Skutt Catholic Got It Right
Skutt Catholic High School recently decided not to renew the teaching contract for one of its teachers. While this is not an uncommon situation this time of year across the nation, Skutt’s decision has caught the attention of the LGBT community, because the teacher in this case is a homosexual. One LGBT supporter penned a letter on the subject, but I thought I would put a Catholic perspective on her views, since she is trying to call Catholic teachings into question. So below is her letter with my responses to each paragraph in bold type.
Mr. Matthew Eledge has been an English teacher and speech coach at Skutt Catholic since 2010. Since then, he has created a legacy. Not only has he changed students’ lives in the classroom, but he has also made Skutt a premier school for speech competition. Under his leadership, the students have won five consecutive conference and district titles and capped another successful year with its fourth straight state championship this past March. Unfortunately, this legacy will be coming to an end. Mr. Eledge is being fired from Skutt Catholic for being in a gay relationship.
Actually, he’s not being fired. In Nebraska, teachers are employed through an annual contract renewal. The school is not obligated to renew a teacher’s contract for any upcoming term. Because, Kacie Hughes’ statement begins with inaccuracy, we should not expect the remainder of her opinion to hold closely to the truth either. It does not matter whether he has created a legacy or whether he has won awards for the speech program if he openly undermines the core values and teachings of his employer. No employer will tolerate an employee who openly and consistently undermines the vision, mission statement and/or objective of the employer. For instance, the Human Rights Campaign would fire me as soon as I spoke out about the health risks of homosexual behavior and the wisdom and goodness of traditional marriage, especially when it comes to healthy children.
In December of 2014, Matt and his partner, Elliot Dougherty, made the decision to get engaged. He went to the administration to let them know, and they told him he would not be invited to teach next year. Furthermore, if he told students, he would be fired immediately.
If Mr. Eledge handled his decision in this way, it shows integrity. He was up front about it and didn’t simply do something and wait to see if his employer would somehow learn about it from another source. It also shows integrity on the part of the Skutt administration. They were also honest with Mr. Eledge and did not surprise him with any non-renewal. This gave him plenty of time to look for job openings in other schools. It also gave him the ability to examine his conscience and decide between teaching in a Catholic school or living a life which is in direct contradiction to Catholic teachings.
A living example of what it means to be a SkyHawk, Mr. Eledge has spent hundreds of hours striving to make sure that the students at Skutt have an incredible high school experience. He soars above the rest in accolades, talent, and character for Skutt Catholic. After months of contemplation, Mr. Eledge discussed the idea of postponing the wedding so he could come back to Skutt Catholic. He was then informed that he must end his relationship with Elliot.
Mr. Eledge may be the best teacher at Skutt High, I have no way of knowing. However, due to Ms. Hughes’ earlier liberties with the truth, I would take her opinion lightly. I suspect Skutt has many highly skilled and dedicated teachers and it is difficult to compare the skill of an algebra teacher to the skill of a speech coach. However, given Mr. Eledge’s success with the speech team, I’m confident he would be a highly sought employee for any school system that did not have a consistent teaching over the last 2000 years, which says his lifestyle choice is contrary to Christ’s teachings. Since Christ is God, we Catholics put extremely significant confidence in Him.
Ms. Hughes adds that Mr. Eledge was informed that he must end his relationship with his partner. She doesn’t explain how or from whom this information was delivered, so it seems to hang out there in mid-air. Unfortunately, Skutt cannot legally comment on what went on in their discussions with Eledge. I suggest that he was given an option though. I presume that someone within Skutt’s administration explained the health risks of homosexual behavior and that there were programs that he could explore in order to avoid a lifestyle that offers loneliness, sadness, depression, sickness, untimely death, cancer and experiences a high rate of domestic abuse, alcoholism, promiscuity, drug use and regret. Sounds hateful, doesn’t it? Asking someone to make a difficult but courageous decision instead of an easy but harmful decision? Actually, if these were the actions of Skutt, they are Christlike. To condone Mr. Eledge’s choice is the ultimate hatred because it encourages him to enter into a lifestyle that will lead to some or many of these really awful experiences and outcomes.
A core belief at Skutt Catholic is to inspire “moral and ethical leadership by not only educating, but also requiring students to provide service to, embrace diversity within, and seek justice for their communities and the marginalized in our society”. As parents, former teachers, alumni, and individuals who support the Skutt Catholic community: we demand the administration embrace diversity and stand up for justice by not discriminating against a teacher that has inspired hundreds of students and future leaders in the community.
