How Does Former Gay NFL Player, Michael Sam "Homophobia in the Black Community" Comment Affects The Church

How Does Former Gay NFL Player, Michael Sam "Homophobia in the Black Community" Comment Affects The Church

Y'all remember Micheal Sam, right? Sam is the first publicly gay player to be drafted in the NFL by the St. Louis Rams of the NFL in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft. Soon after he came out  the closet, The Rams cut him at the end of training camp.

Word on the street is that, Sam opened up and discussed his feelings about being a gay black man to a magazine. His comments were basically stating the prejudices he still encounters off the field. But what we want to concentrate on is Sam comment on ‘homophobia in the black community’ and how (we believe) it affects the black church.

 Sam comment on ‘homophobia in the black community’: "I can only go by my experience and the people I’ve been around. I think it’s more accepting, actually. There are a lot of black, openly gay people. A lot of people have gay friends, cousins, brothers, sisters… They have at least one openly gay person, at least it’s more accepting, that’s my experience. People tell me they have family members who are gay and it doesn’t freak them out and no black person ever freaked out at me, ‘oh you’re gay’. None. There are people who are over religious who go, ‘oh, you’re a fag, you’re going to hell.’ That’s everywhere. Ted Cruz is pretty much anti-gay.

How do we respond to this, Saints? Per Micheal Sam, are there a lot of black openly gay people in our families? Are we accepting the gay lifestyle in our families and black churches?

 First off, any child of God will not accept the 'gay lifestyle' of a family member and called themselves saved. Homosexuality affects the church when it's not dealt with. It affects the church when, the pastor struggles with loving his wife as God loves the church and fantasizing about being with another man in secret. It affects the church when, the wife of the pastor secretly has a sexual relationship with another woman. It affects the church when the choir director "struts his stuff "deliberately in the pastor's, deacons, and musician's face because he knows he can get away with it. It affects the church when a son/daughter grows up in the church and the parents spots the "perversion spirit" in the child, but they refuses to correct that spirit and put a stop to it immediately.

It may affect the church, but it doesn't end there...

The Bible teaches how Christians should respond to the gay lifestyle. Don't condone it; no matter how much we may love our family members and want to see them happy, real love is bringing them to a saving relationship with Jesus, not encouraging a sinful lifestyle. And yes, by any means we will vote against it. As Saints of the Most High, we recognize what's really going on; our fight is not against flesh and blood, and if we expect the world to see things from a biblical point of view (John 15:18-19), we're just going to get a concussion from banging our heads against the wall. Battle for hearts, not causes; love is characterized by both truth and kindness, and it will take both to lead others to the relationship that saves.

As Saints of God we will also pray for those caught in homosexuality. Be kind (1 Corinthians 13:4). Show Jesus' love (Ephesians 4:15). Bring them to a saving faith in Christ. Being lead by the Holy Spirit on how to confront (Galatians 6:1). Don't be hateful; don't be a bully. Live in that place where Jesus loves and kneels down and provides healing and then says, "Go and sin no more." It is loving to be kind and patient, but it is also loving to encourage someone toward holiness.

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