Just when I thought I had it, they went and changed it. “LGBT,” of course, is an acronym for “Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender,” representing the gay rights movement. They have since expanded the acronym to “LGBTQIP,” which means: “Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning Intersexed/Intersexual Pansexual/Polysexual etc.” And all I can say is … wow. I wasn’t prepared for that.
I had the privilege of working my way through Michael Brown’s A Queer Thing Happened to America: And what a long, strange trip it’s been. He successfully provides a history of the homosexual (and other sexual orientations) movement in America. He explains the birth of the movement, their goals, what they have accomplished, and concludes by offering thoughts on how we, as Christians, ought to respond.
To my homosexual friends, before I continue I wanted to speak to you for a moment. I want to be clear about a few things because I know how emotionally charged this issue can be. First, I am a Christian, which means that I believe homosexuality is sinful. It is sinful because the Lord says so in the Bible and He has defined the way in which human sexuality is to be expressed. Second, I am, however, opposed to any violence or persecution done towards the homosexual community. There is no excuse for the mistreatment of any human being, regardless of their sexuality. We are all equal in value because we are all made in the image of the triune God. Thirdly, though we may disagree, I would hope for the opportunity to have a civil conversation about these important subjects because of the great impact it has on Western Civilization.
Brown’s work has had a tremendous impact on my life already, and I would urge you to read the book if you have time to do so. It is, at times, full of historical and statistical information – which can be a bit dry at times – but very useful. I am not an alarmist, and do not want to sound like one (Michael Brown mentions more than once in his book that he doesn’t either). But the factual information in this book is helpful in understanding where our culture is at when it comes to homosexuality.
If you’ve been in the workforce over the past decade (as I have) you have noticed a monumental shift in people’s attitude towards homosexuality. Our culture shifted from awkwardness to passiveness to rabid support. Support is now said to be in the name of “diversity,” and Brown spends a good amount of time explaining how this is used to mean anything non-Christian, especially in favor of homosexual activism. My last two jobs are both fully on board in offering their support for same-sex marriage, homosexual equality, and homosexual activist groups.
Being a Christian in this kind of environment becomes difficult because we can’t support this kind of “diversity” because it would force us to go against our religious convictions. But as you have probably discovered the “diversity” we are talking about really isn’t meant to include the views of Christians, but only of the one-sided perspective of gay activists. There is no support of pro-family organizations, or of any “traditional” viewpoint. I would ask the reader: is this really diversity?
Hot topics such as this often stir up all sorts of emotions because we are dealing with people’s sexuality, which is a core element of each one of us. It is important. Yet, as Christians, we are required by God to disagree with homosexuality out of love – both love for God, and for those practicing the homosexual lifestyle. Sadly, some lack the ability to understand how one can disagree with the lifestyle choices of another and yet still love them. Nevertheless, this is how the Christian is supposed to operate. We may strongly and passionately disapprove of homosexuality but we are required by our God to love all people.
Homosexuality (and sexuality in general) will be one of the hot topics Christians can use to speak the truth to a lost and dying world. While the world is demanding that marriage be redefined to include same-sex couples and polyamorous (i.e. polygamy) relationships, we must be ready and willing to respond with the Bible as our primary weapon. The Holy Spirit uses the preaching of the gospel as the primary means to save sinners from their sinful lifestyle, unto repentance and life in Jesus Christ. Isn’t this precisely what Paul said: “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, NASB). Amen to that.
Appreciate you reading,
Metzger
So often, the problem with the two sides of this argument is that they're talking past each other. As a follower of Jesus, I try to let homosexuals know that my criticism of homosexual desires and behavior is not a personal attack on them. That is a hard paradigm for them to grasp, because, as you rightly point out, sexuality is tightly bound to one's identity. But desires and behavior are changeable and have moral import.
ReplyDeleteIf they don't understand that I can criticize the lifestyle without attacking them personally, I just go to my fallback and say that God made me a homophobe--I was born this way. ;)