How Should Christians Respond to Homosexuality?

Sean McDowell — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 10:25:11 -0800

This week I found myself embroiled in quite the online controversy. On Wednesday morning a friend forwarded me a tweet that went out saying, “Josh McDowell’s son uses fear, hate, & ignorance to teach kids how to ‘love’”. Obviously that got my attention! So I followed the link to the webpage and found a cropped video of a panel I was on at the Rock Church in San Diego in 2008 regarding Prop 8.

I was asked the question about how Christians should treat their gay friends. My response, which I think is biblical, is that we are to respond with both grace and truth (John 1:17). Paul says love speaks the truth (1 Cor. 13). But the video showed my opening story and cut the last two minutes, leaving it entirely without context. The video was posted online, and needless to say, I was criticized rather harshly for being hateful, unChristian, fear-mongering, and ignorant (among other things!).

Check out the first blog post here. It’s worth reading some of the comments to see how quickly judgments are made about motives and character. Then a friend of mine, Chad, sent in the whole video and, to his credit, Matthew (the blogger) posted the whole video for context.

After seeing many of the comments, I decided to write Matthew a personal letter with my thoughts. Again, to his credit, he responded graciously to me and posted it online with some more personal thoughts of his own.

This experience has taught me quite a bit about how Christians should or should not respond to homosexuality. My desire is to love biblically, but not judge people in ways I don’t judge myself (Matthew 7). One commenter said that Christians often focus on this one sin and ignore pride, sloth, and other sins. There’s probably some truth in this. The more I realize the depth of my own sin, the less willing I am to point fingers at others.

Another commenter accused me of focusing solely on homosexuality but not heterosexual sins. Ironically, this is the only time I have ever spoken publicly on homosexuality and yet have spoken hundreds of times against heterosexual promiscuity. This is a good reminder not to make quick judgments without context.

I would love to know anyone’s thoughts on how Christians should respond. The tension surrounding homosexuality is only beginning. Every Christian leader will be confronted in this way soon. In fact, this week Joel Osteen was cornered on this question on the Piers Morgan show on CNN. I think Joel gave a loving and yet Scriptural response. This proves definitively that it is no longer possible for a Christian to stand on biblical principles and not be accused of hate. It doesn’t matter how lovingly you say something, or how sincerely you mean it. If you think homosexual behavior is wrong then you are hateful, bigoted, and ignorant—period.

So, the question is: How should Christians respond to our culture that is increasingly hostile to biblical Christianity, especially in relation to the question of homosexuality? Thoughts?

PROP 8 TRIAL: Strange Bedfellows

Craig Detweiler — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:35:12 -0800

While no one can predict the outcome of the Prop 8 trial, the unlikely pairing of conservative lawyer Theodore Olson with his former liberal foe, David Boies, is making plenty of headlines. They faced off in the famous Bush vs. Gore Supreme Court battle. Together, they are now arguing against the constitutionality of California's Proposition 8 which outlawed gay marriage.

Newsweek features a fascinating first person account from Ted Olson. Rather than discussing how and when he reversed his position, the former solicitor general for George W. Bush maintains that conservatives should inherently affirm individual liberty and any legislation that promotes marriage, stability and family. It is also intriguing that liberal lion David Boies relishes the opportunity to put the Obama's administration's equivocating on the issue on trial. He told Newsweek, "The current administration has been decidedly halfway on this issue," he says, "and I think the specter of having George Bush's lawyer out in front of a Democratic president is something that, shall we say, might stimulate people to rethink their positions." Conservative scion Edwin Meese offered an editorial protesting the particulars of the trial (including its San Francisco venue) in the famed venue of the left, The New York Times.

I don't write this to argue the various points/sides of the trial. More to marvel at how this moment we're living in expands the bounds of what we've come to consider conservative/liberal and traditional/progressive. In this case, the established political lines and loyalties seem rethought and reshuffled. This is exactly the surprising blend of red and blue that we look for (and embody) at Purple State of Mind.

Follow the hour by hour of the trial posted by the Mercury News.