The articles concerning "liberals" and "evangelicals" ("Why the Evangelical Church Needs the Liberal Church," by Richard Mouw, and "Why the Liberal Church Needs the Evangelical Church," by Barbara Wheeler, February 2004) had many good points. But when Mouw states that "the church is not some voluntary arrangement that we can abandon just because we do not happen to like some of the other people in the group," or "God requires that we hang in there with each other, even if that goes against our natural inclinations," he is missing a major point. The issue is not "not liking other people" - far from it. The issue is whether the whole counsel of God's word, when taken with full scholarship and objectivity, means what it says.
We care enough about all people to help those in error, realizing fully that we are all sinners in need of his grace. But even Christ said, "Go and sin no more." To continue in a lifestyle often destructive and clearly against the will of God is not compatible with fellowship with Christ. So concerning the Episcopal Church's ordination of a practicing homosexual, they "left" us; we did not leave them. Our "natural inclination" is to accept it, to go with the flow of culture, to avoid persecution such as is happening in Canada. I, for one, can love with Christ's love the person, but not the sin.
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