The uproar over Broussard, homosexuality, and Christianity (updated)

Denny Burk, as usual, has some of the most cogent commentary  on the Jason Collins and Chris Broussard.  He begins:

After the news broke earlier today that Jason Collins has come out as the first openly gay player in the NBA, I didn’t really plan to comment. But that all changed after watching Chris Broussard’s commentary for ESPN (see above).

After Collins’ announcement appeared, all the sports shows were abuzz with the news. ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” hosted a discussion between two sportswriters: the openly gay LZ Granderson and the Christian Chris Broussard.

The long and short of it is this. Jason Collins still claims to be a Christian even though he is openly gay. ESPN asked Broussard to comment on Collins’ claim that one can be both gay and Christian. Broussard answered the question politely and boldly, and he did so as a Christian. In fact, I think he said pretty much what I would have said if I had been asked such a question.

Read the rest here  and recognize that it is not going to get any easier to stand on the Word of God and with Christ in this culture.

Pastor Erik Raymond (full article) also nails it in my opinion:

The news firestorm provides a perfect screenshot of our cultural forecast. We have two professionals who are highly respected in their field and by their peers. They are both commenting on the same issue and boldly making statements about their personal convictions and lifestyle. However, one is being largely labeled a hero and a progressive champion while the other is being labeled a bigot and a conservative caveman. The cultural temperature is clearly seen on the issue of homosexuality.

But why the polemics? Why do the same people who get sore arms from waving the flags of progressive tolerance also go hoarse yelling that anyone who disagrees with them is unacceptable? The answer is simple: in so far as people march according to the cadence of what is popularly sanctioned as culturally “in tune” then they are fine. If they go off script then they are an impediment, a conservative stench amid the parade and pageantry of pluralism.

Collins is embraced because he is a powerful gust of wind into the secularist sails. Broussard is impugned because his statements (regardless of their personal conviction or tact) are a contrary wind at these same sails.

The popular American culture is like the frustrated, overworked, and overmatched Dad driving the family on long road-trip vacation. He wants to have fun and keeps telling everyone to have fun but he flies off the handle and yells at everyone all the time for not keeping in line. We say we are tolerant and accepting but if you don’t line up with popular opinion….well, “Don’t make me pull this car over!”

Everyone is talking about how far we have come as a country. Really? We can’t even have convictions or disagree. This seems like a step back to me.

 

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Preparing now for same-sex marriage and the coming persecution

I have been saying this for a little while but found one of my seminary professors, Bill Combs agreeing,

I first taught a seminary class on the book of Romans in 1985. I said then, as we discussed Rom 1:24–27, that I thought one day Christians in America would eventually face some sort of persecution for their views on homosexuality. It is easier to see now, many years later, how this could come about. Today, the public schools are teaching the normalcy of homosexuality, and the popular media is totally given over to its promotion. The military has now accepted “gays,” which, ultimately I think, will be the end for evangelical chaplains. Surely, the time will come, when only those new chaplains who accept the rightness of homosexuality will be admitted into the services. And the Boy Scouts have just caved. All of this means that Christians who do not affirm, not just a grudging acceptance of homosexuality, but a positive belief in its rightness—even goodness, will not only be ostracized by society, but actually persecuted by the government. Surely, the first thing to go will be the tax-exempt status of many institutions. What comes next is difficult to determine. Maybe persecution is too strong a word, but the consequences of opposing the homosexual tidal wave will not be pleasant.

Another professor David Murray writes that in addition to praying, preaching and continuing to campaign against same-sex marriage, we should prepare in the following ways (read a brief explanation of each point here)

1. Prepare our children
2. Prepare to love
3. Prepare for jail
4. Prepare for betrayal
5. Prepare for a refuge
6. Prepare for eternity

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The New Moral McCarthyism

Albert Mohler has some chilling words:

A new chapter in America’s moral revolution came today as Atlanta pastor Louie Giglio withdrew from giving the benediction at President Obama’s second inaugural ceremony. In a statement released to the White House and the Presidential Inaugural Committee, Giglio said that he withdrew because of the furor that emerged yesterday after a liberal watchdog group revealed that almost twenty years ago he had preached a sermon in which he had stated that homosexuality is a sin and that the “only way out of a homosexual lifestyle … is through the healing power of Jesus.”

In other words, a Christian pastor has been effectively disinvited from delivering an inaugural prayer because he believes and teaches Christian truth. . .  .

The imbroglio over Louie Giglio is the clearest evidence of the new Moral McCarthyism of our sexually “tolerant” age. During the infamous McCarthy hearings, witnesses would be asked, “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?”

In the version now to be employed by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, the question will be: “Are you now or have you ever been one who believes that homosexuality (or bisexuality, or transsexualism, etc.) is anything less than morally acceptable and worthy of celebration?”. . . .

