Letters to the Editor

There Is No Longer Gay or Straight?

The cover of the July 19, 1993, issue clearly identifies the gay-rights activists as the creators of a climate of hate. The testimony of a marine officer who is the father of a gay son indicated clearly that there was so much hatred of gays in the military that he feared for his son’s life if accepted in the military. The hatred is clearly on all sides.

Stanton L. Jones’s article, “The Loving Opposition,” is less biased than your cover, but does not define what “the high view of Scripture” is that he holds. Is human slavery justified in “the high view of Scripture”?

If slavery has been superseded by grace, cannot also rejection of homosexuality (which may be as much a matter of birth as the color of our skin)? Is it really impossible that Galatians 3:28 (“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female: for all of you are one in Christ Jesus”) could also refer to gays and lesbians?

B. David Hostetter

Wolcott, N.Y.

I have just finished reading the July 19, 1993, articles regarding homosexuality. As a former homosexual, it greatly distresses me that no one seems to be proclaiming the fundamental message of the gospel—freedom from sin! Christ died to set us free from the bondage of sin, so why are we arguing the interpretation of biblical passages pertaining to the wrongness of homosexuality when we should be focusing on the Scriptures in which God promises to set us free from sin, whatever form it may take?

My heart is heavily burdened for those still struggling with homosexuality, because I know they can be free from that bondage, and God knows they can be free.

Name withheld

Your articles and editorials about homosexuality were a wonderful combination of uncompromising biblical doctrine, sound ethics, factual information, and Christlike compassion. You have advocated compassion for individuals faced with agonizing temptations, yet you have rejected the selfish, destructive agenda of the militant and unrepentant self-appointed homosexual “leaders.” I only wish the leadership of my own denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), would employ the clear-headed and Christ-centered thinking displayed in these articles.

My only complaint concerns your failure to examine the persecution of the churches in communities where militant gays have gained the upper hand. It would have been illuminating for you to have written a companion piece about Chuck and Donna McIlhenny’s church under siege in San Francisco.

Kent H. Karmeier

Kansas City, Mo.

Your very clear article on the homosexual issue let the main point slip by. The initial paragraph describing “Tom,” who had compulsive drives for anonymous sex and for seduction of teenagers, said it all. All of the other case histories warranted the “Loving Opposition” stance, but Tom’s problem is the reason strong public and legal opposition to the “gay lifestyle” is essential.

The main reason the gay community seeks public approbation rather than privacy is to facilitate promiscuity and recruitment. Masters and Johnson in Homosexuality in Perspective reported that every self-declared homosexual they interviewed in depth admitted to actively seeking to introduce others to the activity.

We should not hesitate to point out to those for whom the Bible is meaningless or modifiable that the “gay lifestyle” as it is currently practiced is a threat to individuals and society for simple sanitary reasons.

Telling the truth about the physical and emotional dangers of participation in the gay lifestyle is also a loving act, even if gays call it hate mongering.

P. M. Webster, M.D., F.R.C.P.C.

Toronto, Ont., Canada

Why the incredible moral outrage and spirited defense against this one particular sin? I think I can name two reasons (neither particularly attractive).

1. It is a sin most of us will never be tempted with.

2. Homosexuals are a minority, and disapproval is widespread—which makes them an easy target.

I believe in the words of the Bible and the power of Christ, who can change lives when they are voluntarily turned over to him. In the meantime, it is the church’s job to love people and do good to them whether or not they choose God’s gifts. So, come on, church! Get over your fear and get used to living in a secular world—with love.

Faith Totten

Spokane, Wash.

Stanton L. Jones claims that gay apologists must deny or grossly misinterpret the Bible to prove that homosexuality is acceptable.

Gay and lesbian Christians do neither when we believe exactly what John Calvin believed about the molesters in Sodom. When we believe what Martin Luther believed about 1 Corinthians 6:9, do we “mistinterpret the texts”? We even agree with Jerry Falwell regarding 1 Timothy 1:9–10 (Fundamentalist Journal, October, 1991).

