no, I don't want to have sex with you!

A dear friend of mine has canceled Bible study today. Why? To protect our reputations.
Aparantly his mother and friend are not home, so there is no one to chill at his house, and he cannot have me over his house when no one is around - you know, because of undeniable sexual appeal, and all.

When I tried to explain to him that I would not be tempted to have sex with him, he explained that he used to feel that way too. We're close friends, we've known eachother forever....what harm could possibly come from us being together, alone? He spoke to his pastor, though, who explained that he cannot afford to be in a position where it looks like something naughty might have gone down, because then people will think he is a dirty sinner, and will not listen to what he says about God, becasue they will say 'How can you tell me about God, you dirty sinner?'

There are so many things wrong with that argument, though. So many things! So, I will list them:

1. We are all sinners, 'saved' or not (yes, I am going to use Baptist termenology, because he is a Baptist). So, if I am worried about people using my past as an excuse to not listen to me, I can pretty much count on never being able to spread the word. Because, seriously? I have a rough past. I don't know anyone who doesn't have a few black marks. God isn't about black marks - God is about forgiveness. Even when you have a relationship with God, you still need forgiveness, almost constantly, because you will continue to sin. So why the hell are we worried about people thinking something bad happened, when there are so many bad things that actually have happened, or will happen?

2. Didn't Jesus hang out with a prostitute? Practicing or not, I'm sure there was a lot of speculation there. Even if he always kept another man present, I'm sure there was still speculation - sex isn't always between two people, gross as that is. Obviously, reputation can't be that important - the people who are open to it are the ones who will believe, and the ones who will judge your message based on what you may or may not have done in your basement with me during a Bible study are the ones who would have found an excuse to not believe you anyway.

3. He used to be a druggie, and everyone knows that. I mean, a serious, serious druggie, like almost-died-druggie. Isn't that bad for his reputation, too?

So, yeah.