I wish we would stop calling the people engaged in homosexuality "homosexuals" or "gays."

As unpopular as the term is with the community that calls itself "gay" their true identification is PEOPLE. HUMAN BEINGS. And like the rest of humanity they're just as messed up as the rest of us.

We're all human beings in the soup bowl called the Earth, and we're going to have to learn to look at each other like human beings.

btw, good for Mr. Hybels, he could have dropped the ball here, but chose the right road...the thin narrow one that is less traveled.

Labels are necessary. We can try to use ones that are not offensive in inaccurate, but to say we should never use them is just silly. Doctors, men, women, violinists, comedians, thieves, philanthropists, humanitarians, etc are all PEOPLE and HUMAN BEINGS as well.

When I first saw the video that CT posted, I said, "Thank you, Lord, for letting Bill and Willow get this one right." Their response was so much more generous and graceful than the small-mindedness of the Change.org petition.

I do think the paranoia of the gay rights censorship and intimidation they exercise is disappointing. That's NOT the spirit of the great civil rights leaders.

Thanks, Willow, for showing a higher form of leadership.

Skye, I agree with your assessment of Willow and Bill. I attended the Summit through satellite and thought their response and the responses of Summit attendees were tremendous.

However, it seems to me that the group getting the most negative attention, even more than Change.org, is Exodus International. You even include in your post that Exodus is a "controversial ministry that seeks to make gay folks straight."

I am slightly familiar with Exodus and have read through some of their mission and FAQ info on their website since the Summit, and I am not finding anything that suggests they are trying to force anyone into being heterosexual (which is what your post and others seem to think of Exodus).

Can you please provide some info to back up your assessment of Exodus?

Sheer
"they're just as messed up as the rest of us"

No, human beings are not all equally messed up. We do have similaries in the area of sin - corruption from God's design, but we are not all equally messed up on this plane. Some people do "throw off things that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and run with perseverance the race marked out for them. Heb. 12:1

It is truly amazing how terrified the Christian world is of homosexuals (not to mention the business world). We treat them better and with more respect than any other group of people. Go figure.

Tim,
Though I see where you are coming from, my position is one of righteousness.

"for none are righteous..."

Note the use of none...not "some," not "a few," none.

Which is what we all are...not righteous, and yet for many in America the issue is that the act of homosexuality is "the most damning sin one can commit!" which is patently false. Denying Y'shua is the most damning sin of all...but that is another thread.

And yet that lie persists in our faith.

Is the act of homosexuality a sin...yes...but the person involved in that sin is still a human being.

We are a people, fallen, disgraced, and crawling through the muck of life, and as much as you would cite the efforts a few who shun such sins I would point out to you G-d's view of us:

We may be sons and daughters of G-d, but even the prodigal son came home, forgiven and blessed by a loving and aceepting father, still smelling of the pig sty he had just left.

So...it doesn't matter if one is a saint of Mother Theresa calibur, or a "doing the best they can" everyday joe, we all reek of our fallen nature. It is something we cannot escape from on our own...only when G-d has refashioned us physically can we say with certitude, "we are now whole by the grace and mercy of G-d."

Till then...we're just human beings reeking of this world...some reek more than others, but we're all in this cesspool together; And it's tough enough to keep our own heads above the effluent without having some jerk next to us trying to push someone under so they can get a better wiff of the stench.

yes, tim, we will be remade in total by G-d someday, but that day is not today. Let us try to love one another as G-d has loved us, and more so, love our neighbor as we would love ourselves.

Sheer, I see where you are coming from, but I think the root of the labeling problem is how people label themselves! LGBT people have chosen these labels for themselves and see them as accurate labels of their identity and ones to be proud of. The only trouble is they don't like to see the word sin associated with behaviors they have been led to believe are essential and rightful expressions of this "true identity." You are right to say that their true identity lies not in their disordered or sinful inclinations or state (any more than it does for those of us whose sin finds a different expression), but in their humanity (which is shared with all of us). I believe that LGBT people matter to God and are made in his image every bit as much as all the rest of us, but it is precisely because this is true that I understand their homosexuality, etc., to be a wound to/distortion of that true humanity that needs Christ's healing touch and against which they must struggle in order to reclaim their true identity in Christ as the core of their being. This doesn't mean that I believe they will necessarily be fully delivered from this struggle in their earthly lifetime, but that in accepting the struggle and their true identity in Christ, they can know peace and joy and increasing freedom from sin in Christ in the same way that we all can. But try to explain that to a LGBT person with an activist mentality about it. I guarantee you he or she will get very offended!

Christians err when they see the LGBT person as a pariah and unworthy of the love and respect due to all persons, but I don't think this way and I have never heard one of my Christian friends or pastors (nor obviously the pastors at Willow Creek) talk about LGBT in this manner. In the churches I have attended, I think the pastors and the most active and spiritually mature members would have gone out of their way to express love and support to LGBT people, while at the same time making God's intention for human sexuality and biblical morality clear.

Oh, and yes, I agree . . . Bill Hybels shows all the attributes in the stance he takes in this video of a true Christian gentleman! When Christians do this, the real Jesus shines through.

700 petitioners? Really?

I fully agree. A clear and gracious response from Bill and the WCA team.

This response from Willow is refreshing. It shows a fearless attitude that will not back down at the sight of opposition. Being able to show a balance of truth and grace in this situation is a reflection of a leadership team relying on heavenly wisdom and discernment. The fact that Bill is willing to take the extra step and approach the folks at change.org shows an attitude that they are not just "gays" or "homosexuals" but they are people equal in God's eyes and need to be treated as such. Thank you Willow for your example!