After a three year absence from the province of Alberta,I arrived back here just as a provincial election was called.And despite a change in the political landscape,in the form of a new political party(The Wildrose Party),it appears to my eyes and ears that the more things change,the more they stay the same.Political conservatives,or perhaps a better term would be the political right, have been in power here for as long as I've lived here and for some decades before that.From time to time the party names may change,but the ultra right wing nature of their thought seems to be as untouched by reason as it ever was.In all honesty,I must say that some of the rhetoric frightens me.

Well,the election has come and gone,and the Conservatives have been re elected.If you listen to all the political pundits,they are the least conservative of the two parties,with the Wild Rose Party being representative of the far right side of the political spectrum.It seems that Alberta conservatives are perceived to have been gradually drifting to the left,hence the legitimacy of The Wild Rose Party.But I'm under no illusions that there is anything remotely leftist about their leanings.Still,I think that we've done well not to elect some of the scarier personalities that have run in this particular election.

Take the Reverend Alan Hunsperger for instance.In a blog from more than a year ago Mr.Hunsperger wrote that homosexuals were bound to spend eternity in a lake of fire.Fast forward to April of this year:Alan Hunsperger finds himself a candidate for election in a South Edmonton riding.And his party leader backs his right to have made the statements he did because they maintain a policy of not silencing their candidates.All the better,I suppose because then I get to hear what it is Alan Hunsperger really thinks.Evidently enough other voters got his message too and decided not to elect him,an event for which we can be truly grateful.

Finally I located a copy of Mr.Hunspergers speech,and I must say that, as a Christian, I have a somewhat different take on the issue of homosexuality.Nevertheless I did not find Mr.Hunspergers blog to be overtly homophobic.His basic take was that it is an error to think that because one is made a certain way,that one can act on that nature without consequence.He further goes on to note that all persons were made a certain way and that if they died that way,that is to say unrepentantly sinful,they would face eternal damnation.I am certainly glad that he made that statement with respect to all sinners,and not a selective few whom some "Christians"have chosen to revile more than others.That way,I don't have to elaborate why the church house gossip is in as much peril of damnation as any homosexual.Understand this Christians,we are all sinners.And while we are all sinners,God chose a means in which we could be reconciled to him.And that means does not exclude homosexuals so far as I can read anywhere in scripture.

Where Mr.Hunspergers statements start to cause me slightly more concern is his mention of people perceiving that because they were born a certain way,they have a "right"to live that way.Specifically what are Mr.Hunspergers views on rights in general and the rights of homosexuals in particular.As far as I know God does not force us to live his way should we chose not to.Though obviously as a Christian I believe that if you die rejecting God,God will ratify that choice for all eternity.My question for Alan Hunsperger, then is,if you were elected,could we expect to see an erosion of rights based on religious belief(yours)?And.of course,how far would that erosion of rights take us?Looking historically at right leaning governments of the past,I'm not extremely confident that you would not impose your own beliefs on those who did not share them.

When I hear the rhetoric of an Alan Hunsperger I wonder how it is that he is able to fulfill his commission to bring souls to the Lord at all.Often I think that we as Christians are so nasty in our approach to homosexuals in particular,that the tendency is to leave a whole group bereft of spiritual guidance.That is a tragedy.It destroys the quality of our witness for Christ when we cause others to stumble.We need to realize that when we encounter other sinners,we may be the only picture of Jesus that that person ever gets to see.For me,the beginning of all things Christian is in John 3:16."For God So loved the World..."While hell may very well be real,there is no point preaching it dogmatically unless you also preach Gods love,grace and mercy that provide the opportunity to avoid such torment.

I will not deny that God says something very definitive about the practice of homosexuality(as opposed to the "being"homosexual.But I do not know the condition of anyone's soul,and with respect,neither does Alan Hunsperger.That being the case I'm prepared to let God be God,and not allow the divisive issue of homosexuality to move me from what He has asked me to do-preach the Gospel,love my neighbors,value justice and mercy and walk humbly with God,among a multitude of other things.Mr.Hunsperger,will you stand with me?