, in Romans that being gay is wrong.”

While it is indeed true that the Bible condemns homosexuality in those passages, nowhere does it say that homosexuals are to be bullied (the straw man).

The writer also opines: "Christians have appealed far too quickly to their traditional moral views to avoid offering support to gay people. Here, if nowhere else, Dan Savage has a point."

If by "support" he means condoning and accepting their behavior as normal, then no, Christians should not offer that kind of "support". But if he means lovingly sharing the Good News with them, inviting them to church, and treating them with respect and friendliness as we would any fellow human being, then yes, that is the kind of "support" we should be offering.

While we cannot condone their sin, neither should we wag our bony finger at them and treat them as outcasts. We are all sinners, and even though our sin may not include the sin of homosexuality, we still need to befriend any homosexual who is willing to do so. Our job is to share the Good News of freedom from bondage to sin and forgiveness unto eternal life through Christ.

The rest, including them eventually leaving the homosexual lifestyle, is up to God, and we know for certain that He will draw those whom He plans to save. God's love extends to ALL classes of sinners, even the homosexual. That is the kind of "support" Christians need to provide, not a harsh, judgmental attitude that drives them away.
- Dionesius3
  
  I must say I fully agree. If we as Christians can't show God's love to the homosexual by treating them as human beings and encouraging them to find God then who can or will.
  - keyboardshark
    
    Yes, I was hoping I'd get a few 'amens' on this. We often forget that it's easy to condemn others who we consider particularly 'sinful', especially when their sin does not happen to be the ones we are troubled with. We think it makes us feel good about ourselves, but we could just as easily be in their position were it not for the grace of God.
- Winston
  
  I disagree with you that Christians should invite homosexuals to church. Show me the Scripture to support this outlandish statement. Jesus gave his disciples a directive to "go" into the world, NOT "bring" the world into the church. Furthermore, it isn't Christians who are "bullying" homosexuals, it is the arrogant and agressive homosexuals who are bullying Christians and everyone else by pushing their aberrant sexual deviancy upon us. Would you send a Chritian who is a fomer alcoholic into a bar to witness to drunks?
  - keyboardshark
    
    Winston says: "I disagree with you that Christians should invite homosexuals to church. "
    
    OK, you have a point there, Winston. The "church" usually mentioned in the Bible refers to the body of believers, not a building. For example:
    
    "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:"
    Colossians 1:24
    
    "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."
    Colossians 1:18
    
    The New Testament "church" at the time of the writing of the NT apparently met in houses, not a special building as we think of today:
    
    "Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house."
    Colossians 4:15
    
    "The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.'
    I Corinthians 16:19
    
    So you are correct that a practicing homosexual could not technically be considered a part of the "church" unless he or she had become born again. On the other hand, I cannot find any statement in the Bible that would prohibit bringing unsaved persons into a building where the "church" was meeting in order to hear the Gospel. At any rate, my point was that homosexuals, just like any other class of sinners, need to hear the Gospel, and our job as Christians is to do just that in a loving manner.
    
    You also say, "Furthermore, it isn't Christians who are "bullying" homosexuals, it is the arrogant and agressive homosexuals who are bullying Christians and everyone else by pushing their aberrant sexual deviancy upon us."
    Yes, I would agree with that.
    
    And you also said, "Would you send a Chritian who is a fomer alcoholic into a bar to witness to drunks?"
    No, I would not "send" any other Christian anywhere. That would have to be their own personal decision, but if they were a former alcoholic and asked my advice as to whether they should go to a bar to witness, I would probably advise against it because of the temptations present there.
    - Winston
      
      2Cr 6:14 "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?"
      1Jo 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."
      
      Are unbelievers (practicing homosexuals and other sinners) "walking in the light"…or "living in darkness"? Show me a church which invites the unsaved into it to fellowship with believers and I'll show you a church which does not teach the Word of God book by book, chapter by chapter, word for word… and it will be diluted to be pablum and not meat for the believers. Again, mixing sinners with believers in the church is like trying to mix oil and water.
      - keyboardshark
        
        Winston quotes: "2Cr 6:14 "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers."
        
        Of course we are not to be in close partnership with unbelievers. I was not suggesting entering into a spiritual, business or personal alliance with a homosexual, I was merely suggesting that we share the Gospel with the, and if they are willing, invite them to attend a public presentation of a Gospel message. I do not see how this verse would nullify that because I would not be "yoked" with that person. "Yoked" indicates a close partnership.
        
        Winston says: "Are unbelievers (practicing homosexuals and other sinners) "walking in the light"…or "living in darkness"?
        Of course unbelievers are not "walking in the light". But inviting a homosexual to attend a worship service does not make him or her a member of the Body of Christ, so by definition we could not be in fellowship with them in their unsaved condition. I think you may be confusing an invitation with being accepted as a member of the Body. Of course we cannot consider an unsaved person, regardless of their particular sin problem, as a brother or sister in Christ until we have some evidence that they have become born again and have abandoned their openly sinful lifestyle, or are in the process of abandoning that lifestyle.
        
        If the homosexual attends a worship service where they are truly preaching the unadulterated Word of God, including preaching against sin, one of two things will happen: The person will hear the Gospel message and if he or she is one of God's elect, will become a true, born again believer. OR The person will hear the message, will remain unregenerate, will find the message offensive, and will eventually decide that he or she does not wish to return.
        
        In either case, there is little chance that we would consider an unregenerate homosexual as a brother or sister in Christ, and thereby be considered "yoked" to them, unless they flat out lied about a conversion experience or were self deceived into believing a conversion had happened. But that could happen with anyone, not just a homosexual, so my point is we should not treat them any differently than any other unregenerate person with any type of sin problem.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22306708/Jn6.37.png Despeville

Dan Savage is nobody presenting nothing but stupefying ignorance and callous arrogance.
RAL

Anybody who has read or listen to this mans words, might want to rethink someone who says he is tired of Christians, yet supports those of a religion, and country, that beheaded 4 homosexuals last week, and a leader who openly, while in America a year ago, openly stated there were no homosexuals in Iran.

What gives me hope is this latest event happened with a group of high school journalists, except for the planted agenda groups, that one of the high schoolers video taped, when they heard this was going to be orchestrated at this event.

From what I understand, some of these journalists are working on exposing the fraud, for using this forum/event for his agenda.

I have friends that live in this lifestyle. I wish them no harm, and they would be there for me also. I do not talk about God with them, because that is just wasting my breath.

In the way, however, the so called 'Christians' that use hate, fingerpoint and hold signs up telling homosexuals they are going to hell, are in the same group as the moron in this article.

What really amazes me is the lack of WHOLE TRUTH of sexual sin, that many Christians can call out homosexuality, but leave out premarital sex (sex before marriage), masturbation, adultery and the fact Jesus told us the sins of our flesh are less than important in the sins of our hearts. Stating that lust of the heart brings fornication, adultery…and even murder.

Jesus pointed out hypocrites, and even cleared house in the market place and Pharisees.

Watching the guts these few Christians had, in walking out, especially being journalists or at least looking into that field, gives me hope our media might not be completely tainted in immorality, fraud, double talk and double standards.

If all we are is after the truth, then all you have to be afraid of is the truth being known…if we are willing to look, seek, knock…so to speak! God Bless