Did Walter Martin get it wrong when he agrees with us about Moses’ moral laws in The Kingdom of the Cults?

The above “hostile witnesses,” like the rest of the church, have diverse reasons for condemning homosexuality. The Christian world has no consensus as to which verses do and which verses do not condemn us. Until God’s people develop a consensus regarding hermaphrodites, transexuals, divorce, and birth control, how will they ever come up with one answer concerning homosexuality?

Paul R. Johnson

Pomona, Calif.

Scripture Sip Language

A guest speaker at our church recently apologized for his tardiness by quipping, “My directions got a little turned around, and of course you know that only ‘an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign.’ ”

His good-natured abuse of Matthew 12:39 sent my mind wondering if there weren’t other verses that could be good for an obviously out-of-context chuckle. Imagine posting small signs all over the church building with verses like these:

1 Chronicles 11:9 in the janitor’s closet: “So David waxed greater and greater; for the Lord was with him.”

Isaiah 55:2 in the kitchen or fellowship hall: “… eat ·ye that which is good and let your soul delight itself in fatness.”

1 Kings 18:27 on the pastor’s door when he’s out: “Cry aloud, … either he is talking or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awakened.”

1 Corinthians 15:51 on the door of the.church nursery: “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”

And finally, 2 Chronicles 18:7, dare I say it, on the front of the pulpit? “There is yet one man, by whom we may inquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil …”

I guess these “out-of-context signs” could start to get out of hand. Maybe that guest speaker was right about what kind of people seek after a sign.

Caesar’s coins

Contrary to Jerry Falwell’s charge (“Is Liberty Losing Freedom by Playing Virginia’s Tune?” News, July 19), Americans United holds no hostility toward evangelical Christians. We challenged state tax aid to Liberty University because it violated the constitutional principle of church-state separation. In the past year, we have also challenged government subsidies for schools affiliated with Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Judaism, and the Transcendental Meditation movement.

We did so not because we oppose religious education, but because such public assistance violates the right of taxpayers to support only the churches and church schools of their choice. Government aid, as the Liberty U. incident amply illustrates, also jeopardizes the integrity of the recipient institutions through government regulation.

Falwell clearly has compromised the Christian character of Liberty University in an effort to retain public funding. When state education officials questioned the religious content of an “Old Time Gospel Hour” advertisement for Liberty, the content of the ad was dramatically changed.

This episode illustrates the dangers inherent in any program of state aid to religious institutions. Once church schools become dependent on government largess, the temptation is great to surrender religious distinctives in order to keep Caesar’s coins flowing into their coffers.

To paraphrase Matthew 16:26: For what has a church school profited if it gain the whole world and lose its own soul?

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn

Americans United for Separation of Church and State Silver Spring, Md.

Modernity close to home

I appreciate the soul-searching of thoughtful conservative authors like David Wells in Roger Olson’s book review entitled “The End of Theology?” [July 19].

Regardless of whether evangelical theology has succumbed to modernity or postmodernity in the erosion of “absolute, objective truth,” it still remains popular to blame mainline churches and theology for the Christian woes of American society. I find it refreshing to read that authors in CT and reviewers like Roger Olson are admitting that modernity and postmodernity are trends that impact all theologies—including conservative evangelical theology.

Rev. David Coffin

Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA)

Malinta, Ohio

Roger Olson’s review of No Place for Truth distracts readers from Wells’s thesis by focusing on intramural hair-splitting (is the enemy modernity or postmodernity?) and by dubiously claiming that Wells must only be interested in “Puritan, Calvinist” theology since he ignores recently published evangelical books on theology.

But Olson misses the point. Wells does note these new works, but the problem is that they, along with traditional works, are being ignored by pastors and laypersons alike because of the contemporary focus on feelings, success, and church growth.

