The Rainbow Agenda and the Christian Response

[Editor's Note: the following was submitted by this writer as a letter to the editor of The Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper in Richmond, Virginia—the city that is home to Salem Web Network and Christianity.com.]

Like any father, I am concerned about the kind of world my children will inherit. I have two boys: one is nearly ten and the other is two-and-a-half. My newborn daughter is expected to arrive in just a few weeks. Last Father's Day, a colorful issue was blowing in the wind—a rainbow flag. It's probably being prepared to be unfurled again in a few days for LGBT Pride Month—the month of June. (LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender.) In 2011, the leadership at the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond, Virginia—the city where I live and work—decided to fly the flag of the gay pride movement following the president's endorsement of June as LGBT Pride Month. In that same spirit of celebrating diversity the city council issued a proclamation also designating June as LGBT Pride Month for Richmond. It seems that the colorful rainbow agenda of the LGBT movement is in full bloom. 

Because such unprecedented pro-homosexual statements are increasingly being made in public in the U.S., a Christian response to the contrary should not come as a surprise. Although many may advocate homosexuality in the name of Christian love, they do so perhaps without realizing that such a position deeply conflicts with a coherent Christian view.

For example, recently, the sitting U.S. president made history by endorsing same-sex marriage, citing Christian reasons for doing so. In one sense, it's quite correct to say that Christians are not against those who practice homosexuality. Just as Christians are not anti-liars (we simply affirm that lying is wrong), so we are not against people involved in homosexuality. It is clearly not a Christian virtue to hate anyone who sins. But it is Christian to oppose sin. And on this point, Bible-believers must depart from the president's view.  

The historic Christian perspective holds that it is absolutely unconscionable either to practice or condone any expression of sexuality outside the sacred bonds of male-female marriage. You may not agree with this view. I may not agree with yours. But name-calling by either side is counterproductive and distracts from fair consideration of the issues.

As fellow human beings we value free speech, including humane disagreement. It is unfortunate that many professing Christians do a poor job of representing Christ (and seem to get the most media attention for doing so). However, they do not speak for me. Sadly, it seems that ordinary Christians are increasingly being associated with the lunatic fringe elements of Christianity. Bible-believers are being labeled as ‘hate mongers' for simply being true to the same historic Christian faith that led to the abolition of slavery.  

In recent years, it has become frowned upon to not go along with the dubious assumption that people who practice homosexuality are irrecoverably and genetically destined to act out same-sex impulses. If the reader is bound by such an assumption and habitually labels as a 'hater' anyone who dares to question such a belief, it may do little good to read further. But, I suspect, there are more than a few who are genuinely interested in gaining a better understanding of why Christians so strongly oppose (or ought to oppose) the rainbow agenda.

Contrary to the abysmal image that some professing Christians project, homosexuality is not a special sin deserving of special disdain. In fact, if it helps take the edge off of the religious overtones of the word sin, what the Bible calls "sin" may be thought of in common sense terms as destructive behavior that promises fulfillment but doesn't lead to it. Ultimately, sin is any lack of conformity to God's holy requirements in the Bible. Sin is disregard for God that leads to the transgression of His moral will (1Thessalonians 4:3-7). Not everyone understands or respects the gravity of that, so some attention will be given to explore what that means.

Simply put, Christians believe the Bible when it says: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people" (Proverbs 14:34). In other words, any society that condones destructive behavior (as Scripture defines it), is a society that will weaken and decline. 

To anyone who prefers to live by his or her own rules, Christianity, particularly the Christian view of sex, is highly offensive to begin with. It makes a discussion like this tense enough from the start. When grown adults (Christians included) act or speak in a graceless, mean-spirited way it only makes matters worse. But truthful speech cannot be set aside for the sake of avoiding confrontation. For, it is ultimately an act of kindness and compassion to inform people of truth, just as we tend to benefit from the truthful diagnosis of a doctor. 

Some diagnoses come as a shock, and I realize that this may be a shock for some readers, but the faithful, historic interpretation of the Bible calls homosexuality a sinful, self-destructive act. The New Testament lists homosexuality right alongside lying (1 Timothy 1:10), robbing, being greedy, swindling (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), gossiping and committing murder (Romans 1:25-31). Such broad lists like these are meant to convey one thing: we all have sin issues. It's bad news for all of us.

Repeat: we all have sin issues.