Ms. Hughes misses THE core belief at Skutt, which is belief in Jesus Christ, but besides that, what Ms. Hughes is saying, and what the others who misunderstand Christianity are saying by signing their ill-conceived petition, is that belief, faith and Christ’s own teachings, mean nothing. All we need in life is to make sure people are happy today and when tomorrow comes, we will reassess and make whatever changes need to be made to see if we can keep them happy for another day. Political correctness is the golden rule today. Do not judge the behavior or decisions of any other person, that way, nobody can judge your decisions or behavior. This way, no feelings get bruised. Isn’t that convenient?
Ms. Hughes overlooks the fact that we must all be mindful of the behavior of those around us and especially around our children. I want help from others when my behavior is not healthy or beneficial. And I certainly want people to help my children make the best decisions for their own good. That is why some parents send their child to a Catholic school. This is especially common among Catholic parents. Many Catholic parents know and understand that the Catholic Church has always taught that homosexual behavior is contrary to Christ’s teachings, in conflict with about 4,000 years of Jewish and Christian belief and results in very negative consequences for those who live an active homosexual lifestyle, which include the risks I mentioned earlier and above all, the possibility of eternal damnation. Mind you, I’m mixing the secular negatives with the religious beliefs of the Catholic Church here. Don’t get all fired up and make the mistake of labeling me as a Bible-thumping fanatic (even if I am one). The reason I’m referring to the Bible and other religious based facts is because the employer in this situation is CATHOLIC. If the employer were a pizzeria, I’d just stick with the non-religious arguments, which are more than sufficient. But here, the Catholic perspective is important because many of the families involved are Catholic and many of them (if they properly understand their faith), expect the Catholic school to use the Catholic Catechism, Catholic theology and Catholic social teachings in educating and forming the Catholic students of these Catholic parents.
“Aha!” You say. “Not all the parents or students are Catholic!” You are probably right. But every parent and student in the Skutt system is fully aware that the school is Catholic, so they too should relax and let Skutt be Catholic. If Skutt’s Catholicism is offensive to enough people, it will shrink or close. But I don’t think that is going to happen.
When Mr. Eledge, or any other teacher, becomes engaged, what they do in their private life is between themselves and God. Not for us to assume or judge. Furthermore, if they fire Mr. Eledge for engaging in a same-sex relationship, they must avoid discrimination. They will need to fire any single teacher who is living with their partner or engaging in sexual activity, any divorced person who has remarried without an annulment, or any married couple using contraceptives.
These are good points. I would hope that the teachers at all Catholic schools adhere, to the best of their ability, to all Christian teachings just like the rest of us should do. If any teacher is known to be living in contradiction to the teachings of the Catholic Church, they should be given the opportunity change their way of life, return to full communion with the Church or choose to continue on a path that they have freely chosen, just like Mr. Eledge was. Of course in such a case, the school would have every right to part ways with that teacher as well. In Mr. Eledge’s case, he has been very forthcoming with his decision to live in open and obvious contradiction with the Church. I’m confident that he’s not surprised by the fact that he will not be working at Skutt next year, especially since he was informed of that consequence several months before he made his final decision known.
We believe Mr. Eledge should not be fired because of his sexual orientation. We must take action and demand equality for a great teacher, a successful coach, and an even better human being.
I agree that Mr. Eledge should not be fired because of his sexual orientation. I even agree that the school should not decline to give him a new contract for the upcoming school year, based on his sexual orientation. But this isn’t about Mr. Eledge’s sexual orientation. This is about his decision to act on his desires, which he knows to be in direct conflict with the teachings, message and goals of his employer. Nobody is condemning Mr. Eledge. There is a big difference between judging behaviors, actions and choices and condemning a person. This is because we can’t see what is on a person’s heart. We cannot really judge another person, but a person certainly can condemn himself or herself. A person condemns himself or herself by rejecting God.
This is a distinction Christians understand, but it is not recognized by critics of Christianity. I have been condemned as a bigot, a hater and a buffoon, by many supporters of the LGBT community. But I have not once labeled anyone, nor have I condemned any person in such a way. As Christians, we must always remember that the person is to be loved and respected. And as a society, we must always remember that a person should not be condemned for his or her belief or apparent unbelief in Christ.
If you disagree with me on this, you are probably thinking, “even the Pope said he wasn’t going to judge homosexuals”. With the proper context, I agree with Pope Francis when he said, “If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?” The context is that the fictional person in Pope Francis’ phrase was searching for the Lord and had good will. Because of this, the Pope could not judge, condemn or reject the person. But Mr. Eledge does not appear to be seeking the Lord when he chooses to enter into a same-sex relationship. Therefore, Pope Francis would correctly judge Mr. Eledge’s decision and make the same decision Skutt High made.
The fact is; everybody including Catholic school teachers, have desires, attractions and inclinations that if acted upon would be contrary to Christ’s teachings. In other words, we all have temptations and we all make mistakes. But it is wrong to fire someone because they are attracted to women other than their wife. It is wrong to fire someone simply because they suffer from alcoholism. It is wrong to fire someone because they are tempted to bend accounting laws in order to pay lower taxes. These are all attractions, temptations and feelings, which many people have to suppress in order to live honestly and in accord with truth. Even if a person fails and falls for one of these temptations, it may not be grounds for termination. If a teacher cheats on his or her spouse, but regrets the decision and makes every effort to avoid it again and pursue holiness once again, he or she should be forgiven and given a 2nd chance. If a teacher is caught shoplifting, but makes every effort to avoid shoplifting again and maybe even returns the property or pays for it, he or she should be given a second chance.
But Mr. Eledge has not simply fallen to a temptation, he has chosen a lifestyle that embraces the temptation. In fact, he has chosen to keep violating the teachings of his employer without any effort to turn back and try to live a life that is consistent with Catholic teachings. This is an example to the students, and it is an example that cannot be allowed within any school that wishes to be known as a Christian school. Our society criticizes professional athletes who act in a way that “sets a bad example” for our youth. But the same society is supposed to turn a blind eye when the person setting the bad example is a trained educator who works with our child more closely in most cases than we do as parents? That is a double standard and we need to realize that our high school teachers usually have more influence on our child’s life than the point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers.
This petition is just another example of the intolerance of the LGBT agenda, the progressives, the liberals and all the others who stand for hypocrisy. They all preach acceptance and tolerance, but they themselves go on an aggressive attack when someone has the courage to simply disagree with them. The LGBT community is ruled by loud and aggressive activists who engage in blatant tactics designed to strike fear in anyone who dares to disagree with them. They are not bothered by things like facts, truth or reason. The LGBT activists simply want you to accept and celebrate their agenda, regardless of the consequences, regardless of the truth and without any respect for your personal belief. To them, anything less than total acceptance is unacceptable.
Here is my advice for those who wish to criticize the Catholic Church or any Catholic School who does not hire a person who does not have any interest in respecting Catholic teaching or who chooses to openly live a lifestyle that is in direct contradiction with Catholic teaching: If you are not Catholic, study up and respect what you learn. If you are Catholic, study up and respect what you learn. Great books to start with are the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. But don’t stop there. Read reports on the medical risks of homosexual behavior. Do not just read those reports which seem to suggest homosexual behavior is awesome. Read even those studies and reports that talk about the high rate of rectal cancer among men who have sex with men. Read the reports which show that the rate of domestic violence is much higher in homosexual relationships than in heterosexual relationships. Read the studies that show that same-sex relationships are shorter, involve more infidelity and end in separation or divorce much more frequently than traditional marriages. After that, engage your intellect and see what make sense. Does is make sense that some in the LGBT community claim that same-sex marriage is the answer to the current decline in marriage and family in the U.S? Does it make sense that some in the LGBT community define commitment to include open relationships when those of us in traditional marriage define commitment to mean monogamy? I could go on, but if you make the effort to truly examine this issue, you will see that the Catholic Church is right and has been right for nearly 2000 years. It is the culture which is going off the rails.
As a gay man and as an alum of Skutt Catholic, I have to say that YES, Skutt Catholic is merely following Catholic Doctrine and did the right thing. One must be able to look at situations with logic and common sense and have an open mind to differing opinions.
Yes, Ms. Hughes definitely left out some key points and took several liberties in her petition without checking facts — something that I thought someone involved with Forensics would be well-versed in.
At the end of the day, Skutt Catholic is a wonderful institution — and it is important to acknowledge that every institution has flaws (there is no “perfect” institution — it’s just the way things are). This was not done in a malicious way to anyone and I think this is an excellent conversation to have — especially since as of late the theology department seems to gloss over the discussion of homosexuality in general — which is an injustice if we are going to talk about injustices…people need to be educated in doctrine and research and then form an opinion. Reactions that are emotional and impulsive are often inaccurate and ineffective.
Many adults on both ends of the spectrum are reacting with HATE and it is counterproductive and unbecoming of them.
