Honest Questions in a LGBT World

“A rejection of the Bible’s authority on an issue such as homosexuality is a theological problem – not merely a moral controversy. No church can remain divided on this question, and no faithful believer should remain in a church that refuses to be bound to God’s Word.” Albert Mohler

  There aren’t many times that I hesitate to address a subject, either in preaching or in writing. Yet, when it comes to the bi-sexual, transgender, homosexual issue – I find that I walk with great trepidation. Primarily, because those who reject Scripture’s authority and God’s standards of righteousness, often caricature those who dare to say that any sexual sin is wrong as phobic, a bigot, a Neanderthal – and those are some of the kinder terms. If you engage those who don’t understand biblical Christianity and for whom Scripture either has no authority or is culturally fluid, you must follow the sage advice of King Solomon, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1), and the words of the Lord Jesus, “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

  We’re commanded to “speak the truth in love” to a lost world. It’s unloving to stay silent as human beings—image bearers of God—languish in their sin. Telling the truth means telling those that outside the Church that God has absolute moral standards. Speaking the truth in love though means speaking in love not via juvenile online jabs but over a meal or the phone, not through clenched teeth, but with sad eyes and a broken heart.

  As parents and grandparents, you’re the best one to have a conversation with your children and grandchildren about biblical morality. Rather than pontificating or dogmatizing, instead asking questions that require thinking are a wiser approach. Because there has been a cultural brainwashing that started as a trickle in 1969 with the Stonewall Uprising, yet has become a tsunami today, there are great many myths and misconceptions. Let me suggest several questions to ask (they’re not in any particular order).

  What’s the percentage of gay individuals in America? The first is a simple numbers game. You might start this dialogue with other questions like: “Name one show or movie that does NOT have a gay character?” “When was the last time you watched a newscast or read a newspaper or magazine without at least one story (usually more) about something related to a homosexual issue?” On the percentage question, you’ll usually receive answers of anywhere from 15% to 30%. The real numbers are less than 5% and probably less than 3%. In contrast, how many evangelical Christians are there in America? Gallup says 39%. Wikipedia says 13%. Can you think of even one TV show that has an evangelical Christian character? When was the last time you saw or read a story that painted an evangelical in a positive light? With tongue in cheek, maybe we should ask, “Why isn’t there an annual evangelical parade or evangelical fest in our major cities?”

  “Why is ‘born this way’ a valid argument when it comes to sexuality, yet an invalid argument when it comes to virtually any other sphere of life?” Billions of dollars have been spent to find an alcoholic gene without any success. Would someone who says, “I can’t help it. I’m born a liar…or thief…or rapist” get a pass? If someone is “born this way,” isn’t it cruel of God to say that their inborn design is morally wrong? Can you imagine the angst and backlash there would be if someone in our health obsessed world rationalized, “Well, I was born a smoker” or “I’m obese because I was born with a Big Mac Attack addiction”?

  Usually, those who believe in a “gay gene,” (though any scientific evidence is very sketchy) also believe in evolution. One of the foundational premises of evolutionary theory is “survival of the fittest.” A gay gene is thus impossible. There would be no reproduction and thus, no survival. If there is a gay gene and evolution was true, then the gay gene would go extinct in one generation. So do people have same sex attraction? Do some have a predisposition toward homosexuality? I believe so. I’m more inclined to believe that it’s a matter of nurture, rather than nature. As a heterosexual, I have a predisposition to sexual sin and have to continually guard my eyes and heart…just like everyone else.  

  “Did you know that biblical Christianity demands radical morality?”  Those outside the Church think our position on homosexuality is radical. Yet, a biblical standard of morality is much more radical. As Christians, we believe that a teenage guy and girl who have sex in the backseat of a pick-up are sinning. The unmarried heterosexual couple living down the street is sinning. In fact, any sexual activity that takes place outside of the marriage covenant between a husband and wife is sinful. What’s more, Jesus takes this sexual ethic a step further and goes to the heart of the matter. That means that any time we even lust after someone else, we’re sinning. Jesus’ radical view of sexuality shows all of us up as guilty, sexual sinners. Jesus doesn’t just condemn adultery, as does one of the Ten Commandments. Jesus condemns even the mental lust that leads to adultery, all with the purpose of offering us transformed hearts that begin beating in step with His radical demands.

    “Did you know that a holy God offers us a solution with His radical love, mercy and grace?” Jesus’ teaching on sexuality shows us that there’s something wrong with all of us, something that can only be fixed by what Jesus did for us on the Cross when He died for all of our sins and in His resurrection. Christianity teaches that all people are born with a bent toward sin. And professing Christians who mistreat those have succumbed to sexual sin are sinning. It’s wrong for anyone anywhere to mock, taunt, or bully another human being made in God’s image.

  That said, we must make one thing clear in regard to civil discourse: To differ is not to hate. The silly notion that disagreeing with homosexual behavior necessarily results in harm to gay people is designed to shut down dialogue and immediately rule one point of view (in this case, the Christian one) out of bounds. As Christians, we’re to love our neighbors and seek their good, even when we disagree with them or their choices. The radical example of Jesus dying for His enemies necessarily affects the way I think and behave about this and other issues.

  The end message is that God loves every sinner, as hard as that may be for us to comprehend. It doesn't mean He overlooks evil or pretends it’s not serious. My sin, your sin, their sin is so serious that only one remedy could be found to wipe it away: the blood of God’s own Son. Jesus was absolutely pure, but on the cross all of our sins were placed on Him. Jesus took the horrible penalty we deserved. It’s why the Bible says, “the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). God’s grace can change even the worst person. He radically changed the most evil person I know – Me! The good news for a gay person is the same good news for a straight person. Homosexuality isn't the chief sin; unbelief is. Jesus loves us so much that died for every type of sin and for all types of sinners. And we must reach out to gay people with the love of God, just as we in our wicked state were reached with that same radical love by a gracious God.

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