LGBTQ and Modern Christianity

In twenty-first century post-modern post-Christian America the daily news reliably contains at least one article about some person or organization that is "anti-LGBTQ." Today it was about the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. But any other day it might be about a church, a preacher, a denomination, or a university based on traditional Christian doctrines.

To proclaim what the Bible says about sexual morality - that sexual intimacy must be reserved for a marriage consisting of one biological man and one biological woman - is the woke definition "anti-LGBTQ." But while the woke movement may be anti-Bible believers, the Bible believers are not anti them or anybody else. They are disinviting the Christians and berating the Christians and trying to sue the Christians for living according to Christian convictions. They are coming after the Christians, the Christians are not pursuing them.

It is fair to point out that some segments of Christianity have at times railed against homosexual behavior as if homosexuality was the worst or the only sin listed in the Bible. Obviously there are many other sins.

^"Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless." (Romans 1:24–31)

It is also true that some people (sometimes people calling themselves Christians) have been hateful toward homosexuals. But Christians are directly instructed to love our neighbors - including our sinful neighbors. (We don't have any other neighbors.)

We cannot control the hatefulness of the woke movement and the all consuming cancel culture it is spawns. But even if we cannot convince them, we must remind ourselves of the basic truths concerning biblical Christianity and the LGBTQ movement.

1) While people sin in all sorts of ways, 

"ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

2) Sin is a matter of rebellion against God and will be judged by God. 

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." (Romans 1:18)

3) It is our Christian duty to love people by warning them of the wrath to come and telling them about the gracious provision of God, by which anyone might be saved from God's wrath and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

4) God saves us from our sins as a free gift that can only be received by faith. 

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8–9 (None of us deserve it!)

5) Any sinner can be saved from his or her sins by God. But no sinner can be saved who chooses his or her sins instead of repenting and turning to Jesus. 

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9–11

As the Church of Jesus Christ we should be welcoming to all who might come our way - no matter what their sin. But we would need to disobey Christ to throw out what the Bible says and tell people that their behavior does not matter. Our various sins matter very much and they separate us from God. "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

Apparently the woke community is anti-Christian. But we who are Christians must be loving toward them... loving enough to keep telling them they are sinners who need to repent and turn to Christ.