I do hope that this creates a dialogue and perhaps the fact that the world is not black and white…things are more gray if anything and you must use logic, common sense, and an open mind to form an educated opinion.
Thank you for setting the record straight and for doing the right thing….”Thy” will be done” not society’s will.
Very well said. I was raised a Catholic, and although I now belong to an evangelical Christian Church, I understand the importance of this letter. The importance of standing by your faith, the word of God who is Jesus.
Thank you! So well explained. Do hope all read your entire blog and be open to the facts.
Well said
Simply the best response ever .
I’m copying this and putting it on file.
Omg absolutely inspired by God.
Well put! It is amazing to me that students & parents are SHOCKED and OFFENDED that Skutt is being faithful to Catholic teaching.
In my opinion, every Skutt student who signed this petition should be expelled…period.
Again….let’s make this perfectly clear…the problem IS NOT that he’s gay – the same-sex marriage issue is the problem.
I agree with Dave, the problem is not that he is gay. The problem is that he publicly makes known his intent to continue that lifestyle. Skutt would probably continue his employment were he to remain single, however; since it is apparent his new marriage interferes with the foundations of his employers philosophies, they have no alternative other than to set the example and continue their foundations and principles. The students need to accept this, and for those who signed the petition? They need disciplined and taught why he was not renewed, instead of expelled. It is apparent their parents believe in Catholic education and need to continue their teachings so they are well grounded adults and not just flow with society.
As a parent of a Skutt student I have struggled to properly address the topic with my child. When the petition was initiated and the students were rallying behind their educator based upon Ms Hughes slant on the reasons why Mr Eledge did not have his contract renewed my child was vocal and signed the on-line petition. After several discussions it became apparent that what Ms Hughes was attempting to accomplish with her petition had been successful. The facts were omitted and the LGBT agenda was effectively being promoted. As Catholics and Christians we are challenged to live as morally and godly as possible, I accept that Mr Eledge intended to be honest with the administration and truly has shown to be a positive influence on students during his employment with Skutt. However he must also understand that the church does not condone homosexual behavior and he was in violation of the Skutt principles. I applaud Father Jim for talking with the students yesterday,understanding the emotional feelings they were having and allowing them to vent their frustration. For the individual who believes the students who signed the petition should be expelled, let me simply state These are young impressionable minds who fell prey to the LGBT agenda and it is up to us as parents to educate our children in the teachings of the church. Punishing children for expressing themselves is not the answer, use this time and events as a educational opportunity to reinforce our core beliefs.
Good points anonymous. The students who signed the petition are exactly where they need to be: In a school which will teach them the truth. They don’t deserve discipline, much less, being expelled. They deserve the truth and help to see that the LGBT agenda is nothing but a huge lie, wrapped up in a non-threatening package. It sounds like one of the priests at Skutt, Fr. Jim, has done what a true pastor should and would do in this situation. My hope is that it becomes a consistent and regular part of the education of all Catholic students because it is a very difficult issue for young people (and many old people like me) to understand. I wonder if Fr. Jim will do the same with the parents and the rest of the staff. I would make the assistant speech coach’s attendance mandatory.
Mr. Sullivan, thank you for this brilliantly written analysis.
This would be great if whomever ran Skutt’s social media accounts were as explanatory as this post. See, when ANYONE mentioned @SkuttCatholic on twitter the other day, regardless of the tone of tweet, they were blocked. ANY mention. I can imagine their FB went along the same lines.
Married to a teacher, I also get the year to year contract base too. And Skutt is free to do whatever they wish. However, for every 1 teacher that comes hoping to get a job now, 10-12 will not even apply due to the knowledge that their personal life, regardless of teaching acumen, will be as equal or more determinating their employment.
Thank you for deleting my comment. You are all delusional. I’m sure you have good hearts/intentions, but the fact of the matter is that 50 years from now you will be viewed in a terribly negative light.
I have not deleted your comment, but I have not approved it. This is because you did not adhere to the rules of the website. Emotional arguments, dishonesty and error will not be promoted on my website. I suggest you take another crack at commenting on my blog, but this time, avoid using logical fallacy, flawed assumptions and personal attack. If you can engage in an honest and courteous discussion, you will be amazed at the benefits.
I attempted to post a comment a few days ago. The comment was neither an emotional argument/attack nor was it in error or anyway dishonest. In fact, I took your exact wording and altered each mention of the LGBT community to say religious extremists, but it too was not “approved” to be on your blog. I wasn’t motivated by emotion nor was my comment intended as an attack. Rather, I thought I would showcase how easy it can be to point fingers and show disapproval of something that is different or “untraditional.”
