Intro
In advance, thanks for sticking through this one. It's a meaty discussion and one I couldn't write half-heartedly. I've kept it as short as I can while still touching all the points I wanted to.
June has been Pride Month.
I know what some of you might be thinking, Christians are going on about gay marriage again, just leave them alone and let them live their lives. And I get it.
So I'd like to start with a message to anyone who sees themself as part of the LGBTQ+ community:
You have a friend in me, and I extend that friendship to you openly and willingly. I love you with the same universal love that God loves all of us with. You have dignity and respect from me, the same as any of my closest friends. I wish you happiness and a life free from abuse and discrimination. I want to hear you and willingly listen to you as part of discussion. I am genuine in these expressed feelings, and I firmly believe this should be the attitude of all Christians everywhere, and we are in no position to cast the first stone because none of us is perfect. But judgment comes in different forms, and though I am in no place to decree a sentence (only God can do this), we are actually encouraged to judge each other according to God's revealed will for how we should live. I hope I have explained the difference; we must judge each others' actions against a standard, but we must refrain from being tempted to pass sentence on these actions.
After saying this, I hope you can see that my position is for you, but as I'm sure many of you are aware, there is tension for Christians regarding the LGBTQ+ movement, and that is where I now go.
Ideas & Society
There is an overwhelming voice in our culture, media, and society; its message is absolute acceptance of all people, actions and beliefs. In some ways, I’m all for acceptance in the sense that we all have human dignity, we are all flawed human beings, and we should treat all people with the respect and dignity they deserve.
What I find difficult is the culture we find ourselves in that enforces an almost totalitarian ‘acceptance’ of ideas and opinions, even if we disagree. When we get to this point, I believe we are on very shaky ground when it comes to our rights to freedom.
Increasingly, Christians are expected to stay in their church halls and living rooms. People will say, "If that's what you believe, that's fine, but it's not for me." Sometimes a little more forceful, “Believe what you believe, but don’t press your belief onto any of us.”
But allow me a question: why can some ideologies be pressed onto me? Not just Christians, but the whole nation and society at large?
Media, pop culture, and even more institutional messaging in places like schools and workplaces enforce this acceptance of others’ opinions, seemingly without question.
But isn't this a huge double standard?
What if I disagree? Am I required to sit and nod, quietly keeping my thoughts to myself? In some cases, this might be the most sensible course of action.
But what if I'm asked my opinion? What if, instead of remaining silent, I am asked to agree? Most drastic of all, what if I am asked to adapt or actively change my view or actions on something or someone because of their feelings rather than any logical reason?
This is where things get tricky, and this is sort of where I (and I’m sure a few others) find myself.
Maybe this is just me, but it seems the traditional Christian opinion no longer holds much validity. We see devils on national music awards, sex and violence on TV that would have made even the most liberal of our grandparents blush, and all this is the subject of many an office conversation on Monday. If it’s not Love Island, talking about whoever is moving from one sexual partner to another, it’s Love is Blind, where marriage is made a farse by having not met the person the contestants go on to marry, or it’s some other show where sex and cheating are glorified, wealth is the ultimate life-goal, and Satan is mimicked and made a joke of. Satan worshippers used to hide in the shadows; we now see them at the Grammys.
Image from: https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/us-celebrity-news/sam-smiths-grammys-performance-sparks-29190595
The Pride message and ideology are another that is inescapable. As I go about my day, I am constantly presented with pride rainbows and trans flags; it appears that the media, businesses, and brands, in their influence and power over the general public, have been enabled to promote belief systems and ideologies.
Why?
How has this movement taken over and presented itself as the only way to live, and that we must all accept it or be labelled a bigot, a -phobe, ignorant, oppressive or simply too stupid to see reason?
Truth is being abandoned. Reality is being ignored.
We are asked to call men women and women men, or to deny that these words have any meaning at all. We are asked to address people according to how they feel, not according to who they are in reality. Feelings now trump reality; in fact, one's feelings are the ultimate form of reality. I’m sorry, but I can’t comply.
The other day I saw a diagram of all the different flags these groups have; LGBT+, Trans, Non-Binary, etc., but further down, I see one labelled Polyamorous. It occurred to me that this is no longer about sexuality; this movement is taking over our society’s fundamental belief and moral system and making a mockery of it. A family with a Mum and Dad is now just another ‘expression’ of a family rather than being the nucleus of society, where it has stood for thousands of years.
Acceptance
If acceptance by all people is the aim of these movements, I’m afraid I can’t see that happening.
There is only one kind of acceptance that will satisfy and give you security, love and deep fulfilment, emotionally and spiritually, and that is acceptance from God. This is all life is about, and I'm here to say that movements like LGBTQ+ are looking for acceptance in the wrong place.
But acceptance from God means denial of ourselves, and this is the hard part.
