Worlds seem to be colliding for myself and others at this critical time.  I have been focusing some study on what the Bible does and does not say regarding unconditional love and tolerance, while at the same time the church puts out a controversial policy regarding same-sex marriage and children in such families.  The timing is either really good, or really bad, depending on your point of view.  In my prayerful study over this issue I felt lead to 1 Cor. 5 which seems to me to have direct parallels to current events.

In this short chapter, Paul speaks of the evil of fornication (a sexual sin), and how the people were ‘puffed up’ and ‘glorified’ in this behavior (tolerant).  Paul’s warning is that these accepting attitudes will become a destroying leaven that will infect the entire lump.  His instruction is to end the fellowship (church discipline) with these unrepentant sinners for a time, in the hopes that they will see the erroneous sinfulness of their actions and return to Christ in the end.

To me the parallels are striking with our current circumstances.  Are the rapidly changing attitudes regarding serious sexual sins becoming a destroying leaven for the church today, and it’s leaders recommending a similar course of action as Paul made?