The bad news for those who engage in homosexuality does not go away simply by the spurious claim that somehow the Church has "misunderstood" these texts for centuries, only to be corrected by later revisionist scholars in recent decades. These New Testament Scriptures are perfectly clear. They claim binding authority over all people in all time periods, regardless of whether people acknowledge such a claim (Philippians 2:7-11). 

For readers who are for the first time seeing Bible verses that condemn homosexuality, they aren't quoted to be inflammatory. Rather, they are cited to make clear what Scripture actually says. Biblical standards of right and wrong have stood the test of time. You might choose to ignore them, but changing them is not a valid option. 

People try to use the Bible to argue that accepting homosexuality is how we are to 'love our neighbor,' but they omit the first half of what Jesus said in that context. Jesus actually said, "The great and first commandment is 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" (Matthew 22:36-40). In other words, love for one's neighbor is bounded by one's primary allegiance to God. How can one claim to love God, yet hate what His Word says about homosexuality, or disregard His design for marriage?

In the Bible, God exclusively blesses male-female marriage (Mark 10:6-9, Hebrews 13:4, 1Timothy 1:9-10). He is clearly opposed to all sexual activity outside of that sacred relationship. Bear in mind, everything that God forbids He forbids from a loving heart. Sexual activity outside of male-female marriage not only disregards God's will but it also does harm to the participants, regardless of whether it's consensual, and regardless of whether the harm (or the offense toward God) is ever acknowledged. God is all for sex. It's a powerful, wonderful expression of love that He designed. God isn't against sex. Christians aren't prejudiced prudes. God is against the wrongful use of sex, ultimately, because He has your best interests at heart. 

Far too many people wrongly assume that God exists simply for our happiness as we choose to define it. If that were true, then opposing the rainbow agenda would be just baseless prejudice. But God isn't a willing recruit for anyone's personal agenda. That's why this discussion can't be simply about who has the most Bible verses to shoot like missiles at each other.

At the core of the topic of human sexuality, as with all topics, is either a sound understanding of God or a flawed understanding of God. People may say that morality can't be legislated, but that simply isn't true. Indeed, some view of God (conscious or not) undergirds every political decision and law that gets passed. This is not always apparent, but is especially visible with issues surrounding the rainbow agenda. Unavoidably, someone's view of morality is codified into human law, while contrary views of morality are overturned. 

Rightly understood, the Christian view of sex is just as offensive to unmarried teens and singles at church who are engaging in premarital (heterosexual) sex as it is to a transvestite marching in a parade. So, the issue really can't be compartmentalized and made into just an issue about homosexuality. The rainbow flag flying downtown at Richmond's Federal Reserve building is simply the flashpoint of discussion. 

Something should probably be said here about how the Old Testament fits together with the New Testament. Frequently, you'll see people struggling to make sense of the laws about not eating shellfish and not mixing different kinds of cloth when they also see a law against homosexuality in the same context (Leviticus 18-20). They seem to think that they can discount the prohibition against homosexuality since the other laws have been nullified (Acts 10:9-48). Such Scripture twisting is all too common. The Bible actually is quite clear and consistent, despite those who misinterpret it (2 Peter 3:16).

The basic rule of interpretation is that whenever an Old Testament moral principle is re-stated in the New Testament, it means that moral principle is meant to be interpreted as still binding today. The passages quoted above from Matthew, Mark, 1 Timothy, 1 Corinthians, Romans, and Hebrews are all in the New Testament. They serve as excellent examples of this basic rule. For those struggling to make sense of the Bible, the widely accepted text How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth, by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart is a good resource. (Two short articles that may also be useful are "Choosing a Bible Translation" and "Use a Coherent Method of Bible Study.")

People may object that the Bible is just a human book or that it's been changed and cannot be trusted.¹ But such arguments have been sufficiently answered both in short and at length. Anyone can be set free from the fruitless cul-de-sac of skepticism if they have ears to hear.

As people who are limited in knowledge, we need truth from God, whose knowledge is infinite. We may not always like the truth we hear, but we certainly need it. The Bible is the anvil of truth that wears out every hammer in every age. The Richmond City Council, Federal Reserve leadership, and the U.S. president have turned truth upside down. Saying so might mean Christians like me will be wrongly accused of "hate speech." But to refrain from objecting to moral decay is, in the historic Christian view, truly hateful non-speech. 

Each of us will face God in judgment. And as Hebrews 10:31 says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." And 2 Corinthians 5:11 "Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade [others]" to "repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance" (Acts 26:20). 

