Homosexuality & the Gospel 3
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Common Questions/Gospel Answers
Common Questions/Gospel Answers
Intro: Story of my co-worker
What do you do when the rubber hits the road?
Born this way. “I was born with same-sex attraction, I didn’t choose it. How can God be loving, give me these desires and then expect me not to act on them?” (question asked by atheists/agnostics and those who would seek to reconcile Christian faith to homosexual practice)
Secular vantage point
The “born this way” argument is a long way from scientifically proven
no “gay gene” has been discovered
neurological scans have proven to be unreliable (behavior alter brains or brains alter behavior, chicken/egg, neuroplasticity)
The “born this way argument” also creates some contradictions in the secular worldview
Homosexuality as a fixed biological reality is problematic for an evolutionary paradigm
“Born this way” arguments assume that your at-birth biology determines your sexual identity
this puts them at odds with the “T” in LGBTQ
The transexual community argues that their sexual identity determines their biological reality.
This has led many gay-rights leaders to begin to argue that their homosexuality is not a biological reality but instead a moral choice!
The Christian perspective
“Born this way” may not matter as much as we think it does—the Fall has affected all of creation!
We were created to desire (lusting beings)
happiness of delight and soul in God (Psalms)
desire for fellowship with God and one another (Genesis)
pleasure in beauty (—the garden)
appetites for good food ( fruit was “good for food”
even sexual passion () within the structure of God-honoring marriage
The fall has disordered our desires and affections
We ARE born with perverted desires and sinful appetites
we struggle with:
pride/ego
sexual lust (in all its forms, homosexual and heterosexual)
coveteousness
gluttony
laziness (love of ease)
gossip
lying
etc
some of these we may not individually struggle with, but some of these have been our particular battle to fight since we were young.
Regardless of whether you are born with a particular sinful predication or not, God’s will for us is to control our bodies in honor and holiness.
“Why do Christians care so much about homosexuality when Jesus doesn’t?”
“Why is homosexuality so different than other issues of sin? Why do we have to talk about it specifically?”
In many ways it is the same as other sins
But as is the case for other issues of sin, homosexuality presents its own unique challenges
A significant cultural issue
An issue of identity
An issue of orthodoxy (are homosexuality and the gospel compatible?—not many are arguing that living in adulterous relationships and the gospel are compatible)
process. It dod not involve rearranging the surface prejudices and fickle loyalties of my life.
Conversion didn’t “fit” my life. Conversion overhauled my soul and personality. It was arduous
and intense. I experienced with great depth the power and authority of God in my life. In it I
learned—and am still learning—how to love God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind.
When you die to yourself, you have nothing from your past to use as clay out of which to shape
your future. Because conversion, in scripture and in my personal experience, is arduous and
transformative, I fear the consequence of the easy believes that typifies modern evangelical
culture.”
-Rosaria Butterfield, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert pg 34
How do we minister to those struggling with same-sex attraction?
Examine ourselves
When possible, build bridges, not burn them
Build friendships and relationships (it is not a sin to be friends with a gay person)
Show them the love of God in Christ
Story of Rosaria Butterfield
Speak the truth, in love (may the message not the messenger be offensive)
Remember the priority is the gospel, not the gayness.
Show them the design for human flourishing walking in the will of God.
Obedience is possible!
“Making a life commitment to Christ was not merely a philosophical shift. It was not a one-step
process. It did not involve rearranging the surface prejudices and fickle loyalties of my life.
Conversion didn’t “fit” my life. Conversion overhauled my soul and personality. It was arduous
and intense. I experienced with great depth the power and authority of God in my life. In it I
learned—and am still learning—how to love God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind.
When you die to yourself, you have nothing from your past to use as clay out of which to shape
your future. Because conversion, in Scripture and in my personal experience, is arduous and
transformative, I fear the consequence of the easy believism that typifies modern evangelical
culture.”
-Rosaria Butterfield, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert