A couple of people have sent me an email concerning a new GLBT resort in the works for our area. (GLBT = Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender). The information looks credible. You can see a web site promoting it here. NOTE that it contains some images that may offend, though none that are explicit. The email says that the chosen site is somewhere on the other side of the bridge from Ladd Landing, so that puts it near our youth minister John Pryor. 
Interestingly, the Employment link on the web site states that the owners have “a belief in God” and that worship services will be part of the program, and even hints that prospective employees should be like-minded on this.
The email calls this resort “a threat” and urges everyone to sign a petition (and pass it around at church too) and attend meetings of the Planning Commission and County Commission to try to get this stopped.
I realize that the Bible calls homosexual behavior sinful. But to tell you the truth, I’d be very disappointed in the people of Morrison Hill if we can’t do better than pass around petitions and march on government meetings to assert rights that we supposedly surrendered for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How can we love our enemies or our neighbors or the people sitting next to us at church (any of whom may be tempted by homosexuality) by telling them to stay the heck out of our county?
Even though I speak like this, dear friends, I am confident of better things in your case. I have confidence that the Christians I know can come up with ten better responses to this situation, responses that lift up Christ in all the fullness of his grace and truth.
So, how about it? Tell us your best ideas (or whatever you think) in the comments.
UPDATE: Here’s a story in the Roane County News about the resort.
UPDATE 2: I received an email from the developer of the planned resort last night (addressed to “Dear Pastor”) in which he says that “Rosebud is not going to be a gay, nudist, resort of any kind, but that any mature adult 18 and over, no matter what their race, religion, color, sex, or life style, will be welcome there.” I visited the web site again, and now it contains none of the pictures that I previously warned you about, nor any reference to clothing being optional, nor alternate lifestyles. Sounds like a quick marketing switch to me!
UPDATE 3: The Knoxville News Sentinel now has a story on this, along with a string of interesting comments .
8 responses so far ↓
1 john // May 7, 2008 at 9:36 am
Dennis,
As much as homosexuality disgusts me, it’s the act and not the people that make me feel this way! I have to say I had a hatred for people who practiced this, a long time ago, but after meeting some and later becoming really good friends, I realized I was wrong again. I’m not saying that we should welcome this resort into our area, but we should reach out to them, invite individuals to different events, and show them love that they’ve been lacking their entire life! We should definitely welcome them into our church!! I’m not sure about outreach ideas, but I really liked what you had to say in this blog! I think a petition passed in our church would be wrong, and really degrade what we’re trying to accomplish at MHCC!
Nce Blog!
2 Josh Stevenson // May 8, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I’ve been reading “What’s so Amazing About Grace?” by Phillip Yancey (one of your favs I understand). He is so good at describing the perspective of his friends who practice homosexuality and how our usual message come across to them. It is amazing to realize that we can gracefully reject their practice but still show them love. Not to say that this isn’t pretty complicated at times. The problem with doing that is that many are so tied to the homosexual “identity” that they cannot receive anything but full acceptance.
I do think, however, that there are many who would be very willing to be welcomed as they are, without prerequisites, as Christ welcomes everyone else. None of us are able to put away our own sin before we approach a perfect God. Neither can a gay man or woman. Grace by it’s very definition is unmerited. By initially imposing a requisite moral standard before we interact with someone in any type of sin, we negate the reality of Grace and how we were justified by God.
Just some thoughts.
3 Mike Mowrer // May 9, 2008 at 11:20 am
Dennis,
Linda and I have had some lengthy discussion about the GLBT Resort and a Christian response to it. This is not a homosexual issue. I do not believe that we would have any trouble deciding on whether a strip club, porn shop, nudist colony or a house of prostitution should come to Kingston without opposition. It is unlikely that local Christians would influence visitors to any of these businesses but the businesses can have a definite negative influence on the community. Since the GLBT Resort is promoting an immoral and ungodly lifestyle, how could we not oppose it as a group? We can’t be so determined to show our love (and lack of intolerance) to “alternate lifestyle” people that we allow them to promote it without opposition.
This approach should never prevent us from treating with Christian love, the non-Christian individual living in a homosexual lifestyle or the unmarried neighbor couple. Loving a non-Christian is dramatically different than allowing the unchallenged commercial promotion of lifestyles that are in conflict with our principles. The Church is called to be “salt” and “light”.
4 Josh Stevenson // May 9, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Good point Mike. There is a difference between being welcoming to a homosexual as an individual and addressing a group as a whole. Hence the complication in trying to reach them as a person because many do not seperate their homosexuality from the rest of the things that identify them.
I would think that with zoning issues there would be serious obstacles already in place to overcome for a business like that could even come about. I doubt very seriously that it a petition would do any more than current zoning laws already prevent.
5 Brian Kaldenbach // May 11, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Reading this thread I was distressed until reading Mike’s post. As Christians, how can we sit back and NOT take a stand? We are called to be salt and light and passively allowing a community like this move into our backyard, like it or not, implies concurrence and support. The gay ‘community’ is aggressive in pushing their lifestyle and that is NOT healthy for our community. Period. Homosexuality (along with other sinful behavior) is spreading like cancer in our country and we must be salt and light and not hide behind the speck and log parable. Maybe we should do a better job at opposing sinful additions to our community.
If we oppose and lose, then we go the loving path expressed in this thread.
6 John Van Gundy // May 13, 2008 at 8:36 am
We should, as Christians, all agree that we are to love the sinner but hate the sin. I agree with Mike that we should take a pro-active stance on this issue. Public opposition towards proposed GLBT resort need not be directed toward the perspective customers of this business but rather, toward the business itself. I can’t see anything good that could possibly come from a business that makes money by providing an environment that promotes the GLBT lifestle. Are we not condoning the homosexual lifestyle if chose to take a passive stance and disengage ourselfs from this issue?
7 Dennis Mullen // May 13, 2008 at 8:49 am
What I’m hoping to see here are better, active, Christian ways to oppose something like this AND active, Christian ways to talk about hot-button issues like this with our neighbors and co-workers. If the sum total of our response is to ignore the issue until it hits close to home and then organize a petition drive, our hate for the sin is obvious, but how can we say we love the sinner? Love is not our fall-back position after power has failed us. It is the ACTIVE way we’re supposed to stand against evil every day.
BTW, we had a good discussion on this on Sunday night.
8 Sam // May 18, 2008 at 2:17 am
Dennis, it’s intriguing that you share this on your blog. I thank you for that. When you’re sitting knee to knee with Jesus I wonder what he says about this whole thing. Its difficult to put in context since in Jesus’ day we Christians did not have “public meeting” influence nor did we sit on the city council or planning commission.
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