AIDS is typically viewed as a ‘gay disease’ or ‘promiscuous disease’. In Christianity, both of these are viewed as sinful lifestyles. So, the simple Christian response is that we shouldn’t worry about those people with AIDS because it was their sinful lifestyle that got them into the situation, right? Wrong.
Pretend for a moment that you are rushing after work to your child’s baseball game. On the way to the game, you run a red light and hit another car in the intersection. You have serious injuries and are in a great deal of pain. But wait, you ran a red light. And that was wrong, right? So no one should help you. No one should show compassion on you. You made a wrong decision and these are your consequences. Do you agree with that?
The AIDS crisis is killing millions and destroying families. Think of the women who are infected by their unfaithful husbands. The children infected because of a mother that was infected. They’ve done nothing wrong. Even think of the unfaithful husband who contracts the disease. Did Jesus tell us to walk away from him and leave him in pain and suffering because of his sin? No.
In fact, didn’t Jesus regularly eat with sinners? Didn’t He tell us to love people unconditionally? Didn’t He tell us to care for the poor and the weak?
So why are we walking away from the AIDS crisis? Why are Christians abandoning our brothers and sisters? Why are we deciding that it’s our role to judge?
If you’re interested in this topic, check out “The Hole In Our Gospel” by Rich Stearns. He makes a very compelling argument for the response Christians should have to this issue.
