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A recent discussion about the movie “Brokeback Mountain” on the Sixshooter Community Forum sparked a bit of thought on my part. Why the hostility? Why the unchristian attitudes shown by many? Of course, it’s always easy to point out “unchristian” attitudes in those who might think or react differently than one does, but still it’s not hard to spot when there is name calling and open hostility towards those who are blatant sinners. Somehow I can not picture Jesus Himself using the type of language that many who claim to follow Him do when it comes to folks who are obvious sinners. So, why the hostility?

I believe that the main reason is due to the natural fear we have of those who are different. I’ve experienced this all my life. As an American citizen raised in Brazil I faced a lot of the same hostility by folks who “didn’t like americanos”. They did not know me personally, but because of my national origin and my country’s propensity for intrusive international policy, I paid the price and bore the brunt of their distrust. And during the few times we were in the US I faced the same hostility since I didn’t have the same outlook as other did on life. To a lot of kids in highschool I was different because I took care of my school issued books which had been paid for by the taxes of hardworking US citizens. I carried a briefcase and returned the books in the same condition I received them in rather than toting them around in a “book bag” and letting them get crunched and torn. Another sore point with folks who’s ancestors arrived in the US as slaves was that I didn’t care what anyone’s skin color was. I tried to be polite and civil to everyone. Many couldn’t handle this. I was different and so didn’t fit in and became a target for certain folks around me.

You see, we as humans have a hard time separating the sin from the sinner. We identify folks according to certain criteria of our own, criteria that is often based on “justifiable reasons” but which rarely take into account that we are all sinners that must be saved through faith in and obedience to Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. We categorize folks according to our own pet hierarchy of sins. He tells “white lies” so he’s a GREAT GUY!. He looks at pictures of semi naked women but HE’S A WONDERFUL HUSBAND. He drinks wine with his supper if he’s not going out later that evening, so HE’S A DREADFUL SINNER. He has allowed himself to be conditioned to respond sexually to people of his own gender so HE’S AN UNREDEEMABLE, UNSPEAKABLE SINNER. The funny thing is that the above mentioned behaviors are all sins but one according to the Bible. The Bible clearly states that satan is the father of lies – no matter what “color” they are. To look with lust upon a woman (or even a picture of one) is the same as adultery and adulterers will NOT be in the Kingdom of Heaven. Homosexuality is condemned in the New Testament as well as in the Old. Interestingly enough, in spite of ardent proponents of Prohibition, the Bible does not condemn the consumption of limited amounts of wine. And yet folks view the above according to their own preferences, practices and interpretations along with the same type of treatment of other sins – real or imagined.

All this leads to an atmosphere in which people react with hostility towards groups who are an apparent threat to them in some way. Jesus Himself embraced sinners. He never condoned their wrong behavior. In fact He would tell them to “go and sin no more”. His greatest condemnation fell upon the religious folk of His day. For their self righteous condemnatory behavior.

Does this mean we should embrace the antibiblical lifestyles which our modern world condones? No! But neither should we have such a prickly attitude towards the sinner! We are called to “go and make disciples of all nations.” But our attitude often gives no reason to others to want to be like us – because we have to often fallen far short of the image of Christ. Loving the sinner does not mean loving the sin. And we can not pick and choose which sins are “white” or “black”, we must learn to identify sin in our own lives and eradicate it with the help of the Holy Spirit. In the meanwhile we should be calling all men everywhere to repent – even as we ourselves are doing – and to allow the Son of God to regenerate them through His love. Jesus accepted sinners, but never condoned their sin. We should follow in His example.

Yes, it is natural to fear that which is “different” or “strange”. But is not even Jesus the Christ far different from us? Of COURSE He is! We should not be hostile to Him. We should allow Him free entry into our hearts and minds. And when we do this, He will help us to overcome the fear of “those who are different” and to reach out to them in His Love and to extend to them the opportunity to also be redeemed by His Blood.