“What do they say?”
“What do you say when it comes up?”
“The talk” usually doesn’t show up right away. How bizarre do you have to be to talk about sex all the time? Furthermore, the gospel message is not “convert people to heterosexuality.”
The Gospel and the LGBT Community
The gospel message is about redemption, and yes, redemption of the whole person, including one’s sexuality.
I’ve sat with numerous gay friends of mine and they eventually ask, “So Alex, we hang out, you’re our friend and we know that you’re a pastor. Tell us, truly, how do you feel about, you know…us?”
“I love you guys.”
We laugh and then they’ll say, “No, seriously. What do you think?”
We all have friends, family and coworkers who are gay.
How are Christians to respond?
1. It doesn’t really matter what I think. I’m not your Creator. I’m not your judge.
2. I’m a terrible standard for truth. More times than not, I’ve sounded like Pilate and asked, “What is truth?” rather than, “Who is Truth?”
Then they say, “OK. Well, what does God say?”
Response: Moses in the Old Testament and Paul in the New Testament condemn practicing homosexuality as sin.
“But what about Jesus? What does he say?” they ask.
“Jesus doesn’t speak to it all.”
“So, what does that mean? Are we off the hook?”
“Not exactly. Jesus calls the heterosexual to repent of his or her perversion and runaway lust. I fall into this category. So what that means is that from cover to cover, God, in His Word, confronts us all in our sexual orientation, preferences and practices.”
Their jaws dropped and one said, “So, what you’re saying is that you need Jesus as much as I do?”