The Rev. Scott Hoezee

Second Christian Reformed Church

Fremont, Mich.

Chill!

I would like to commend Charles Colson [“Sweet Reason and Holy Outrage,” July 19] for urging evangelical Christians to “cool the incendiary rhetoric” in discussions of social and political issues. I have been dismayed at the caricatures some Christians have employed in debates with those who disagree with them.

We all need to practice, to borrow Richard Mouw’s phrase, “convicted civility,” with each other. Only then will the kingdom be advanced.

Kathryn A. Lee

Eastern College

St. Davids, Pa.

Still going!

The book review “Half-full Christianity” [June 21] was half-full regarding Norman Vincent Peale. The last paragraph not only tries to say too much, it is inaccurate.

Dr. Peale preached at Marble Collegiate Church until he was 84. He did not “devote most of his time [after age 84!] to motivational speaking.”

My wife and I recently returned from a four-day conference of 420 ministers and spouses (evangelicals, mostly) in a School of Practical Christianity, which emphasizes preaching, working with volunteers, etc. Several thousand ministers have attended these seminars, which are deeply spiritual and inspirational. This is what Dr. Peale, now into his 90s, has been doing in retirement.

Tyler Johnson,

pastor First Presbyterian Church

Newport, R.I.

Devastating conclusions

As a survivor of satanic ritual abuse (SRA), I’m glad you labeled your conclusions “provisional” [“Memories of Satanic Ritual Abuse,” June 21]. Your conclusions were disappointing, to say the least—devastating would probably be more accurate.

You give very little attention to the most convincing argument in favor of the truth of SRA: the corroboration of the stories of many people, unknown to one another, from many different locations and backgrounds. You dismiss it as the result of invention by experts who share the same educational networks and the same stories. But what about the survivors? How many survivors are party to that network?

I can only speak for myself, but I was not particularly familiar with the topic of SRA when my memories began to return. I have purposely done very little reading about SRA so as not to plant any false memories. My therapist, like any good therapist, avoids leading questions and is very careful not to give me information that I don’t already have. When I come up with a memory, he goes to great (and sometimes frustrating) lengths not to mold or interpret the memory in any way. One day, when he asked me a key question that helped a memory to unfold, I asked him how he knew to ask that particular question. His profound reply was, “Evil is not very creative.”

You concluded that “satanic panic can harm marriages and churches.” True. So can Satanism. So can ignoring Satanism when it is present. Anything that is a lie will bring harm. But there doesn’t have to be panic; there can be a compassionate response and a joining in the quest for truth.

My husband is joining me in that quest, and my marriage is better than ever as the truth of my growing-up years is coming to light.

Please urge your readers to join the survivors of SRA in their quest for truth, without a preconceived notion of what that truth is.

Name withheld

This article grossly underestimates the cunning and pervasive influence of Satan “in his world.” While I do not wish panic to prevail, there is an abundance of evidence that something of this nature is occurring in this country and throughout the world.

Just as the Christian communitity for years kept its head buried in the sand concerning sexual abuse in its own ranks, so it seems there are those bent on repeating this pattern of response when it comes to recognizing and dealing with the reality of satanic ritual abuse.

Having been involved in group therapy with other victims of this type of abuse, I have seen the devastation that satanic and ritual abuse has had on their lives. To discount its pervasiveness seems to be a gross disservice to the Christian community. Evil is evil and stems from Satan through the hands of man.

Tom C. Szuszitsky, pastor

Fence Lake Community

Christian Church

Fence Lake, N. Mex.

I was saddened by the article on SRA because it is another “win” for the Satanists and their god. We know from a police investigator that the FBI does have evidence of SRA. We have seen some of his videos and photos that give evidence.

