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 Anderson Cooper's coming out provoked the author to send a tweet that triggered some strong reaction.
July 5th, 2012
01:11 PM ET
My Take: Will there be gays in heaven? Will there be fat people?Editor's Note: Craig Gross is the pastor and founder of XXXchurch.com and is the author of seven books. He just turned 36 and is no longer a hip 20-something pastor from California. By Craig Gross, Special to CNN After Anderson Cooper came out this week, I posted a link on Twitter to a story that included this quote from Cooper: “I love and am loved.” As I said in my tweet, Cooper is one of my favorite journalists. I was honored to once be on his show. After I tweeted I got e-mails and a direct message asking the same question: "You still like him now?" I was saddened by that reaction and started thinking: What would happen if we read the Bible and, instead of highlighting certain passages, we took it all for what it is - truth. In 1 Corinthians, the Bible says don't indulge your body with food or sex: “‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,’ and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” My Take: The Christian case for gay marriage I deal with people who indulge their bodies with sex. I’ve done it for 10 years with XXXchurch.com, helping people caught up in porn addiction. If you indulge your body with sex via pornography, affairs, strippers or hookers, and your secrets are exposed, you will not be preaching on Sunday. Sexual sin is not tolerated in our churches. If clergy are caught in these things, they’re disqualified. What if you indulge your body with food? Well, then you can pastor some of the largest churches on the planet and have the most successful broadcasts on the religious channels and sell a lot of books. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories Same biblical passage, same sin. Why is one accepted and one rejected? Why is it that religious folks want to camp out on a few things rather then all things? Why do they believe that the gay guy goes to hell but the fat preacher who builds some of the largest churches in the world makes it to heaven? I have no problem bringing my fat friends to church; they fit right in. Our Los Angeles church has doughnuts to eat during worship service, which makes the hymns we sing sound so much better. My Take: Why many Christians focus on homosexuality I coached my son's soccer team last year. My assistant coach is a lesbian. My son became great friends with her son, and my wife and I have become good friends with his mom and her partner. We played on three teams this year with them and have spent time in each others’ homes. Could I bring them to church? Absolutely not. Most evangelical Christians don't have gay friends. We just have gay stereotypes and we base our beliefs on a few biblical passages, ignoring passages about things that people in the church really struggle with, like food and other addictions. The problem is that the church has only one answer for homosexuality: Don't be gay. Come as you are, but you'd better not be gay. But you can be fat. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter Most Christians believe you should just help your friends to not be gay when, in all honesty, only Christ can do that. I love my lesbian friends. Let’s say I share Christ with them and they accept Jesus - or maybe they already have. Where do they go to church? There is no way I would send them to an evangelical church, because not everyone would treat them the way they should be treated. But if they attend a gay church many Christians look at them as crazy. People will push you to take a stand one way or the other on homosexuality, but no one has ever asked me to take a stand when it comes to fat people. The goal shouldn’t be to change anyone's sexuality. Ultimately, I believe homosexuality gets blown way out of proportion in our churches. If we would all see gays as fellow sinners instead of “others,” there wouldn't be a need for gay outreach, because they would already be incorporated into our community based on a shared need for Christ. God loves gays and Jesus is for them. God loves the fat preacher. Homosexual activity and overeating are both sins - just like speeding, gossip, lying and cheating. I think I did all of those just today. All are forgivable in Christ and, with the leading of the Holy Spirit, can be changed. Just remember that change does not happen overnight. Have you ever seen someone lose 100 pounds overnight? The process takes time. When it comes to the Lord, it’s nothing less than a journey of sanctification. And wherever you are at on that journey, I think there should be a place for you at church. Because there’s probably one in heaven. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Craig Gross. |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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God loves lesbians! Can any xtian show me one verse in the bible that condemns lesbians?
God loves all of his children, gay, straight, fat, or think just as they are.
Well, I suspect this is more of a fetish thing since he has such harsh things to say about dudes having s.ex.
"Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones" Romans 1
You werent aware of that verse?
why do you hate something that you dont know anything about, so much?