The Presidential Inaugural Committee and the White House have now declared historic, biblical Christianity to be out of bounds, casting it off the inaugural program as an embarrassment. By its newly articulated standard, any preacher who holds to the faith of the church for the last 2,000 years is persona non grata. By this standard, no Roman Catholic prelate or priest can participate in the ceremony. No Evangelical who holds to biblical orthodoxy is welcome. The vast majority of Christians around the world have been disinvited. Mormons, and the rabbis of Orthodox Judaism are out. Any Muslim imam who could walk freely in Cairo would be denied a place on the inaugural program. Billy Graham, who participated in at least ten presidential inaugurations is welcome no more. Rick Warren, who incited a similar controversy when he prayed at President Obama’s first inauguration, is way out of bounds. In the span of just four years, the rules are fully changed.

The gauntlet was thrown down yesterday, and the axe fell today. Wayne Besen, founder of the activist group Truth Wins Out, told The New York Timesyesterday: “It is imperative that Giglio clarify his remarks and explain whether he has evolved on gay rights, like so many other faith and political leaders. It would be a shame to select a preacher with backward views on LBGT people at a moment when the nation is rapidly moving forward on our issues.”. . . 

We now see the new Moral McCarthyism in its undisguised and unvarnished reality. If you are a Christian, get ready for the question you will now undoubtedly face: “Do you now or have you ever believed that homosexuality is a sin?” There is nowhere to hide.”

Read all of “The Giglio Imbroglio: The Public Inauguration of a New Moral McCarthyism”

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Joel Osteen, positive thinking and homosexuality

Joel Osteen appeared on CNN again this week with Soledad O’Brien.  He was joined by Deepak Chopra, the New Age positive thinking speaker.  Chopra and Osteen basically teach the same positive thinking philosophy–one from the word of faith perspective and the other from Eastern spirituality.

The conversation then turned to the issue of homosexuality and Joel Osteen continued his practice of not addressing that issue or as he calls it “staying in his lane.”

Albert Mohler has a great analysis. At the end you of his article you can watch the video clip from this segment.

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Answering two objections on the Bible and homosexuality

Cripplegate has two good posts in light of the firestorm surrounding Chick-Fil-A and Christians who oppose same-sex marriage on the basis of biblical truth.

Objection #1:  “There are plenty other commands in Scripture that Christians don’t follow today, like the prohibition against mixing fabrics (Lev 19:19) or eating shellfish (Lev 11:10–12) and pork (Lev 11:7–8). So why not one more?” Response

Objection #2:  “In the midst of all of your attention to details of various Bible verses, you’ve lost the big picture. The cardinal virtue that Jesus taught His followers was love. If you value love, what’s the problem with two consenting adults making a commitment to each other out of love? Love is love. To insist that homosexuality is sinful and to deny them the right to get married is simply not loving, and therefore not Christian.”  Response

 

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The issue that will split every denomination eventually

“There is no way, short of a miraculous and full-scale changing of hearts and minds, for North American denominations to survive the homosexuality crisis. Denominations like the PCUSA, ELCA, RCA, UMC, and Episcopal Church will continue. They won’t fold their tents and join the Southern Baptists (though wouldn’t that be interesting!). I’m not suggesting most of our old, mainline denominations will disappear. But I do not see how any of these once flourishing denominations will make it through the present crisis intact.”

Kevin DeYoung in “Why No Denomination Will Survive the Homosexuality Crisis”

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No demilitarized zone on the homosexual issue

Sobering but a true assessment.

John Piper:

We have entered one of the most difficult challenges to a gospel-centered approach to evangelism. The reason is not that the center of the Christian gospel has changed, but the center of the cultural gospel has changed. That center for many is the freedom to be GLBT and to be approved.

Which means that whether we want to make this a frontline issue or not, increasingly it is. As one of the panelists said, “There is no demilitarized zone in the homosexual debate.” Pastors must address it. In fact, virtually everyone who communicates with mainstream cultural folk must address it.

The argument against Christianity today is not epistemological but moral. Christianity is rejected not because it is badly argued, or untrue, but because it is evil. And it is evil because it opposes homosexual practice. The panelists agreed that, at least in major metropolitan areas, the issue of homosexuality ranks near the top of the reasons people reject Christianity, along with the problem of suffering and the exclusive claim that Jesus is the only way of salvation.

It is almost impossible to express a compassionate disapproval of homosexual practice without being demonized. But this is not an entirely new situation for the church. On the one hand the state of our culture seems to have changed with lightening speed. On the other hand it may not be as new as it seems.

Keep reading to find out why  this is not new but what it means for the church.

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Speaking the truth about homosexuality: ten commitments

At a recent pastor’s conference I attended one of the questions was “In light of  how quickly homosexuality and so-called same-sex marriage is being legalized and legitimized  in our culture, how are you preparing your church to respond to this issue?”  There was a very interesting back and forth between the speakers and all of the points were very helpful.

Kevin DeYoung was not among the speakers but perhaps he heard about the question.  Even if he didn’t he answers that question well in this post where he talks about how we need to understand who we are talking to when we engage people on this issue.

He writes:

• If we are speaking to cultural elites who despise us and our beliefs, we want to be bold and courageous.
• If we are speaking to strugglers who fight against same sex attraction, we want to be patient and sympathetic.
• If we are speaking to sufferers who have been mistreated by the church, we want to be apologetic and humble.
• If we are speaking to shaky Christians who seem ready to compromise the faith for society’s approval, we want to be persuasive and persistent.
• If we are speaking to liberal Christians who have deviated from the truth once delivered for the saints, we want to be serious and hortatory.
• If we are speaking to gays and lesbians who live as the Scriptures would not have them live, we want to be winsome and straightforward.
• If we are speaking to beligerent Christians who hate or fear homosexuals, we want to be upset and disappointed.

And he then provides ten commitments that we must make to each other, to our friends, and to our opponents on this issue which are as follows:

1. We will preach through the Bible consecutively and expositionally that we might teach the whole counsel of God (even the unpopular parts) and to avoid riding hobby horses (even popular ones).

2. We will tell the truth about all sins, including homosexuality, but especially the sins most prevalent in our communities.

3. We will guard the truth of God’s word, protect God’s people from error, and confront the world when it tries to press us into its mold.

4. We will call all people to faith in Christ as the only way to the Father and the only way to have eternal life.

5. We will tell all people about the good news of the gospel, that Jesus died in our place and rose again so that we might be set free from the curse of the law and be saved from the wrath of God.

6. We will treat all Christians as new creations in Christ, reminding each other that our true identity is not based on sexuality or self-expression but on our union with Christ.

7. We will extend God’s forgiveness to all those who come in brokenhearted repentance, everyone from homosexual sinners to heterosexual sinners, from the proud to the greedy, from the people pleaser to the self-righteous.

8. We will ask for forgiveness when we are rude, thoughtless, or joke inappropriately about homosexuals.

9. We will strive to be a community that welcomes all those who hate their sin and struggle against it, even when that struggle involves failures and setbacks.

10. We will seek to love all  in our midst, regardless of their particular vices or virtues, by preaching the Bible, recognizing evidences of God’s grace, pointing out behaviors that dishonor the Lord, taking church membership seriously, exercising church discipline, announcing the free offer of the gospel, striving for holiness together, and exulting in Christ above all things.

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Shocking: churches reassessing homosexuality

The title “Megachurches and the New Liberalism” didn’t particularly catch my attention.  But what was preached by one of America’s most well-known pastors was shocking to me.  Incredible the warp speed that church’s are abandoning biblical truth. Dr. Albert Mohler writes:

“Some churches are openly considering how they can minister most faithfully, even as the public and private challenge of homosexuality and alternative sexual lifestyles has radically transformed the cultural landscape. Other churches, both large and small, are renegotiating their stance on the issue without drawing attention to the changes.

A shot now reverberating around the evangelical world was fired by Atlanta megachurch pastor Andy Stanley in recent days. Preaching at North Point Community Church, in a sermon series known as “Christian,” Stanley preached a message titled “When Gracie Met Truthy” on April 15, 2012. With reference to John 1:14, Stanley described the challenge of affirming grace and truth in full measure. He spoke of grace and truth as a tension, warning that “if you resolve it, you give up something important.”

The message was insightful and winsome, and Andy Stanley is a master communicator. Early in the message he spoke of homosexuals in attendance, mentioning that some had shared with him that they had come to North Point because they were tired of messages in gay-affirming churches that did nothing but affirm homosexuality.

Then, in the most intense part of his message, Stanley told the congregation an account meant to illustrate his message. He told of a couple with a young daughter who divorced when the wife discovered that the husband was in a sexual relationship with another man. The woman then insisted that her former husband and his gay partner move to another congregation. They did move, but to another North Point location, where they volunteered together as part of a “host team.” The woman later told Andy Stanley that her former husband and his partner were now involved as volunteers in the other congregational location.

The story took a strange turn when Stanley then explained that he had learned that the former husband’s gay partner was still married. Stanley then explained that the partner was actually committing adultery, and that the adultery was incompatible with his service on a host team. Stanley told the two men that they could not serve on the host team so long as the one man was still married. He later told of the former wife’s decision not to live in bitterness, and of her initiative to bring the whole new family structure to a Christmas service. This included the woman, her daughter, her former husband, his gay partner, and his daughter. Stanley celebrated this new “modern family” as an expression of forgiveness.

He concluded by telling of Christ’s death for sinners and told the congregation that Jesus does not condemn them, even if they cannot or do not leave their life of sin.

Declaring the death of Christ as atonement for sin is orthodox Christianity and this declaration is essential to the Gospel of Christ. The problem was that Stanley never mentioned faith or repentance — which are equally essential to the Gospel. There is indeed no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, but this defines those who have acted in repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). As for those who are not in Christ, they stand condemned already (John 3:18).

There is more–much more–to learn from this story from Dr. Mohler’s full article

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Kirk Cameron on homosexuality

Kirk Cameron was interviewed by Piers Morgan on CNN last week and called homosexuality “unnatural, detrimental, and ultimately destructive to the very foundation of civilization.”  I admire Kirk for his courage to speak the truth!

Denny Burk has the clip and more about the firestorm this has created in “Are You Paying Attention to Kirk Cameron?”

Then think about how you would respond to the situation and arguments Piers raises.

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