The Elephant In The Church: The Gray Elephant

Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

Not long ago I officiated a wedding in a church that had a plaque hanging on the wall that said they ordain homosexual clergy. It was a very visible legitimization of homosexuality. And I’ll give you my take on that in a minute.

Let me say upfront that I don’t want to single out any sin during this series. In fact, I think heterosexual sin is more acceptable in most church circles than homosexual sin. And that is wrong! Sexual sin is sexual sin. And we’ve got to be honest enough to admit that we tend to condemn sins we’re not committing. I call them lighting rod sins. We single out sins we don’t struggle with and we channel our condemnation towards them. So if I’m greedy I have a problem with gluttons or if I’m gluttonous I have a problem with greed. It’s disingenuous. And the truth of the matter is this—God hates moral pride more than homosexuality or adultery or pornography.

Having said that let me say this: we live in a society where it is wrong to say something is wrong. And that’s wrong. And we need the moral courage to tactfully, thoughtfully, and gracefully speak the truth in love. We ought to be more concerned about being biblically correct than politically correct. So here is the biblical bottom line: sex outside of marriage is wrong. Sex is a sacred covenant between a husband and a wife. Period.

So when a church hangs a plaque endorsing homosexuality it’s a gray elephant. It is approving of something God disapproves of. And while it may seem loving and accepting to some, it is approving of something God disapproves of. And that is neither loving nor honest.

Now let me flip the coin.

The Alcohol Issue

The other mistake we make is turning gray issues into black-and-white issues. It’s called legalism. We go beyond God’s law and add our own manmade rules. And we end up making it harder and harder for people to come to Christ. They have to get through all of our loopholes first!

The Bible is full of gray areas. And it is in those areas that we have to rely on our God-given conscience to guide us. And alcohol may be exhibit A. So let me share some principles that will help us navigate this gray area as well as others.

Some of you grew up in families where Christians don’t drink. Some of you grew up in families where Christians do drink. And your background will largely influence how you hear what I’m about to say. Some of you are shocked that I’m even talking about the issue because to you it’s a non-issue. And some of you will be shocked by what the Bible actually has to say about alcohol.

Let me give a little back story first. Alcohol has had an interesting history in the church. For what it’s worth, on their journey to Plymouth Rock, the pilgrims loaded more beer onto the Mayflower than water. Pastor John Calvin, one of the most influential theological thinkers in Christian history, got a salary package that included 250 gallons of wine per year. I just want you to know that our stewardship team didn’t approve that for me. They drew the line at Mike’s Hard Lemonade! And in case you care, Martin Luther’s wife was a skilled brewer which may be the real reason he married her!