by Jason Helopoulos
Every generation has watershed cultural issues in which
Christians cannot be silent; for our generation abortion and homosexuality are
key watershed issues
Even as we exercise our voice, we need a generation of
Christians who are willing to do even more; willing to be courageous enough to
minister with compassion and truth to the homosexual community. We need
brothers and sisters in Christ, who know the depths of grace and are deliberate
in ministering to others by that grace. We must raise an army of men and women,
who are compelled, in all humility, to seek to understand the homosexual
struggle and enter into relationships that will challenge, encourage, and hold
friends and loved ones accountable.
Even before the Grammy Awards showcased Macklemore
singing “Same Love” and Queen Latifah presiding over a “same sex couple’s
wedding” ceremony, I had most of this blog written as the topic has been on my
mind for quite some time.
I am not a Kuyperian or a Neo-Kuyperian, but there are
certain watershed cultural issues for every generation of Christians; issues in
which they cannot be silent. For our generation, abortion and homosexuality are
key watershed issues. They are watershed issues, because abortion snatches away
life and homosexuality reaches out and grabs hold of death.
The average Evangelical Christian continues to believe we
should speak out against the acceptance of abortion in our culture. And the
pro-abortion forces have been losing ground over the past five years. No doubt,
much of that is due to the church’s resolve to stand against this agenda. However,
it seems to me that in the past few years, Evangelical Christians in the United
States have increasingly and passively grown in their acceptance of
homosexuality. This should concern all of us.
I understand the discouragement. Our culture has done a quick
“about face” on this issue. It was just yesterday that the Ellen DeGeneres
sitcom announced its main character was homosexual (1997) and a firestorm
erupted. Now, it seems almost “normal” to have Queen Latifah presiding
over a “wedding” ceremony of a homosexual couple. We cannot let it feel
“normal.” Make no mistake, homosexuality may be the issue of the day. It brings
secularism to the forefront like few other agendas and it undermines the
foundation of family, church, and the Scriptures.
Therefore, it should concern us when Christians throw their
hands up and declare with finality that the homosexuality debate in this
country is over–the battle has been waged and lost. This agenda has fooled us
into thinking it is here to stay and must be adopted and adapted to. It has
bullied us into believing we cannot continue to speak out against the
acceptance of practicing this sin in our culture. Too many denominations,
Christian schools, churches, and individual Christians are raising the white
flag. This is something we cannot and must not do.
Homosexuality is a matter of extreme importance to us.
Make no mistake, this is a gospel issue. When our culture embraces something
that sends people to hell (1 Cor. 6:9-10; 1 Tim. 1:10) then it must matter
to us. We cannot roll over and play dead. We cannot give up and just let the
issue go. We are compelled to continue to engage our culture on this issue and
challenge its wayward course. We are not doing this because we are feverish to
return to the 1940′s or 1950′s or because we are a “backwards people.” Rather,
we are a people looking forward to eternity and that is our motivation. Neither
are we seeking to engage in this cultural battle because we are haters. We do
so because we are lovers of men and God. We do not endeavor to be sticks in the
mud, who refuse to change. We, of all people, know the value of change as we
have been brought from death to life. However, we are only willing to change
where we are freed by the Scriptures to do so. We are a people bound by the
Word of God; our conscience is constrained by it, and from this position we
cannot move.
We must be bold and courageous in our day. Not rabble
rousers, but valiant and resolute according to our convictions. Our starting place,
should be to disapprove of homosexual practice, knowing that we do so in the
context of our own sexual fallen state. We are not haughty. We are not decrying
the sins of others and ignoring our own, but neither are we willing to sit
silently when our culture calls that which is evil “good.”
Let us resolve, that as we continue to speak against
homosexuality and its acceptance in our culture, we will do so winsomely and
lovingly; yet, we are also committed to doing so clearly. In our pulpits, in
our conversations around the water cooler, with our children, or in simple
talks over the fence with our neighbors, we will be clear that homosexual
practice is a sin. We will not attempt to separate love and truth. A
careful guard against the subtle language of “gay” and “gay marriage” should be
in place. Neither one of those terms should be used in our discourse
about the homosexual lifestyle or homosexual union. There is nothing “gay” or
God-honoring about the homosexual lifestyle, and it is not a God-ordained
marriage when two homosexuals join together in a “state approved marriage,”
even if it is a monogamous and committed relationship. We, as a people of the
Word, know the importance of language and words, and it is crucial we give
clear articulation of God’s purpose and plan for sex and marriage.
Even as we exercise our voice, we need a generation of
Christians who are willing to do even more; willing to be courageous enough to
minister with compassion and truth to the homosexual community. We need
brothers and sisters in Christ, who know the depths of grace and are deliberate
in ministering to others by that grace. We must raise an army of men and women,
who are compelled, in all humility, to seek to understand the homosexual
struggle and enter into relationships that will challenge, encourage, and hold
friends and loved ones accountable. We need elders and pastors with a vision to
establish churches where a person struggling with same-sex attraction or even
homosexual practices are lovingly warned, discipled, and given care. We need to
continue to declare that homosexuality is not the unforgivable sin, but that
repentance is called for. We must be clear in our application of theology that
identifying the sinful desire and abstaining from such practices does not
negate personhood or necessitate the deprivation of joy.
Above all, we need to pray. We need to pray for those in our
churches who struggle with same-sex attraction, for those who have given into
this temptation and sin, and for the salvation of those who are trapped in a
lifestyle that leads to death. We need to pray that our society would alter its
present course on this issue and never look back.
It may be an uphill battle, but our God moves mountains. We
serve a God who can change things in an instant. Does it seem impossible? Our
God majors in the impossible. May it take a miracle? There is good news, we
serve a God who performs miracles. We cannot roll over and play dead on this
issue. It is too important. It is an issue with eternal implications for the
souls of men and women. We believe in the power of the gospel, so let us
believe it is good news even in the midst of this debate, and declare it
without shrinking.
May God turn the tide and do a mighty work of change in our
generation, for His praise and His glory. He can do it. Never lose hope.
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