How refreshing to find someone who is willing to stand up for God’s word on sexual morality despite a public backlash. Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson may have been a bit rough around the edges when he expressed his belief in God’s design for sex, but he was accurate in his assessment. Pre-marital, extra-marital, and same-sex relationships are all transgressions of God’s commands.
The pro-gay forces in our society have adopted a policy of shouting down and shutting out anyone who disagrees with their aberrant sexual ethic. Any public figure who dares to promote a Bible-based understanding of sexual purity is punished swiftly in the hopes of intimidating others who might join the dissent. Predictably, Mr. Robertson was quickly branded as not just a homophobe, but a racist. Why?
The politically active gay movement is heavily invested in the idea that homophobes and racists are essentially all one big ugly group. That group, they say, is holding back human progress in changing the rigid and outdated notions about acceptable human sexual behavior. So, those who criticize LGBTQIA (no kidding, look it up!) should expect that everything they have ever said will be scrutinized for any subtle hint that they are also a racists.
In 2013 we marked the fifty-year anniversary of the grand march on Washington, D.C. that was a high point in the struggle to secure civil rights for racial minority groups in America. In 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed a massive crowd from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In his inspiring remarks he envisioned a time when all people would be judged by their character instead of their color.
In celebrating the anniversary of that optimistic moment, advocates for gay marriage continued their efforts to identify their cause with the moral high ground of racial equality. Gay sex, so they say, is the same as dark skin. To be denied the same legal and social benefits that marriage gives to heterosexual couples is the same thing as being forced to sit in the back of the bus, so the reasoning goes.
Linking arms with a movement that has already enjoyed well-deserved success is a shrewd political tactic. But their comparison between race and sexuality is severely undermined if people can actually choose their sexual orientation. Everyone knows that race is not a choice. So the strength of the comparison between race and sexuality is based squarely on the argument that sexuality is not a choice either. Any evidence that sexuality is a choice poses grave danger to the politics of gay activism.
The gay agenda also accuses the cultural majority of forcing people into adopting gender roles that are a mismatch for their true sexual orientation. In other words, the group in power bullies everyone into conforming to their notion of acceptable gender behavior. This social pressure is aimed at gays and so they are victims who live in constant fear, hiding their sexual orientation. But is that true?
People who publicly announce their gay or lesbian orientation are consistently affirmed and celebrated in the pop culture of today. The news media falls all over itself to provide a venue for those who are said to be courageous enough to take such a valiant step and “come out.” Elected officials and judicial types rush to be first in line at challenging the heterosexual status quo, claiming the coveted status of champion or defender of civil rights.
On the other hand, those who share their faith in Christ or belief in God’s design for sex often risk ridicule and rejection. Christians are being told that their public expressions of religious faith are unconstitutional. Any faith that embraces Judeo-Christian sexual values is shouted down and accused of being hate-filled.
So it seems that the gay is urged to come out and the Christian is urged to go in. Anyone seeking popularity and support in our society is apt to find it quicker by announcing that their sexual behavior is abnormal. Announcing faith in Jesus Christ, on the other hand, seems to assure that one will be scorned and scoffed at.
Gay and lesbian people started with seemingly reasonable appeals to fairness. A large number of kind-hearted and somewhat morally ambiguous Americans have responded to these appeals by making ill-advised changes to the laws which provide structure and boundaries for human sexuality in our culture. But as their influence has grown, gay groups have become more insistent that anyone who dares question their unfounded claims about sexual orientation be silenced, shamed, and punished.
The gay movement is quickly becoming a rigid and intolerant political juggernaut. Should students in graduate schools be banished from counseling programs simply because they question the new dogma about human sexuality? Where will the forum for critical thinking be if not in academia? Should Christian photographers be punished for declining to celebrate unions which go against their core convictions, even when other photographers are readily available? Where will people of faith be free to exercise their religious beliefs if not in their daily lives?
Should organizations that believe in the Bible’s definition of marriage be labeled as hate groups for simply expressing their beliefs in non-violent ways? Where will the forum for public debate be? Should girls in elementary schools be forced to share their bathroom space with boys who claim to be girls trapped in boys’ bodies? Where has common sense gone?
Recently a law was enacted in New Jersey that would forbid counselors from helping young people who are confused about their sexuality and are seeking to avoid a gay or lesbian lifestyle. If people are born gay or lesbian, then some must also be born “straight” as well. And if people are sometimes forced by society to act straight when they are actually gay or lesbian, then society, or powerful political groups within society (gay groups), can just as surely put pressure on people to act gay or lesbian when they are really straight. Where will they get help?
The gay movement has enjoyed a quick and surprising rise to social acceptance and political influence. Nevertheless, a new group is already emerging that presents a problem for them. The new group is former gays. This group is a potential embarrassment to the gay agenda for at least two reasons.
First, ex-gays are living proof that at least some people may be able to choose and/or change their sexual orientation and that some people who have experienced the gay and lesbian lifestyle have rejected it. Second, ex-gays represent a new suppressed group that calls into question the original promise of the gay agenda that they were seeking fairness and equality for everyone. Does fairness and equality stop with them?
Now that gay activism has started to gain power, we see signs that they are apparently willing to deny people certain freedoms in order to protect their newfound privilege and influence. Maybe we are seeing the new face of bigotry in America. Is it time to speak truth to power, the power of a bullying gay agenda?
Will ex-gays enjoy the attention of all the civil rights activists? Will there be marches and speeches and songs for them? Will journalists give them a public voice and judges give them special legal protection? Will Hollywood write sitcoms that present them in a positive and attractive light?
In the recent skirmish between the ‘gay’ and the ‘straight,’ the ‘Duck Commander’ respectfully refused to give in to the pressure that has silenced so many others. When he stood firm many Americans came to his aid, offering public support for his position. This is inspiring for those of us who believe that our society has turned down a dark and dangerous path, one that threatens not just marriage and family, but the spiritual fabric of our culture.
Much is at stake, including truth, freedom, and healthy relationships. Sexual behavior and race are not the same. One is a choice and the other is not. Race is something you are and sex is something you do. Telling the truth is not hate speech. Yes, truth can be expressed in a hateful manner sometimes, but truth itself is an expression of love. And even when mistakes are made and truth is communicated in less-than-loving ways, still the truth is unchanging.
The battle to define what is right and wrong in sexual matters is far from over. In order to overcome, we must keep in mind the true nature of the struggle. Remember, “our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God so that you all will be able to stand in the evil day, and after preparing everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:12-13).
The key idea is to stand. When we stand in the right place and refuse to give ground, then we will help others to find victory. The right place to stand is the solid rock of God’s unchanging truth. Know the Bible, live the Bible, and defend the Bible. Standing on God’s Word by the power of God’s Spirit and through the grace we have experienced in God’s Son, we will share in the inevitable triumph of God’s Kingdom.
–Richard Foster, Grace Baptist, December 2013
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