Christians aren't out to judge others as if we're somehow better in and of ourselves. We simply embrace God's unchanging standard of morality and differ with those who would assault it, change it, or ignore it. We point to salvation in Christ as the solution for broken people who, like us, have gone against God's healthy design for their lives. Yes, Christians have fallen short of God's holy requirements just like everyone else. We're no better than anyone. The solution is not to ignore God's moral standard though. Nor is it ultimately helpful to try to change it by misinterpreting the Bible. 

The Christian hope for homosexuals is not heterosexuality, but holiness. We're not trying to make gays straight but take them straight to Jesus, just as we would anyone ensnared by sin. Once they trust Him, He gives them His perfect righteousness, frees them from sin, and transforms their lives from the inside out. 

As for tolerance, well, genuine Christians are all for living at peace with those they disagree with. Many today confuse the word tolerance with "acceptance" or "affirmation." It's assumed that anyone who is not pro-gay is automatically a "hater." No, the historic meaning of tolerance is that we should live peacefully and respectfully together, though we disagree even in outspoken ways.

Christians are called to something more than mere tolerance. We are called to express the truth of the Bible clearly. We are to do so with love, having as our aim the rescue and restoration of sinners just like us. That's what it means to love one's neighbor. The truths of Christianity are public and universal, not private and parochial. The historical record of Christ's life, death, and resurrection exists because it's true, not because it's a propped up religious myth. This fact has bearing on every life, acknowledged or not.

As for so-called "homophobia," Christians don't fear homosexuals, but fear for them, just as we would for anyone enslaved in sin of any type. We know the judgment that awaits all those who will not turn from their sin and turn to Christ. What Jesus accomplished saves sinners: His sinless life, His substitutionary death on the cross, and His rising from the dead. Christ sets free all who are enslaved to sin and removes all fear of judgment and punishment.

Far from being a religion of negativity, Christianity positively declares that knowing Jesus Christ is the greatest thing in the universe. The Christian message not only makes sense of life, it includes the good news that God can restore all that sin has broken. In other words, the world we all want is coming—complete peace, justice, and human flourishing in the manifest presence of God. You can be part of it. Christ forgives those who admit to being sinners and who call out to Him for rescue from sin's control. By trusting Christ, anyone can be transformed into a person who lives in a way that pleases God. 

Bible-believing Christians are concerned for our neighbors who struggle with same-sex attraction, and we seek their good. We affirm the dignity of fellow human beings who also bear the image of God. We all need the light of truth shined into our darkness. Jesus said, "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness" (John 12:46). He said this knowing that people "love darkness rather than light" (John 3:19).

But instead of meeting God someday in condemnation, you can meet Him now in blessing. Wrong desires can be changed so that you begin to love the things He loves. Although, I have been personally guilty of numerous sins, I am forgiven because Christ died and rose again for sinners like me. Jesus Christ gives a clean slate (1 Corinthians 6:11) and new desires (Titus 2:11-14). The same offer of forgiveness and transformation extends to everyone reading this with a heart to understand.

Admittedly, in the U.S., a number of our founders were Christians in name only. Some were merely deists. Still, the historic Christian faith was the worldview that provided the moral underpinnings of this country, and that worldview has weighty implications for matters of public life. One of the maxims of the Christian outlook is that the improvisational morality that infects our times is, quite simply, a farce. A shifting moral foundation upholds nations about as well as the Sahara upholds skyscrapers. It goes without saying that condoning homosexuality represents a seismic shift in the moral landscape of the United States.   

Martin Luther King, Jr. is a man greatly admired, and deservedly so. It's been well-established that historic Christianity was the moral authority behind not only the abolition of slavery, but also the triumph of the Civil Rights movement. To the dismay of many, however, it has become common to hear LGBT advocates claim that they are "today's oppressed people group," as if people with same-sex attraction are the heirs of the Civil Rights movement. The moms and dads I know in the African American community (as well as some outspoken leaders) are deeply offended at the comparison that the homosexual community makes by hijacking the Civil Rights cause for their agenda.

The Bible clearly affirms the dignity and worth of all people, regardless of skin color. But the Bible condemns homosexuality because it is rebellion against the created order of male-female marriage (Romans 1:18-32). The Civil Rights movement was a welcome corrective to a pernicious evil—one that many professing Christians today are unfortunately still blind to, namely racism. Christianity does not uphold the gay pride movement in the least. 

Again, we are all sinners. We all have temptations that we struggle with. Some people struggle with same-sex attraction. Others struggle with different sins. Honesty and humility about this is the pathway to peace. Trying to get the whole world to celebrate a lie will only serve to prolong cultural conflict.

