Has the Christian church sinned against homosexuals or those who claim they were born in the wrong sex body?
For that matter, are some people unchangeably “lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered”? Christians who follow Scripture will quickly refute claims that excuse these sins. These identities are not natural to the human condition nor to God’s created order.
So why are Christian leaders like Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr. implying otherwise as they confess the alleged “sins” of the Christian church against these sexual rebels?
Rev. Mohler stated last week in response to a homosexual activist demonstration at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is president, that, “The Christian church has sinned against the LGBT community by responding to this challenge in a superficial way.” He went on to talk about redemption in Christ but seemed to be dodging the central issue of immoral conduct. He conceded a ton with this apology statement, which surely was greeted with cheers by the protesters.
First, what “LGBT community” is this Christian theologian talking about? Why use homosexual lobbying terms? There is a wicked homosexual political movement, but in God’s eyes, none would be known as “lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered.” Scripture resoundingly condemns these grave offenses. It is extremely disheartening for believers to hear our leaders cave in and use such ungodly, sin-affirming, misleading terms – as if some people are different humans and indeed victims of institutional Christian “bigotry.”
Mohler responded to a small group of homosexual/transgender demonstrators from “Fairness Louisville” protesting a conference at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary last week. The agitators unleashed one unfounded accusation after another.
The manufactured crisis here is that people are harmed by counseling that directs them away from homosexual behavior, with protesters alleging that “reparative therapy” was being promoted at the SBTS conference.
Mohler and others said no, but their response validates the false narrative constructing a “straw man” coercive counseling method, when reparative therapy is an amorphous term applied to many possible techniques to help a person struggling with same-sex attraction. These vary widely, may include faith-based components, but generally encompass standard psychological therapy. Homosexual activists keep trying to gin this up into something nefarious by claiming that people are “harmed” by the methods used. The only evidence comes from a few unverified anecdotes offered by untrustworthy activist plaintiffs.
They were trying to provoke a reaction – and it worked.
Homosexual activists love it when Christians apologize. What for? For telling the truth and proclaiming the reality of renewal? And Mohler did substantial damage to the courageous ex-homosexual community who hold out hope and, in many cases, offer a variety of counseling methods that can discern the core issues that lead any given person into homosexuality.
But the Louisville confrontation was also dripping with a policy agenda to ban any counseling, religious or secular, that helps people leave homosexuality behind. Such counseling is now illegal for minors in California, New Jersey (thanks, Chris Christie), Illinois, Oregon and the District of Columbia.
Is a Kentucky bill soon to be presented as an “in-your-face” payback for the audacity of County Clerk Kim Davis and her desire to stand on her religious beliefs? It is unlikely such a bill would pass, since most people in the state support Kim Davis.
Heath Lambert, executive director of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, further confused the issue at SBTS by saying, “We don’t call people to embrace heterosexuality,” Lambert said. “We call people to embrace Christian faithfulness.”
Isn’t heterosexuality an expression of “Christian faithfulness”?
Lambert discussed the need for monogamy and celibacy, but his cut-and-dried comments left little room for those anxious to explore the whys of same-sex attraction: How did this happen in my life? How can I walk it back? This is very possible through therapy and can bring a much more permanent resolution to sexual confusion.
And male/female heterosexual identity is specific to biblical teaching. It’s the only sexual orientation approved in Scripture, and it’s inimical to the full embrace of God as the Creator of humanity.
Let’s apply this to other sins. “We aren’t leading people to marital faithfulness … we aren’t leading people to truthfulness instead of lying … we aren’t leading people to stop worshiping Molech, Baal, or Asherah instead of Yahweh. …”
The “special sin” status of homosexuality is getting really old. Cushioning biblical teaching is a harmful accommodation to homosexual political power and comes from a fear of backlash. If there were an aggressive, media-applauded pro-adultery movement, would our leaders be tiptoeing around the “philanderers community”?
The self-labeled “LGBT community” as a lobby does not deserve the apologies of the Christian church. Instead, this revolutionary collective needs to apologize to Christians, to families and to America for dragging us into a sewer and manipulating believers to go there with them.
We deserve an apology for the sin of homosexual pride parades. We deserve an apology for demanding the framework of marriage be re-made in your image, instead of the structure designed by God.
Our children deserve an apology for the millstone-worthy offense of being led into sin, being taught the lie that people are born to engage in sodomy or to amputate healthy body parts. The resulting corruption of untold numbers of children can only be surmised.
An apology needs to come from the Human Rights Campaign, Fairness Louisville, GLAAD, NGLTF and many other groups. Their leaders are in serious spiritual danger unless they repent.
What should Mohler and Lambert have done? Nothing. Christian seminaries, churches and schools should ignore homosexual demonstrators because their goal is rebellion. They do not deserve a platform nor response because they are filled with justification for sin, and if they have specific, individual issues, let them come as individuals and ask for private resolution. And that should start with confession of sins and repentance.
But they were looking for publicity and a way to further divide Christians through confusion and unwarranted accusation, and Mohler and Lambert handed it to them on a platter.
Media wishing to interview Linda Harvey, please contact [email protected].
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