Resist all Urges

(published in the Feb 12^th, 1995 Dallas Morning News)

I was interested in Steve Blow's Feb. 5 column on men resisting homosexual urges. As a fundamentalist Southern Baptist and Promise Keeper, I fall into the group accused by some as being "homophobic.” The truth is most Christians condemn adultery and other immoral behaviors just as strongly as we do homosexual conduct.

As the four men in the column relate, we are all prey to sinful urges, which are to be resisted. The strength required to be successful in these struggles comes not from ourselves but from God. Further, one cannot accept mankind's judgment as to what behavior is abhorred and which is to be embraced. Just because some people have homosexual urges does not legitimize homosexuality; nor do we legitimize racism because the Ku Klux Klan endorses it: God's Word says they are wrong.

Similarly, Promise Keepers' magazine New Man published statistics showing about a tenth of our clergy "use" pornography. These men must recognize this as sinful behavior and work against it just as the Christian men in Mr. Blow's column are doing. We must help each other fight our sinful inclinations, we all have them.

This is what God calls his children to do: turn from the world's standards and turn toward God's; helping one another, not tearing each other apart. We should not condemn people who are struggling against their sin: We all are sinners and have no basis to do so. God calls us to hate the sin and love the sinner. It's not possible to do on our own; we need Christ in our lives.

STUART L. BROGDEN,

Corinth

P.S. I have since learned that God does not call His children sinners – so I now know I am not a sinner, as stated above, but a saint who sins. I have a new identity in Christ that is not based on my behavior. It’s a reflection of my birth

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