@Chad... where does it say that 2 women is unnatural? They could be talking about women and icicles for all you know. My point still remains.
@Chad, I know I've questioned you about this before, assuming you are the same Chad, but where do you get that I hate something? Just curious.
Chad – The verse you quoted from Romans 1 is addressing h e t e r o s e x u a l people who gave up their natural orientation to have s e x with people of the same gender in what Paul calls, "Their search for pleasure." It is not talking about gay people who naturally are attracted to people of the same gender. H o m o s e x u a l i t y is a natural part of human s e x u a l i t y (for verification, check out the APA website).
Even if I'm agnostic, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy different points of view. This right here, if all christians thought like this, this country would be unrecognizable. Most importantly it would be how it was intended to be, not the disgrace it is now full of judgemental people who often don't know half of what they spew out of their hate filled mouths. This guy's point of view, that is how Christianity should be. End of discussion.
@LaVonda,
to whose comment do you direct your observations. It's not at all clear.
cfj003 – The Bible does not condemn h o m o s e x u a l i t y when it is put in historical and cultural context and read using reason, as Jesus did.
Really???? Try reading Romans carefully my friend.....and no, I'm not a hate mongrel as I have a child that's gay. Love them to death, but disagree with their lifestyle
Lynn DeArmond – Paul's letter to the Romans needs to be read in context in order to understand what it is really saying. In Romans 1:21-28, Paul talks about people who refused to acknowledge and glorify God (v. 21), the worshipping of idols (v23), people who were more interested in earthly pursuits than spiritual pursuits (v.25), people who gave up their natural, innate passion for the opposite s e x in search of pleasure (v. 26-27), and people who live lives full of covetousness, malice, envy, and hatred of God (v. 29-31).
H o m o s e x u a l i t y is a natural part of human s e x u a l i t y (for verification, check out the APA website). This reference is talking about h e t e r o s e x u a l people who gave up their natural orientation to have s e x with people of the same gender in what Paul calls, "Their search for pleasure." It is not talking about gay people who naturally are attracted to people of the same gender.
Take Home message: Being gay is a sin, but we can still change gay people with gods help.
haha...
Being gay is not a sin.
Prayer changes things,
You're an idiot!!!
Atheism isn't healthy? Yet... teaching kids that the creator of the entire universe is mad at them because a woman and a man who they have and will never meet ate an apple. By the way, this is the same guy who once killed the entire human population minus one family, turned a woman into salt for looking the wrong way and endorsed genocide. Let's instill fear into our kids, otherwise the guy that loves them will deep fry for eternity... yea that's healthy.
Nihilism. That's what Atheism leads to in the long run. A sad life where you feel no difference of life. Human =Ant basically. I've lived an Atheistic life style for a while, and well, believing nothing truly matters, that all of life is pointless and veg is not healthy. Its depressing. I don't care about what other paths others may take, as for me, I'm glad I've found God, he truly saved my life.
@Leland,
Atheism and Nihilism are not the same and one does not automatically follow from the other.
Yes, Nihilism is sad. It is the forte of precocious, angst-ridden teenagers.
A disbelief in God does not lead to meaninglessness. Morality is evident in the absence of religiousity. It is important to live a moral life. This is where contentment and satisfaction come from.
well that's good... being fat is no longer immoral in the eyes of god
SIDE NOTE:The "Seven Deadly Sins" is Catholic gibberish–like Mary being a perpetual virgin even though Jesus is called her FIRST born, not ONLY born. Compare to John 3:16 where Jesus is God's ONLY BEGOTTEN son–NOTE:if your bible
says "ONLY son" in John 3:16 get a KJV bible–ADAM was ALSO a son of God, but he was not begotten, or born, of a woman–verse Luke 3:38). Furthermore, the bible says Joseph "knew" her after Jesus was born–verse
Matthew 1:25–hence the brothers and sisters of Jesus spoken of in the bible–Matt 12:46-47 & 13:55-56
The King James Bible is highly inaccurate when it comes to the translations from the mostly Greek written Bible. It is easy to understand of course, hence its popularity in the English speaking world. But, if you want to get a better understanding of the Legitimacy of the word of God, you'll have to learn Greek, and or Ancient Greek.
