On October 9, 2015, a member of Watermark Church in Dallas received a
letter
responding to his homosexual lifestyle. The letter noted that the
church had worked with the man over several years to help him repent of
such relationships.
However, the man's decision to continue in a homosexual relationship
caused the church to remove him from its membership and to treat him "as
we would anyone who is living out of fellowship with God." The
congregation is praying "that repentance comes quickly and that you do
not continue choosing a path of destruction and one that leads you away
from the authority and care of the church."
On the one-year anniversary of receiving the letter, the man
described
his anger on Facebook: "You are tarnishing the name of God to
Christians and non-Christians alike; you should be ashamed of
yourselves! Do not forget, Jesus was a [sic] angry with people just like
you who said certain groups of people were not worthy to be followers
of Him."
Dallas Morning News columnist Jacquielynn Floyd was highly critical of the church in a
column
under the headline, "Watermark megachurch banned a gay man that it
didn't deserve to have as a member." Floyd stated: "A church that
chooses a path leading it to harass and condemn its own blameless
members isn't doing itself any favors. Running around trying to change
turtles into ducks seems out of step with established science and
enlightened interpretation of Scripture."
Yesterday, Watermark Pastor Todd Wagner responded. Todd and I have been
friends for years, and I greatly admire his passion for Christ, his
congregation, and his community. I urge you to read his
entire column in the
Dallas Morning News.
Todd explains that the former member made clear to the church that "he
no longer believed same-sex sexual activity was inappropriate for a
follower of Jesus Christ and no longer desired to turn from it." As a
result, "Like any member whose beliefs move away from the core
commitments, biblical convictions, and values of Watermark, it became
appropriate to formally acknowledge his desire not to pursue
faithfulness to Christ with us."
Todd adds that such discipline is "an act of love, something any parent
knows. The heart of true correction is always to bring about good in the
life of an individual. Our goal with every instance of care and
correction is to restore the relationship and save our hurting friend
from the trouble that sin always creates."
This paragraph is especially relevant to the larger cultural battle over
homosexuality: "Following the example of Jesus, Watermark loves and
welcomes people of all backgrounds, economic statuses, ethnicities and
sexual struggles. Also following his example, we encourage people to
turn away from sin and to follow Jesus. We have
many members and
several staff
who struggle with same-sex attraction or for whom same-sex sexual
activity is a part of their past. We count it a privilege to labor with
them in their desire to resist temptation, and we rejoice with them as
they experience forgiveness and new life in Christ. Their stories are
powerful and serve as beautiful testimonies to the transforming power of
Jesus Christ" (his emphasis).
I commend Todd Wagner and Watermark Church for caring for this man's
spiritual health enough to take the difficult step of discipline
intended to prompt repentance. It would have been far easier and less
controversial for the church to ignore the man's sin. If the sin in
question were not homosexual, I doubt this issue would have drawn the
attention it has received. But gay rights have become civil rights in
our culture, prompting critics to lambast Christians for holding to
biblical truth and morality.
Despite popular opinion, followers of Jesus are called to care for each
other (Galatians 6:1–2) and to hold each other accountable (Matthew
18:15–17). In addition, spiritual leaders must give an account to God
for those they shepherd (Hebrews 13:17).
Those who believe God's word regarding sexual sin must pay a higher
price today than ever before in our nation's history. But the privilege
of serving Jesus and loving our fallen culture is worth all it costs and
more.
Do you agree?
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