Here it is. I guess they don't arachive the wekly emails.

Andy's E-mail from February 2, 2005
My Dear Friends,
I'm just sitting here watching the rain fall outside my window, aggravated that I haven't been able to ride my motorcycle for two weeks. But I do have a recently acquired grande triple extra hot mocha (no whipped), and I've got my keyboard right in front of me, so all is not lost! Let me just take a sip here. . .thanks. . .and we'll get started!

It's exciting to be around IBC in these days. There is a definite sense that God is leading us as a church to make some waves for His Kingdom in this world. That's the part that sounds good and that everyone can get on board
for-taking the love of Christ across the street and around the world! But the devil, as they say, is in the details. And though it's extremely comfortable to sign on verbally to the Great Commission, it can be extremely uncomfortable to commit to the actions necessary to fulfill it.

Last Sunday, IBC Director of Spiritual Discovery Marc Harrienger preached amessage on "stepping out of the box" as a church. Bottom line, he challenged us to follow the New Testament pattern of engaging in radical prayer and authentic worship, engaging with lost people in the world where they are, and then anticipating God's transformational work in their lives. It's that second step that challenges me, because I find it's far more comfortable in the church box than in the real world of hurt where most folks live. Don't
you?

I think that a major source of that discomfort for many of us Christ-followers is the fear that reaching out to lost people requires compromising our convictions.

In last Sunday's paper, Chris Vognar wrote an
article about Shelby Knox, an 18-year old college sophomore at UT Austin whose story is being told in a new documentary film recently premiered at Sundance called "The Education of Shelby Knox." Long story short, it's the account of this girl's transformation from conservative Southern Baptist who took the "True Love Waits" pledge into liberal Christian activist who
volunteers for Planned Parenthood, agitates for comprehensive sex education in schools, and champions gay rights. What's she thinking, you ask? "I accept everyone. I don't think there's one right answer." ("A Liberal
Christian in Conservative Lubbock", DMN, Jan 30, '05).

Now don't be too quick to roll your eyes. I have to tell you, I admire Shelby for several reasons. One, she does think for herself. Though herfamily is very conservative, she hasn't blindly signed on to the party line.
And even though they're at odds in their convictions, they still love one another and have a great relationship (which also says a lot of positive things about mom and dad!). Two, she isn't in the box, hermetically sealed
from the problems people without Jesus face. Hear her heart. "The people around me were getting sexually transmitted diseases. Young girls were getting pregnant. I heard all the myths about the ways you can get pregnant,
and I realized there was no education." In other words, she was in relationship with real people with real problems, not insulated in a bubble. And three, her heart responded to these concerns with compassion. "I believe
most Christians are loving, caring and tolerant. They believe in civil liberties and civil rights."

That's all good in my book. That's all admirable. My problem is with what seems to be Shelby's tacit assumption that to show genuine compassion for those hurt by sin requires Christians to drop biblical definitions of sin.
She seems to feel that caring for those struggling with premarital sex and homosexuality necessitates a lowering of the biblical standard with respect to those activities. Thus her statement, "I don't think there's one right
answer."

Those of us who believe the Bible is God's word and that it does give us "the right answer" when it comes to lifestyle and values issues see that and get spooked. We think "slippery slope", and wonder as we try to get out of
the box and minister in the world if that means eventually jettisoning our faith in the veracity of the scripture. We fear that showing compassion for sinners means condoning the sins (even though we're all sinners, and don't
condone our own sins!). So fearful are we of going down that road that weretreat back into the safety of the box.


A much better model is one we talked about last Sunday. In John 8, Jesus was confronted with a bunch of morally fastidious Pharisees who gleefully threw at His feet a woman caught in the act of adultery. They felt that they weremorally and scripturally justified in stoning her for her sin, but Jesus humiliated them with the challenge that the one without sin should cast the first stone. Deprived of their option to kill this woman, those Pharisees
could think of nothing else to do but abandon her. But Jesus strikes the balance that I think we should all strive to attain. He neither condemned nor abandoned her. He ministered to her. That means speaking truth in love.
"Go and sin no more." That's truth. "Neither do I condemn you." That's love.