I read through your comment and noticed the familiar wording. Touché. I considered approval, but something didn’t sit right. I checked it against my blog and found that you did not stick to exact wording. You could not resist the urge to insert the word “extremists” to your comment, when you changed LGBT to read Religious. In doing so, you fell into the tiresome, but familiar progressive practice of using logical fallacy to try and dishonestly achieve persuasion. If I had described the LGBT or progressives as being extremists (something I intentionally avoided in my blog), I would have had no problem with your comment. But as it is, you only used some of my words changing one descriptive word but adding an inaccurate word. As you know, words matter. I’d be happy to dialogue with you if you care to approach the discussion honestly.
Bob,
Thank you for bringing this forth for discussion. A much needed viewpoint from those living in the faith. Although, I did not have the opportunity to read all of what ‘undisclosed entity’ of “It’s 2015 said…” I would like to address this blanketing generalization-style claim about all being delusional.
I guess I am challenging the definition of what is really meant by ‘delusional.’ So, I turned to the dictionary to get a start. This is what I found: a couple of definitions. 1) having false or unrealistic beliefs or opinions. 2) In Psychiatry: maintaining fixed false beliefs even when confronted with facts, usually as a result of mental illness: (Example: “He was so delusional and paranoid that he thought everybody was conspiring against him.”)
Hmmm, I ponder, what is it about these posted opinions that seem so delusional?
In the simplest terms, here is my gist of what this whole topic is presenting. A person becomes a welcomed member of an organization that has a certain set of rules and expectations. Said person becomes very successful within this organization. Said person goes directly against set of rules and expectations. Said person, because of publically going against rules and expectations of this organization, is no longer offered the privilege to be a representative of the rules and expectations of the organization, regardless of success. Doesn’t seem delusional to me. It happens in corporate America quite frequently.
Emotionally and conveniently reacting to an assumed topic of agenda-filled change of perception by attacking a time honored institution of perpetuating faith members, appears to be a little closer to these presented definitions. So, I am going to accept that maybe there is a different definition of the term, of which I am unaware.
So, I question myself. How do I feel about this whole decision? And, all I can come up with, is that it has nothing to do with me personally in regard to my own faith walk. However, it does have something to do with how others may view my affiliation through a faith community.
It is tough to accept the idea that a person can state a “fact” about a future set of community opinion 50 years from now, so I will disregard that comment. Plus, a negative viewpoint is only a perception based on unwillingness to accept another way of thinking about it. Regardless of what year it is (2015 or otherwise), this is nothing new to the Catholic faith. It has always been there, and it will always be there. Yet, our faith remains.
So, I encourage those of faithful opinion, to continue to challenge these generalized, false accusations meant to satisfy personal, emotional reaction in order to sway those who are searching for their own direction. More people living in the faith are challenged to be more vocal in defense of what you believe; because silence is what continues to give the naysayers the loudest voice. Silence is effective only when the meaning behind it is understood. I have a tendency to believe that people in general want to hear what followers of the faith have to say about any challenging topic, because they are uncertain themselves of how it should effect their own opinion.
Do we surge forth with direction by promoting the wisdom of the ages, or do we set our sails to be pushed around by the current ways of the blowing wind?
It is hard enough for an LGBT high schooler as it is. They are constantly reminded that a small part of their lives goes against societal norms, and this is particularly true in a Catholic school where a number of students don’t “approve” of homosexual behavior. Firing (and yes, not renewing a contract for a teacher who has done nothing but help the school is the same as firing in my opinion) a teacher for marrying a person whom they love sends the message to gay students at Skutt, which I am positive that there are at least a few, that their own school does not accept them. These are high schoolers. It is one of the hardest times in one’s life in terms of feeling a sense of belonging, and Skutt is now making that harder for some of their students. That is my opinion, but I found your blog post interesting and I respect your opinion as well, Bob.
Hello Ben. Thanks for your comment. Here are my thoughts in response to your statement.
If an LGBT student is attending a Catholic school and advocating in favor of homosexual behavior, they are not just going against societal norms, they are going against Christ’s teachings. Of the two, Christ’s teachings are the most significant because Christ’s teachings don’t change, whereas societal norms can change over time. However, they must be treated with respect at all times. Of course that is a two-way street. Sometimes we fail to treat others with respect and honor their dignity because we expect them to treat us poorly. We must all treat each other with kindness and respect, and understand that this does not mean the approval or celebration of the views and beliefs of the other.