God does not accept us as we are, none of us. Acceptance comes only when we submit to him and live as he wishes. And we cannot do this by ourselves; it is him that must work in us.
And even when he does this, we will still be imperfect! And we will still feel rejected by those around us, but when we turn to God, he begins to change us, and we learn how to love each other more than ourselves, and we learn how to deny our desires and submit to his.
This is not a message meant to appear high and 'holier than thou'; let me state very clearly;
I, Jordan, am astronomically far from perfect.
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
1 Timothy 1:14
I am no better than anyone else; in fact, I'm sure I'm worse than many others, but I have been given a lifeline and something to hang onto despite my brokenness.
What do I mean by a lifeline? Well, we all need rescue because we are all in open rebellion against God; we have chosen to live with our own best interests at heart rather than his. But one day, we will die and stand before the perfect God and have to answer for ourselves. Unfortunately, none of us will be able to, we have all fallen short and will pay the price, being cast out of his presence, and this is what Christians mean by hell.
So we need rescuing from this, and the only way we can be rescued is by taking the hand that has been reached out to us by God himself, through Jesus. Once we do this, turning away from our old desires, God forgives us because Jesus becomes our advocate. Think of him as the ultimate lawyer who will stand up for you in court, the difference being; that he has already won the case; the trial is just a formality.
Pride, in the proper sense of the word, to think more highly of yourself than others, is sinful. There is no love in this, only self-centredness.
To celebrate pride is symptomatic of where society currently stands, a society that glorifies the sense of “It’s all about me.” This comes out as sexual promiscuity, personal success and wealth generation at any cost. Our culture glorifies sin and revels in it.
But not just in today’s society; it has always been so.
Almost two thousand years ago, St Paul wrote a letter. Does it ring any bells to you? He said that when we follow our own desires (those of human nature), these will be evident:
Sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties/orgies, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19–21 [1]
I remember a time, just about, when I felt like people thought I was a bit out there for being a Christian, maybe a bit weird. Today I don’t think people believe Christians to be weird; I guess they think we are stupid, as if science has disproved God and that our beliefs are irrelevant and archaic. Christians are maligned; they are portrayed in TV and movies as crazy, simple, or worse, evil. And not just Christians but anyone willing to stand up for objective truth and reality. Look how Jordan Peterson was vilified for his position on free speech in Canada and his outspoken view on the traditional family unit and monogamous marriage.
If we do not unite in truth and reality, society will collapse just as all the great societies and civilisations throughout history; they began to think too much of themselves and crumbled under their own weight. Think of the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans.
The Creator’s Love for His Creations
God cares for all his children, all of us are made in his image, and therefore we hold equal dignity in our identity as humans. But God cannot tolerate sin, any sin, and when we come to him asking forgiveness, he requires us to turn away from that sin and every other thing in our lives that are contrary to his will, guidance and requirements.
This includes living outside of his design for humanity. And his design for each of us too, because he took great care in how he crafted you precisely as he wanted you to be.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:13–14 NIV
We are made male and female, and we are made to join, one male and one female, in a union that imitates the relationship of God the Father with God the Son; intimate, self-sacrificial and unending. All love is not the same, and we don't get to decide what constitutes love. If love is love, why is the romantic love of an adult for a child unacceptable?
This is more difficult for some than others, and we should appreciate that and grieve that some of us need to deny something so foundational in our desires, such as whom we are attracted to and how we feel about our identity. I am heartbroken for those who have to do this, and it is inspirational when you meet people who live in a constant state of self-denial because we are all called towards this attitude, even of different in nature or magnitude. It makes my struggle against my own broken nature pale in comparison.
The good news is that once we submit ourselves to the God who created us, and attempt to live life now according to his design and intent, we don’t encounter loss.
The opposite.
We inherit gain beyond our wildest imagination!
In addition to the deep sense of love and fulfilment, we can be at peace with the things that cause us trouble or hurt; we can feel joy even in dark times of mourning or worldly loss, and all this because the holy God of the universe created us out of his overflowing nature of love.
Our relationship with God is made possible because he made the sacrifice, paid the penalty for our brokenness, and then offered us the reward without needing payment.
If you’ve got this far, firstly, thanks for sticking with me on this, it’s never an easy ride discussing complex topics; this message is especially for you now. Whether you are gay, straight, cisgender, trans, non-binary, whatever or however you describe yourself, the God of love wants a relationship with you and loves you.
And although we may disagree when it comes to our beliefs and morals today, as I stated at the very beginning of this blog, I love you too, and I want you to live a joyful and peace-filled life. My appeal to you is that the only place you will find these things is in the God of love, who in himself defines love.
If you have read this and have questions, comments, or criticisms(!) I’d love to hear from you. Life is about discussion and learning; I believe I have something to learn from everyone, so please feel free to reach out.
[1] This is a bit of a mix of translations between NIV and NLT.