Fifth:It IS repeated several times that Sodomites, fornicators, adulterers, liars etc will NOT go to heaven: Romans 1:22-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21 and Revelation 21:8 to name a few
cfj003 – Paul's letter to the Romans needs to be read in context in order to understand what it is really saying. In Romans 1:21-28, Paul talks about people who refused to acknowledge and glorify God (v. 21), the worshipping of idols (v23), people who were more interested in earthly pursuits than spiritual pursuits (v.25), people who gave up their natural, innate passion for the opposite s e x in search of pleasure (v. 26-27), and people who live lives full of covetousness, malice, envy, and hatred of God (v. 29-31).
H o m o s e x u a l i t y is a natural part of human s e x u a l i t y (for verification, check out the APA website). This reference is talking about h e t e r o s e x u a l people who gave up their natural orientation to have s e x with people of the same gender in what Paul calls, "Their search for pleasure." It is not talking about gay people who naturally are attracted to people of the same gender.
cfj003 – You say that 1 Corinthians 6:9 condemns h o m o s e x u a l i t y. The Scripture says, (King James Version) "9Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
This does not refer to h o m o s e x u a l i t y. It may condemn effeminate men, but there are effeminate straight and gay men just as there are masculine straight and gay men.
cfj003 – Galatians 5:19-21 and Revelation 21:8 say nothing about h o m o s e x u a l i t y.
Fourth: the Apostles learned how to baptize according to Matt 28:19 by Jesus SPECIFICALLY opening their understanding of
repentance and remission of sins: verses Luke 44-47 AND Acts 2:38-39; 8:9-17,37; 10:6,33,42-48; 16:31-33; 19:1-6; 22:16
Third: John 3:3-8 says you have to be born again by water:baptism in the NAME of Jesus and Spirit: filled with the Holy Ghost(initially evidenced by speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance(i.e., not "practiced" "tongues(language)")
Again in Mark 16:16-17 Jesus said believers who are BAPTIZED would be saved and gave the sign/proof of salvation
verses Acts 2:38-39; 8:9-17,37; 10:6,33,42-48; 16:31-33; 19:1-6; 22:16
econd: John 3:18 says that EVERYONE who does not believe on the name of Jesus is ALREADY condemned –that's right–so you don't have to do anything to go to hell
First: NO WHERE in the bible does it say overeating is a sin: I repeat: OVEREATING is NOT a sin–GREED and SELFISHNESS ARE sins. Gay relationships, like fornication or adultery IS a sin. Overeating is NOT a sin. A Catholic Pope made
up the so-called Seven Deadly Sins–but their is NO SUCH THING as the Seven Deadly Sins...However, ALL sin IS deadly
Go read Proverbs. It full of references to gluttony.
Hint, it's not in the new testament, just like the references to gays.
@cfj003
are you there? or are these just 'drive-by' chapters-and-verses?
Again?
what?
Yes, there will be gays in Heaven. Yes, there will be obese people in Heaven (although, since it is only their spirit I am guessing, and not their actual bodies, they will no longer be obese). The only group not ever allowed into Heaven, is blacks. They do not possess souls, so it is physically possible for them to transcend into Heaven. Not to mention all the sins each and every one of them commit on hourly basis.Blacks are cursed from Satan; there never ever really was any hope for blacks.
And you are truly stoooooooopid!
i also heard that all the rapists, child molesters, and sodomites are going to heaven too
airwad999 – Rapists and child molesters harm others. Being gay harms no one. The comparison is not valid.
Mitt Romney won't go to heaven. He believes he will go to planet Kolob when he dies. Look it up.
I thought Kolob was destroyed by the Cylons!
.... (I know they changed the spelling.)
err... do your research more thoroughly, dude-
cuz thats false. might make for a funny post but try to keep it true...
It's easier for a camel to fit through the eye of the needle than it is for a fat gay man ...
Jesus was inspired by that fat, gay Numa Numa guy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCWRurB7VoQ
Does fat people make good gay partners?