Without diminishing the God's righteous standards, Jesus showed grace and love. As His representatives, isn't that our job too?

Maybe Shelby is off base in essentially saying nly, "Neither do I condemn you." But aren't we "in the box believers" off base in essentially saying only, "Go and sin no more"? What IBC needs to be about in these days is
saying BOTH. At the end of Marc's message last Sunday, we showed the video interviews of two people who are not believers in Jesus. One of them was openly gay. The point of the video was to help us all understand how those
outside the faith tend to view those of us inside the church. We wanted to challenge the believers at IBC to ask themselves if they are living the "real" Christian life that truly challenge and ministers to those who are still searching.

But several of you are also wondering about the proper balance between compassion and conviction, between reaching out in ministry and adhering to
biblical morality. If that's you, welcome to the struggle! It's a more complex issue than meets the eye, and if you're truly engaging with what it means to be Jesus' representatives in this hurting world of sin,
congratulations! There are no easy answers. But I thought I would spur your thinking by ending with a real letter I wrote to a real person who was inquiring about IBC's stance toward the gay lifestyle.


-----------------------------------------


Dear ___________,

I am so pleased that you plan to check out IBC this Sunday! It's my privilege as pastor of this great church to welcome you to worship the Lord
Jesus with us.

I really love the spirit of honesty in your letter, ___________. You were careful to let me know that you are in a gay relationship, and that as a result you've had a hard time finding acceptance in Texas churches. I don't
want to be presumptuous, but I sensed that you were indirectly asking me a very important question in your note. I'd define that question as, "Will my partner and I be loved unconditionally at IBC through the church's
affirmation of our gay lifestyle?"

___________, your honest and forthright approach is refreshing, and deserves an equally honest and forthright response. To the question I think I hear you asking, here's my answer. You and your partner will absolutely be loved
unconditionally by the people of IBC, because IBC has the conviction that all people are loved unconditionally by God. How could we not extend what we have so graciously received?

On the other hand, our understanding of God's unconditional love is not that it means anything goes. The Bible teaches that all of us are sinners, and though God always loves us, He hates our sin and calls us to repentance and holiness. The Bible is clear that homosexual practices are unwelcome to God.
We are a Bible church, and as the scriptures would never affirm a gay relationship as good and acceptable to God, neither would we.

So how can I say you all are welcome to come to IBC and would be loved here? Simple. All of us have our issues. Nobody is perfect. We're all just sinners saved by God's grace, seeking to live our lives more and more like
Jesus. No, we don't affirm homosexual practice here. But neither do we affirm adultery, gossip, lying, gluttony, or any other of a multitude of sins many hundreds of our people walk through these doors with every week.
We're not in the business of condoning what God calls sin and enabling people to feel good about violating God's standards. But neither are we in
the business of scorning and rejecting wounded people who sincerely want to find and walk with God. We are in the business of declaring the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and the enablement He gives to grow and to change according to God's will.

In other words, we believe God says to all people: "I invite you to come to me just as you are, because I love you. But don't expect to stay as you are, for I want to transform you more and more to be like my Son Jesus." That's why we believe God wants our church to be a grace-giving community that
accepts people where they're at while challenging them to grow in holiness.

As a result, we have lots of groups of people meeting to study the Bible and to hold each other accountable to putting sin aside and going ahead with the
Lord. We also have special, discreet groups of people who meet to help each other overcome drug and alcohol addictions, pornography, post abortion
syndrome, and a host of other issues which include homosexual practice as well. In short, our mission is not to condemn, but to teach God's truth and
to help.

___________, thanks for letting me know where you're coming from. Now that you know where we're coming from, I hope I still get the chance to meet you this Sunday.

May God's Grace Sustain and Bless You,
Pastor Andrew McQuitty
Irving Bible Church