Skutt’s alternative to the nonrenewal of Mr. Eledge’s contract was to turn a blind eye to behavior which Mr. Eledge’s contract prohibited. In other words, Skutt could have reacted with hypocrisy. But we all know that hypocrisy kills faith and Skutt, being a Catholic School, is highly interested in fostering the Christian faith of its students. And you are right in saying that high school is a difficult time for a person’s life. But one of the things that makes life difficult is not having a dependable, consistent and clear foundation to one’s life. Catholicism provides the most dependable, consistent and clear foundation of any religion in the world. If Skutt were to suddenly decide to tolerate the LGBT lifestyle within its walls, by the very people who are supposed to help form the students, it would be a pure act of hypocrisy.
Any Skutt student who disagrees with the decision regarding Mr. Eledge should continue to ask questions with an open mind and an open heart. We must all resist the urge to ask questions in search of only those answers they want (rejecting those they don’t like). Finally we must resist bickering and criticizing as though the information being offered is automatically flawed because it is provided by someone who disagrees with our views. I think the tone of your comment is in keeping with these criteria. Such discussion can be very fruitful.
I believe that anyone who approaches this issue with the intent of learning and understanding it, will do just that. This will lead them to the Catholic Church because the Church’s position is the only position based in truth. For some, it is a very unpleasant, challenging or inconvenient truth, but it is truth nonetheless, and everything else falls short.
I wrote a fairly lengthy comment that, in my opinion, was not in error and contained no fallacies. Nor was it an emotional appeal. Can you tell me why it was not approved?
I actually considered your comment in the follow-up blog, Who Am I To Judge. Maybe your comments or questions would be more suited to the specifics of that blog.
But in answer to your question, I did not approve your initial comment because it was rife with error and had several arguments that were based on the straw man fallacy, equivocation, ad hominem, presumption and a general error in your reasoning. For instance, I provide studies, reports and information as to the increased rate of cancer, depression, suicide and other health problems in the LGBT community, and you say, “I think you could find heterosexual couples that experience loneliness, sadness, depression, cancer (because gay people get cancer more often?), domestic abuse, etc. I would be interested in seeing studies from a group WITHOUT AN AGENDA that says that gay couples experience these in staggeringly higher numbers.” You fail to comprehend that I’m not saying homosexuality is bad because homosexuals experience loneliness, sadness, depression, etc… I suspect that you believe that any group that takes the position that same-sex marriage is bad for society, has an agenda. Such a presumption is… presumptuous. But beyond that, I’m saying the INCREASED rate (staggering or not) of these conditions in the LGBT community is an indicator that the human mind and the human body is not compatible with homosexual behavior. This brings us back to the fact that God created us male and female and when Jesus was questioned about marriage in Matthew 19, he referred to the very beginning. But again, I address this in my other blog.
In addition to your inability to recognize and accept that men who have sex with men are up to 20 times more likely to be diagnosed with rectal cancer, indicates that you have little interest in the truth and that such facts are merely something to be explained away or ignored.
You then go on to disingenuously suggest that we should not condone heterosexual marriage because marriages between one man and one woman can lead some experience divorce, domestic violence, infidelity, etc… Thomas: You need to avoid presumption and the straw man fallacy. Same-sex relationships have a HIGHER rate of domestic violence, failure, infidelity, etc…
I suggest you continue reading with an open mind and with an intent to seek truth, not merely to find nuggets which justify what you want to be true.
Thank you for a well written explanation of what happened with the Skutt teacher. I appreciated what you had to say to those who feel that the teachings of the Lord Jesus can be thrown aside for society’s pet project. When St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians he spoke to those who has practiced the homosexual lifestyle and were now following the teachings of Jesus. They were saved from the outcome of living a life that was less than what God the Father had planned for them. Jesus calls us to repent and turn away from all sin, lying and cheating and gossip to name just a few. Homosexuality is in that same list. I am certain not many would argue that is is okay to repent of cheating our brother out of his belongings and admit it is wrong. Why then does the homosexual have a such a hard time with accepting the forgiveness and restoration that Jesus offers, repent and change, as the Lord Jesus said to the woman at the well who was an admitted adulteress, “Go and sin no more!” He called out to her. Her change affected an entire township as I recall. Oh, to have those caught in homosexuality hear those words of Jesus and obey, yes whole townships would change to see the miracle that our great God performs when HE heals and restores the one who obeys his Word.