I want to share what we have personally witnessed: In 1989 God brought into our home a 27-year-old SRA survivor with multiple personality disorder (MPD). My husband and I had never heard of MPD or SRA, but we were willing to reach out to this troubled person, and we have now adopted her as our daughter. In the last three-and-one-half years, we have heard the memories of family and ritual abuse and have watched her relive the memories. None of us who hung in with her put any suggestions in her mind; we didn’t even know anything to suggest! The memories came as the Holy Spirit directed the healing process.

As she turned from Satan to the Lord Jesus Christ, the pieces of her life came together. And the more she talked, the more the satanists threatened her. There have been and continue to be phone calls, personal abuse, and attempts on her life. We have witnessed many miracles of God’s protection.

The opinions of the experts do not shake us. We know what we have seen and experienced. Unfortunately, there are people in high places who cover up the evidence. It is truly a battle not against “flesh and blood,” but against “principalities and powers.” I hope the church of Jesus Christ wakes up and helps these victims who have nowhere to go for true help except to the church.

Susan Weber

Irwin, Ohio

I knew it would be hard to leave the satanic cult I was abused and raised in, but I didn’t know it would be as hard as it has been. Perhaps even more painful than the demonic affliction and the efforts of Satanists to destroy me has been the unbelief of Christians. I thought when I came to the church that I would find a place of healing and safety. The church nearly destroyed me.

If it had not been for my new family and a few people in the church, I would not be alive today. I know two former cult members who were killed because they left Satanism and became Christians. Their church did not believe the threats on their lives. I am glad that the support from my church is growing through the months. Those of us who come out from Satanism risk our lives. Your article will make it even harder for us to get help.

Zy Weber

Irwin, Ohio

Your recent article on satanic ritual abuse did very little either to prepare the church for properly responding to the needs of SRA victims or to encourage those victims to come out and get help from the body of Christ.

It offends me that the church asks people to prove they were abused. Does the church or even the state require emotionally, physically, or sexually abused children to “prove” they were molested before intervening?

The only proof that the church will get (or should need) is the dysfunction and damage evident in the lives of people who are suffering from posttraumatic stress—depression, addictions, flashbacks, and multiple personalities.

No psychotherapist has the responsibility to provide forensic proof. As badly as some victims and therapists may want validation of their memories, a search for details and “facts” surrounding past abuse is secondary to therapeutically working through the effects of the trauma. So also for the church; redemptively loving the victim back to spiritual and mental health takes priority over scouring the distant past for “proof.”

Kim Campbell

Tulsa, Okla.

It takes surprisingly little for vulnerable, hurting persons to be led into the belief that they were abused in a concrete way at some time in their past. A catch-all statement from a therapist (e.g., “You have all the symptoms of an early sexual trauma”) can lead to the development of “memories” and accusations of general abuses, sexual abuse, and SRA. A wounded person is then victimized by this “therapy.”

Deception never heals. It destroys the victims of this kind of misleading therapy, as well as the victims of the false accusations. When family members are among the falsely accused, “therapeutic truth” also destroys the family support system needed for complete healing. I have witnessed the destruction of a family based solely on this brand of “truth.”

Michele Johnson

Eagle River, Wisc.

Can somebody say Amen?

Re: “The City that Wouldn’t Say ‘Amen’ ” (July 19). If Christians would transfer the time they spend trying to inject prayer into government events to prayer for their public officials, we might get more of the just and honorable government we say we desire.

Donald P. Shoemaker

Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches

Seal Beach, Calif.

Clarification

The June 21 news article “Overseas Ministries Step Up Fight Against U.S. Ills” reported that World Relief has nearly doubled the percentage of its total budget devoted to U.S. programs from 23 percent in 1987 to 46 percent last year. Those figures mostly represent refugee-resettlement rather than aid to indigenous poor. World Relief aid to nonrefugees in the U.S. remains less than 1 percent of its budget. CT regrets any misunderstanding.

Letters are welcome. If intended for publication, they must include a signature and address. Letters may be edited for space and clarity. Write to Eutychus, CHRISTIANITY TODAY, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

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