I had a Zoom meeting at work recently. I was early and was joined by someone from the other group that I hadn't met before. She struck me as clearly coming across as female -- name, clothing, etc. -- but with a somewhat masculine face. No matter. I hadn't met her, and since the other company had two locations, I asked her which one she was at. Her response removed all doubt. I was talking to a transgender. Now, to be fair, I don't know how "deep" that went. It could have been just surface -- clothing and make up -- or it could have been down the the last surgical alteration, but there was no doubt about the intent. This person was not presenting herself in the gender to which he was born.
It was interesting to observe the "side conversation" I had with myself. (Our actual conversation was done since others joined the meeting immediately.) I have made it absolutely clear that I am opposed to transgenderism. Some call it "hate." I am unrepentantly opposed to other things, like abortion, homosexual behavior, adultery, murder, and a list of other "acceptable sins" of our day. So I imagine people hearing that I had a face-to-face encounter with such a person might either cringe or delight in what fire I might have unleashed on such a person. And you may be surprised to learn that I did no such thing.
Our culture has long contended that to oppose homosexual behavior or gender issues or abortion is "hate speech." You are "homophobic" (which means, oddly, to hate, not fear those who identify as homosexuals) or "transphobic" or "misogynistic." To name a few. They assume, "Hate the deed, hate the one doing it." And I have long contended that it just ain't necessarily so. And right there in that singular moment in a brief dialog with a transgender where I have no thinking time and only reacted on reflex, my reflex said to hate the sin but not unleash said hate on the sinner. Brief as it was, I practiced what I preach.
Think about it. I hate cancer. I hate it with a passion. I hate it in all its forms. Whether mild or fatal, I hate it. On the other hand, I have nothing but compassion for its victims. I don't hate those caught up in cancer; I hate the cancer itself. In the same way, I despise the concept, but not the one in it.
Okay, probably most of you who are still thinking it can't be done, so consider a direct biblical version. Paul said, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor 6:9-10) Obviously I take that at face value as true. So ... what is the right response if I encounter, say, a fornicator? Scripture says, "The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil." (Prov 8:13) The psalmist says, "Hate evil, you who love the LORD." (Psa 97:10) So it would seem obvious that I would hate the evil -- in this case, the fornication. However, it does not follow that I would hate the fornicator. No, that person is in a bad place and if nothing is done, it will only get worse. Compassion would require that I engage said fornicator with the Gospel and urge them to come to Christ. I would love my neighbor as myself. I'd want to flag them down, warn them, encourage them, whatever I could to get them to shift away from the thing that would drag them to Hell. Hating them would serve no purpose. Hating the person would provide benefits to no one.
I am not saying that there are no people who hate homosexuality and, as a consequence, homosexuals. I am not claiming that no one hates transgenders. And so on. I am saying that 1) hating the sin does not require hating the person in the sin, and that 2) compassion for sinners is required if anyone is going to be benefited. You may not believe that. Maybe you're your own living example of hating the person because the person believes something you hate. I guess that's your problem, then. It's not mine.
5 comments:
Just don't express your hatred publicly. The incoming overlords will jail you, take away your job, close access to your bank accounts and basically force compliance or else. Indeed, you risk by merely posting this.
"Just don't express your hatred publicly."
Easy since I have no hate.
You don't hate sin?
It is comments like this (no personal insult intended) that push me to stop using the Internet for any communication whatsoever. Communication is always tedious at best and the Internet seems to make it nearly impossible. For instance, I thought I made it clear in the post that I hate the sin. I thought it was abundantly clear. In fact, the point of the post was "Given how much I hate sin, people might tend to believe that it is not possible to hate those engaged in it." But I don't hate the people engaged in it. So "You don't hate sin?" is a radically nonsensical question in my ears.
As I said, this isn't personal. I get this all the time. It's the nature of the beast. No facial expressions, no eye contact, no instantaneous feedback, no "knowing winks" or body language, nothing but bare words and lengthy amounts of time between messages. I do hate this form of communication.
So, to answer your question -- once for clarification -- I know of no person on the planet that I hate.
The notion that people who believe that homosexuality or whatever other popular predilection is sinful, are unable to interact with those who engage in those behaviors without showing hatred and vitriol is bizarre. I, like Stan, can't think of anyone on earth that I hate. Yet, even for those who I dislike, I am confident that I am enough of an adult to interact with them without descending into personal attacks. This is one of those situations where people have constructed a straw man and applied it to believers regardless of the reality. If anything, the example of Jesus would compel us to love sinners, and to show them the love of Jesus when we interact with them.
I'm not implying for an instant that I (we) are not sinners. Clearly, we should show the love of Jesus because we've received the love of Jesus.
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