Tampering with the definition of marriage is like tampering with the atomic structure of hydrogen. The abomination of homosexuality will never be on equal footing with God's created order of male-female marriage. People of conscience will continue to firmly believe so. Some may call same-sex relationships "marriage" but such unions will never fit the Christian definition of marriage. I will never perform one. Most people (not just conservative Christians) reject the notion of same-sex marriage when allowed to think about the matter in the privacy of a voting booth. Polls will probably always report a different story, as evidenced by Gallup recently.  As hard as it is for some people to accept, millions of Americans just don't believe in so-called "marriage equality." A Supreme Court decision forcing them to accept it would have the opposite effect.

Genuine concern compels us to rescue people from drowning, not open the floodgates and drench the city. Apparently, the City Council and the leaders of the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank think that opening the floodgates is the right idea. They have made a rash move to shape society with their bully pulpits. Regardless of whether it changes anything, I hope the flag is taken down and never raised again. I'm not the only young-ish dad in Virginia who feels that way. 

Not everybody has a tall building or a presidential office at their disposal by which to make a public statement. I'm just a dad. And—like most American dads—I don't have a clue how to remove myself from the Federal Reserve System. Maybe the leaders of the Fed thought that everyone would just go along with their "forward thinking" and not say anything. Maybe they thought it would just be the older crowd to raise objections. Not so. Truth tends to forge strong convictions. That's why attempts to normalize homosexuality through TV sitcoms like Will & Grace, Glee, and Modern Family don't have the desired effect on every young family.  

I realize that a letter like this might provoke the typical rebuttals: ‘Hate is not a family value' or ‘Commonsense is the first casualty of ignorance,' etc. People have the freedom to state such non sequiturs if they so choose. I defend their right to say as they please. This letter is for those who want to discuss what is genuinely in people's best interest, not for those who want another shouting match. 

Christians don't hate people of the LGBT community. In their confusion, they distort the God-ordained beauty of human sexuality and it appears that they cannot rest until everyone affirms their behavior. Why must it be skewed as "hate" to have sympathy for such tragic people? One can only imagine what potent slavery must bind their souls to promises of personal fulfillment that never live up to the claim as well as a distorted view of God that has them thinking He's up in the heavens waving a rainbow banner right along with them.

When biblical truth resonates and takes root, people escape sin's entrapment and there can be a reversal of moral decline in a society. That said, saving society is not the Christian's primary calling. Telling people the gospel of salvation is. Instead of getting drawn into frustrating debates on Facebook, or whipping ourselves into a frenzy with political activism, Christians need to focus on compassionately proclaiming the gospel of Christ. That's what the Holy Spirit uses to 'turn the switch on' in people's hearts and cause them to see the truth and the beauty of Christ.

This seismic shift in our culture is a dramatic wake up call. The moral decay that is all around us can serve as a daily reminder of the Savior's parting words that He is with His true followers, even unto the end. Perhaps better changes ahead will be blowing in the wind for America's children and grandchildren to the glory of God. But it's probably wise to prepare for the likelihood that society's morality will continue to decline.

The failed "Moral Majority" experiment of the 1980s showed us that top-down legislation of Christian virtues doesn't bring about lasting change in the hearts of people. However, this doesn't mean that it's unimportant for Christians to participate in the political process. As citizens, we can and should call for biblical morality to be reflected in our laws. As mentioned before, someone's version of morality is going to be reflected there. Bible-believing Christians can be good citizens as well as faithful proclaimers of the good news of salvation in Christ. As we do, we leave the work of changing other people's hearts in God's hands.

This is not a call to be soft on the Bible, or make the gospel palatable to the masses. The gospel pointedly confronts blindness in those who are deluded that they can see. And that's an offense we will never avoid.

Alex Crain is the managing editor of Christianity.com and BibleStudyTools.com. 
You can RSS his blog and follow him on Twitter @alex_crain. 

Updated 5/29/2012

1. On occasion, someone will point to a passage like 1 Corinthians 7:6-12 as grounds to say that Paul the Apostle often wavered between offering his own opinions and writing inspired Scripture. The spurious implication is then drawn that Paul's writings against homosexuality may also be viewed as non-binding. But in 1 Corinthians, Paul was neither denying inspiration nor saying that he was merely giving human opinion. Rather, he simply showed where he quoted Jesus from His earthly ministry (v. 10), and then he went on to write further revelation from God that had not been previously given. This was consistent with his ministry as well as the progressive way that inerrant Scripture was revealed until its completion at the close of the first century A.D.