In Acts 1:8 the resurrected Christ instructed his disciples telling them, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." The scope of Jesus' mission was to go to the ends of the earth, but of all the geographic destinations for this good news, Samaria is an interesting choice. Samaria was prominent in this list because there was history with this region and outright repulsion and disdain for the Samaritan culture, Samaria represented more than physical geography, but a people who the Jews would go out of their way to avoid.
In 2019 I believe we still have "Samaritan" unreachables that we must be willing to cross whatever barriers are necessary to not overlook them as we focus on the ends of the earth. Our Samaria may include any number of people who "are not like us" (and may not really like us either!). The strategies for reaching these different spheres of influence all vary, and our Samaria is no different. One common Samaria that has challenged evangelical Christians in recent years is the LGBTQ community. We have at least been very public about our often contentious animosity for each other. However, as Christ's ambassadors, charged with making disciples to the ends of the earth, balancing truth and grace is needed in abundance if we will be faithful in fulfilling Christ's mission for His Church.
Everyone matters is one of my deeply held core values. However, as I began fleshing out this value,, I had to admit that I was holding on to some "Samarias" myself. God also continued to give me opportunities to put this value into action as He put more and more LGBTQ people into my life, until I was deeply convicted that everyone had inherent, God-designed dignity and value, including my LGBTQ relationships. I also found that I was being drawn to love an even wider range of marginalized groups of people, and I have found great joy in being Christ's ambassador even in some awkward and humbling ways.
To be faithful ambassadors we need to first relax and release ourselves from the pressure of being God to the LGBTQ community. Jesus himself affirms that we will receive power "WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES ON US." All the power I need flows from Christ through the Holy Spirit. If you are like me, you may need to confess sin and repent, being willing to engage rather than retreat from relationships that may be a little messy. We must relate with intentionality and humility. I had to become a better question asker and an even better listener. All relationships are built upon the tracks of trust, and to be fair, this is a two way street. There are stereotypes and prejudices that have to be torn down on both sides of the relationships. Because of the real or perceived lack of trust, language and definitions are tricky, but if both sides are willing to work toward understand, I believe it is worth the effort every time.
I don't have all the answers, and I don't know how conversations will go, of if there will be any on-going relationship, but because of my Biblical worldview, I am convinced that Christ loves every one of these "Samaritans" just as much as He loves me. I don't have to be embarrassed or intimidated because I follow Christ. We can speak the truth honestly, but not in a condescending or self-righteous attitude. We need to do our homework and research all that we can to help us better engage our "Samarias". There are many resources out there and I can't list them all here, but a few have helped shape my views on sexuality and homosexuality specifically.
The following are some books that I have read that offer Biblical perspectives on holy sexuality, while offering a posture of humility and grace:
Sex in A Broken World by Paul David Tripp (a good overview of sex as a cultural idol)
Is God Anti-Gay? by Sam Allbery
People To Be Loved by Preston Sprinkle
Holy Sexuality And The Gospel by Christopher Yuan
Understanding Sexual Identity by Mark Yarhouse
Single Gay Christian by Gregory Coles
Us Versus Us by Andrew Marin
There are also numerous talks on You Tube by these authors that may be a more concise look at the issues.
Lastly the Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender, led by Preston Sprinkle is a good resource base for the conversation as well. The web site can be found at www.centerforfaith.com.
Johnny Pons was the long time Baptist Campus Minister at Penn State University and now lives and ministers in the Nashville area.
Arliss Dickerson is the author of five books on college ministry available for 99 cents each in eBook format at amazon.com. FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY is in paperback.
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