Opinions
How Are Christians to Respond to the LGBT Issue Today?
There is such a great commotion right now in the Christian community regarding the issue of homosexuality. So many Christian groups are now becoming more and more vocal about their stands on homosexuality. There are some who say that we should speak against the LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual transgender) community as loudly as possible. Others, on the other hand, say that we should apologize to them for being too harsh. Then there’s a third group which says that Christianity accepts homosexuality.
The more I read up on the issue online, the more it got me thinking about how to handle this whole fiasco. So here’s my two cents on the matter – and just so you know, this blog or note is addressed to the christian community. NOT to the LGBT. Furthermore, let it be said that I would also like to get your thoughts on this as well, since I may also
be wrong on certain points.
DOES THE BIBLE REALLY CONDEMN HOMOSEXUALITY?
This is the first point I have to discuss since there are groups who claim to be Christians and yet they claim that homosexuality is acceptable to God. This is very far from what the Scriptures teach. A mere plain reading of the text of Scripture condemns homosexuality. But this is not to say that we can single out homosexuality and homosexuals. The Bible condemns sexual immorality altogether, and that includes a lot of heterosexuals as well. Some may try to argue from Scripture that such is not the case, but their arguments come from eisegesis.
Unfortunately, there have been far too many incidents of Christians throwing hate towards the LGBT community. For some strange reason, Christians tend to single-out homosexuals and inadvertently end up making homosexuality a more “grievous” sin compared to other sins. The scriptures tell us that hatred is murder, lust is adultery, and that sins may vary in forms and kinds, but not necessarily in weight. Jesus never taught us to weigh different sins and judge the people according the weight of their sins. That has never been the agenda of the Messiah when He came to our world.
SHOULD WE SPEAK LOUDLY AGAINST THE LGBT COMMUNITY AND AGENDA?
This is where i would urge my fellow Christians to have an open mind. My answer to the question is NO. some Christians say that we should because this is a group with an AGENDA. but if we really think about it, Jesus didn’t do so in His day. there were several groups during the time of Christ, and all these groups had their own agendas. the Pharisees, the Essenes, the Zealots, the Romans court, etc… they were all groups and they all had their own agendas and they all had their meetings and rallies as well. Did Jesus go to their rallies, condemning them? Nope!
What about Jesus and the Pharisees? Didn’t Jesus go to them and attack them? No, He did not. In fact, it was the Pharisees who went to Jesus! Jesus was simply doing His ministry in His own way and own public way. It was His opponents who drew near to Him to attack Him!
But didn’t Jesus go the temples, the feasts, and the synagogues? Yes He did but He didn’t speak against the Pharisees. JESUS SPOKE THE GOSPEL. He gave the Gospel to everyone, and didn’t target the PhariseesP Another point to make is that the Pharisees CLAIMED TO KNOW GOD’S LAW. The LGBT community today does NOT make such claims on Scripture. They talk more about their civil rights, politics, social equality, and etc. These are not “religious hypocrites” but rather, these are simply non-Christians. Do you normally go out there and shout against fornication? or lying? or stealing? Or worshipping other gods? No, you don’t. So why go out there and single-out homosexuality?
SO SHOULD WE APOLOGIZE TO THE LGBT COMMUNITY PUBLICLY?
Here’s where it gets a bit dicey. My answer would also be NO. Why? Simply because it sends a mixed message to the communities of both the Christians and the LGBT. There was a group of Christians who went to an LGBT rally, carrying posters with “I’m sorry” to tell the LGBT community how sorry they were on behalf of the Christian community. Then, a gay man embraced a Christian with a poster. This went up on the news and so many people cheered and applauded.
Personally, I find this very disturbing. No, I’m not homophobic. But I do NOT want people to get the wrong message. I don’t want people to assume that because these Christians said sorry PUBLICLY, then homosexuality is now acceptable to Scripture. With the very emotionally-charged atmosphere that this whole fiasco is creating, people tend to lean on extremes. Any action that is extremely public and controversial tends to send a very extreme message that could go very bad, very fast.
HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO HANDLE THIS ISSUE?
Well, how did JESUS handle very public issues? Did Jesus talk about the Roman governance and occupation? Did Jesus single-out the non-Gospel-related issues of His day? Was Jesus extremely vocal about non-Gospel-related issues of His day? NOPE! What Jesus did was actually very simple. He simply PREACHED THE GOSPEL. He built friendships and relationships and shared the Gospel. He did this publicly and privately. Then, He made disciples. He did this very well that even a Pharisee came to Him (Nicodemus) to ask Him about the truth of the Gospel!
The thing is, these extreme Christian groups are trying to modify behaviors. Their theology is where the problem is. You see, the Gospel is not about reformation. it’s about transformation. Telling the LGBT community to obey God without preaching the Gospel is like trying to tell a cat to bark or a dog to meow. It will just not happen. Without the regeneration of the heart and the new birth, it will be a waste of time telling non-Christians to change their LIFESTYLES. That’s true for homosexuals, heterosexuals, liars, adulterers, fornicators, thieves, idolaters, etc… I don’t understand why these extreme Christian groups are telling non-Christians to change their ways without changing their hearts towards the Gospel of Christ FIRST. In my opinion, these extreme groups are preaching LAW and not GRACE.
Something to note as well is the fact that a lot of people rejected Christ. The rich young ruler walked away from Christ, and many other crowds rejected Him. Did Jesus run after them? Or did Jesus simply spend His time and efforts on those who WANTED to listen? You see, Jesus was secure that God the Father would give Him the people He were to minister to. Shouldn’t we take the same approach and be secure about who God gives us to minister to?
Personally, if I were talking to a homosexual FRIEND, I would probably apologize to him PRIVATELY for the extreme behaviors of my fellow Christians. Then, I would respectfully talk to him about my beliefs as a Christian, and what the Bible says about sin and salvation, pointing to the Gospel of Christ. Be respectful and have a mature discussion. Talk coherently, logically, and respectfully to your friends about the Gospel. And I’m not just talking about homosexual friends, but I’m talking about ALL YOUR NON-CHRISTIAN FRIENDS. Don’t single-out the homosexuals as if they need the Gospel MORE than other non-Christians!
So, how about you? Are you INTENTIONALLY building friendships and relationships with non-Christians? Are you making disciples? Are you mentoring younger Christians? OR ARE YOU JUST LOUD TO FELLOW CHRISTIANS AND ANNOYING TO NON-CHRISTIANS?
