Loving the sinner, "hating" the sin

This last month I really enjoyed watching the PBS show "Colonial House." Yes, this may officially classify me as a "nerd"-- oh well :) Towards the end of the season, one of the guys on the show confessed to the others for the first time that he was gay. He insisted that nobody could "love the sinner, hate the sin" when it came to his homosexuality because it was, as he put it "who I am."

Now, I'm a Christian. I consider following Christ to be the most important part of my life (imperfect as I may be!). If I were to encounter people or make new friends who were like, "Well, I love you, but I sure hate what you believe in! Christianity is all baloney"... then I don't think an honest, loving friendship could ever come out of that. A supericial, surface-level friendship maybe, but if this person doesn't accept the fact that I'm a Christian (and Orthodox at that!), then they're not accepting or supporting my spiritual journey.

Now, does this mean I only make friends with other Christians? No, I have many friends who do not share my faith. But if one were to openly (or even secretly) show disgust for my beliefs, then they would be rejecting the very fiber of my being. For them to withdraw any interest in my beliefs or practices would be pretty difficult, leaving little room for a sincere, respectful friendship.

Likewise, I can see how homosexuals would protest at being divided in the same manner.

Now on another note, I certainly do not condone or approve of homosexual behavior, or of identifying oneself solely on the basis of their sexuality. If you hear a testimony of a homosexual individual, and how they discovered they were gay, it almost always begins with a thought, a dream, a sudden overwhelming desire, even at a very young age. Comical as it may seem, there really is a little demon sitting on our shoulder, flinging enticing suggestions at us all of the time! Over time, if these thoughts are not overcome with prayer and the guarding of the mind, they will take root in our heart and bear a bitter fruit. It's this way with homosexuality as it is with illicit heterosexual practices (i.e. adultery, child molestation, pornography), lying, cheating, stealing-- all of which we are told by soceity, "It's normal. Everyone does it/experiments/wants it at one time or another."

We are all undergoing spiritual warfare. Everyone carries a different cross. Problems arise, though, when we take our struggles and begin to champion them as our identity, no longer identifying ourselves as followers of Christ.

Pride and humility do not go hand in hand. Pride, of any measure, is an abhorrence to God, and is the sole factor that keeps us from being in communion with Him. Yes, Jesus dined with tax collectors and prostitutes; he came to heal the sick, not for those who already deemed themselves as "perfectly fine" and "proud of what I am." We're not making ourselves available to God's grace if we're hiding behind a huge sign that says "(insert ethnic, gender, alternative life option, religious, partriotic) Pride!" thereby signifying that we are "just fine" and that we find our meaning, our fulfillment in something so temporary and fleeting.