Issuing a general invitation through a front page story in the Times Observer (Jan. 13), I attended the presentation called “Examining LGBTQIA+ Scripture: A Conversation on Inclusion and Understanding” at a local church given by a pastor.

The pastor justifying LGBTQIA sexual relationships and behaviors claimed the early chapters of Genesis regarding marriage between a man and woman were about nation-building for Israel. He failed to point out how Genesis 1-3 is about God initiating a rescue plan to save human beings from sin following the disobedience of Adam eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

The marriage arrangement to the pastor seemed to be merely for Israel’s nation building and not about the order of creation designed for humanity at large.

Going to other passages about same-sex relationships, he mentioned how the Old Testament portrays both same-sex intercourse and wearing clothing with mixed fabrics as abominations. (FYI, “abomination” does not appear in Deuteronomy 22: 11 for wearing mixed fabrics, like it plainly appears regarding sexual sin in Leviticus 18: 22.) He chalked them up to being Israelite holiness codes not applicable to our day. He failed to mention how the Jewish clothing code does not appear in the New Testament and claimed the moral prohibitions against same-sex intercourse in the New Testament refer only to temple prostitution.

The presentation went deeper than mere morality. It revealed a theology. The pastor let the “cat out of the bag” when he confessed to being a Universalist. For a Universalist, it matters not what a person believes and does because God saves everyone on the planet. Naturally a logical question was asked, “Does that include Hitler? He said, “Yes, because Jesus died for everyone.”

That’s a half-truth. Just because Jesus died sufficiently for all does not mean he died efficiently for all. If there is no faith in what Jesus did for all, then there is no salvation at all. We are saved through faith alone in Christ alone.

For the universalist pastor, you are saved with or without faith in Christ. It makes faith and sin moot points in the end because Jesus saves everyone no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you are on the broad road that leads to destruction or the narrow road that leads to life; you are saved anyway. That’s playing with eternal fire, toying with sin and subverting the gospel.

On a powerpoint slide, a cross was shown in the colors of the Pride flag as a backdrop. That cross did not communicate the forgiveness of sin as it did the affirmation of sin. Such a cross differs from the cross of Christ. There are not two crosses in Christianity. The true one forgives, not affirms, sin.

Here’s the point in making the link between theology and morality. Morality follows theology and a cockeyed view of morals often stems from a defective view of Scripture and a contaminated form of dogma.

The Rev. Mel McGinnis is a Frewsburg resident.