How can a Christian respond to this?

And also, some great changes

So I’m sending this email to everyone on our list, not just subscribers, because I’m wanting to make sure everyone knows about a couple of great changes going forward. To this point, subscribers have received the written Memo like what you’re getting here below, as well as a separate video each week. We’re going to be enhancing that a bit.

The written Memo will remain pretty much the same (with the addition of a couple new features), including my commentary, as well as practical ideas of what we can do in light of the issue, and additional resources for those that want to dig into the issue a little deeper.

The weekly video (or Vidcast as we call it) is going to be altered a bit. Yes, it will still come with the option to download just the audio mp3 and a complete written transcript. But now, it’s going to be more of an instructional video. For instance, here’s a sneak peak at this week’s coming Vidcast.

Also, we’ll be embedding videos through YouTube now, so that will hopefully alleviate any buffering problems that we’ve experienced before.

Finally, subscribers are going to be getting one or two additional emails each week with portions of some recent Bible teaching of mine that will HOPEFULLY prove relevant and encouraging to you in the midst of your week. The Word of God is powerful & active, and I’m hoping you’ll benefit from hearing more of it (we’ll provide a transcript of that as well for those who aren’t in a position to watch/listen easily).

So, if you’re a subscriber, that’s what’s coming. If you’re not, but you think that sounds good – and you appreciate the Memo you’re about to read – we’d love to have you part of our growing community of believers wanting to grow closer to Christ in the midst of a dying culture. You can join us right here:

I had someone send me a post that was published not long ago by self-professed Christian author J.S. Park, asking me how I would respond to it. Admittedly, I don’t know who J.S. Park is, but that’s really inconsequential given that the essence of his remark is often replicated in the world and among well-intentioned but confused Christians.

Honestly, there’s a lot of confusion in those comments, and so the easiest thing to do is probably to take it line by line. Start here…

“As an atheist, I was always affirming”

The first question I would have is to a statement like this is, “what does this even mean?” Can I assume the “affirmation” is specific to lesbian and gay behavior? As an atheist, for instance, I would suppose he was most likely not “affirming” of say, Christianity or Christian doctrine.

Further, he most likely did not affirm all behavior and conduct. Even as an atheist, Park undoubtedly had drawn moral boundaries for what he felt was right and wrong. Atheists often take great offense when they are accused of being morally rudderless or unintentional proponents of a moral anarchy.

So let’s establish: he wasn’t affirming of everything.

I’m not being petulant. This is actually an important point to establish for what follows. The atheist Park’s refusal to affirm all kinds of behavior, specifically those that he deemed destructive or harmful, was born out of an altruistic desire – dare we say “love” – for the good of another.

Get that? His love for neighbor prevented him from affirming destructive behaviors.

“But when I embraced Christian faith, it seemed like the church was telling me to love less.”

Since this post was specifically referencing lesbian and gay behavior, notice the rhetorical sleight of hand – “affirming” has suddenly become equated with “love.” But remember, we just demonstrated that the two words are NOT synonyms.

It is hardly “loving” a small child to “affirm” their natural curiosity when it comes to a hot stove or a perilous staircase.

Now, it may be true that by coming to Christ, the church was counseling Park to “affirm” less than what he had previously affirmed as an atheist. In fact, that would make complete sense when understanding a worldly mind affirms many things that a mind transformed to Christ will wisely discern as deceptive and dangerous. But that obviously does not mean the church is counseling to love less.

Even as a professing Christian, Park seems to misunderstand the core principle that God is love. His decrees are loving. His guidelines and commands – including those that forbid all manner of sexual immorality – are loving. Therefore, if Park affirms, promotes, condones, or encourages relationships that God opposes, he isloving people less.

“Why else did Christ become human except to make us more human?”

Again, I admit I don’t understand what this question is supposed to mean. Christ became human in order to redeem mankind from the sins that separated us eternally from God. His humanity was necessary for a number of reasons. For instance, (1) only a human could be born “under the law” as Galatians 4 describes; (2) only a human could fulfill God’s requirement of the shedding of blood for remission of sin as Hebrews 10 describes; (3) only a human could relate to us and our own human frailties and weaknesses as Hebrews 4 describes.

Jesus became human to make a way for us to escape the consequences of our own fallen humanity, not to “make us more human.”

“Faith must not make us less. Only more, and whole.”

A believer’s attitude should reflect that of John the Baptist who proclaimed that “He must increase, I must decrease” (John 3:30). Our feelings, so easily influenced by our own fallen nature as well as the aggressive pressures of a dogmatic, unforgiving culture, will confuse our moral sensitivities. Only if we are anchored in His word will we live in a holistic, and more importantly “holy” way.  

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To do:

1. Pray for the opportunity to love and serve those who identify as gay, that God might use you in bringing them to a knowledge of the truth

2. Don’t wait until you feel you are some kind of LGBT expert before you forge relationships, listen to others, and witness to the power of Christ in your own life

3. Point people to Jesus, not heterosexuality

4. Treat people as people, precious creations of the Father, not as a statistic or label

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Additional resources that may help us navigate this cultural minefield:

• David Platt has an excellent, concise, and biblical explanation of why Christians cannot affirm homosexuality that is worth your time.

• I have learned so much from Rosaria Butterfield and her remarkable testimony of conversion. Here she speaks powerfully about the relationship between Christianity and homosexuality.

• And here’s one more from Butterfield, except it’s an article every Christian in this culture should read: “Love Your Neighbor Enough to Speak Truth”

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