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A Sinner in the Christian Community... Shocking!

In case you haven't heard, the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Singer Ray Boltz is gay. He has been wildly successful in Christian circles since the late 1980s, writing such beloved songs as, "Thank You," "Watch the Lamb," and "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb." If you did a search for Ray Boltz on your computer you will see that the Christian blogosphere is all atwitter with the news.

Apparently Ray has struggled with this all his life. In 2004 he came out to his family and separated from his wife. They formalized their divorce in 2008 and he has chosen to live an openly gay lifestyle. He has now begun preforming in churches that minister to the gay community across North America. He will be performing in one such church in Houston this November.

Now, let me give you complete disclosure: I have never liked Ray Boltz's music. I know, I'm sorry. Back "in the day" there weren't many choices so we all listened to and enjoyed Ray's music. A lot. Then too much. Then you couldn't escape it. Everywhere you went someone would sing "Thank You." Every Easter, to this day, you cannot celebrate the resurrection of the Lord without hearing "Watch the Lamb." These are good songs, but they are tired and overused, in my opinion. Let's get some new songs. So, if Ray's coming out results in the infrequent use of his songs in church, then I like that - not because he is gay, but because I don't like his music.

But Ray's coming out does damage the Christian community, and for that I am grieving. I grieve for Ray himself, who has struggled for years, battling severe depression and experiencing separation from God. He believes he will experience a new peace from his decision to live an openly gay lifestyle and to fellowship with those Christians who encourage him to live an openly gay lifestyle. I think he is wrong, and that the Spirit will never give him peace, nor will he find all he is searching for by living in this way - his depression will return as will his loneliness. I grieve because Ray is a Christian brother who is hurting so deeply and is now among a people who are encouraging him to doubt all that God's word says. Who knows where this road will take him?

I grieve for the Christian community because so many folks will be confused and not know how to feel about Ray coming out. Some will be disillusioned and hurt, some will turn away from the Lord believing that Ray is hypocrite and his ministry has been a lie, others will cast stones at Ray and judge him severely, turning their back on him. I grieve for a Christian community that has yet to find a way to love and minister to those who struggle with homosexuality, resulting in these people venturing down a path that takes them further away from the Truth. I grieve because I know there are many out there like Ray, who simply have not come out yet, and they too are struggling, wondering if anybody in the Church would love them if they knew the truth about them. So the masquerade continues, and the Church is OK with that.

There is much talk about hating the sin and loving the sinner, and of course that is the truth. But what does that look like in this case? I pray that the Lord will show us so that He can use us to bring healing and wholeness into the lives of those who have been raped, ravaged and compromised by sin in its various forms. For that it includes all of us.

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