9/2/10
Russell Moore, dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said during a weekend conference that Christians hold a double-standard when it comes to sins not directly present in their churches. “It is very, very easy for you to get ‘amens’ and applause by standing up and denouncing sins that are not immediately present in your own congregation…Look at the difference between the way conservative evangelical churches in America speak to the issue of divorce and the issue of homosexuality,” remarked Moore, as reported by The Associated Baptist Press. “We have far more out-of-the-closet divorcees than out-of-the-closet homosexuals in our congregations, at least that we know about, and the out-of-the-closet divorcees are the ones who are tithing and paying bills, and so we speak to them in a very different way than we speak to others on the outside. That is a scandal.” He added, “The reason we say we do that is because divorced people are hurting and they need grace and mercy,” he said. “Of course! Do you not think homosexuals need grace and mercy?”
Editor’s Note: What do you think? Have you observed evangelical churches holding a double-standard when it comes to sin? How should church leaders deal with this issue?
