Called Out

So I have been called out about my blog yesterday. I was told by someone whom I love and respect (No, not my wife!) that the important point in the story (you can see it at: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/28/court-university-expel-student-opposes-homosexuality/ ) is not that the courts and school insisted on the student having different morals, but that she had refused to counsel homosexual students, which she was required to do in compliance with ACA ethics code. First, let me say that I still maintain that, as Christians, we need to know going in what will be required of us in a job and, if we cannot abide by those rules, not take the job or position rather than take the job and then refuse to do what we were told we would have to up front. And I definitely see the point made that to refuse to counsel someone because of their sexual orientation is wrong. My question in this case (and I don't have enough information at this point to know the answer) is whether she would have been required to affirm the lifestyle of the gay students she would have been counseling. Would that be analogous to requiring a counselor to affirm the correctness of a decision to seek an abortion and help the person not to feel guilty as they do so? Now this question itself probably betrays a lack of understanding of the counseling profession as it stands today. So it may be that my comments on this issue are uninformed, and, as such, out of place. If so, I apologize. And I certainly do not want to be perceived as being opposed to psychology, psychiatry or counseling - I refer people to counselors and firmly believe in the place of both godly and psychological counseling. Both have their place and the Christian should avail her or himself of them as necessary, just as we would any other professional. But the overall warning I sounded yesterday I stand by. While it may be that this case was narrowly decided, i.e. that she violated her agreement to counsel any and all, I do believe that in the popular mind this is more a matter of gay rights and the continued insistence that society must agree that the gay lifestyle is as moral as any other, and that Christians may be increasingly marginalized if we refuse to agree with the changing moral standards of our society. That is not surprising. My point yesterday was that Christians may find there is a financial cost to adhering to our beliefs. Are we willing to pay it? There is so much more I could say - and probably will. But that is enough for now. God bless!

Pastor Ken