Unless your head was buried ten feet under ground the this past month, you know June is
“Pride Month.” According to Wikipedia, “Gay pride or LGBT pride is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people as a social group.”

Western society has moved beyond the idea of self-affirmation to full on condoning all norms established by the LGBTQ+ community. The Biden White House even issued A Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month, on June 1, 2021 in full support of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Pride,” the key word chosen by the LGBTQ+ community to define their movement, is making waves around the Western world. This past weekend, in my country of birth (Brazil), soccer games featured gay pride corner flags on the field. Famous Brazilian soccer teams like Vasco and Fluminense feature team jerseys with rainbow flags on them in support of the gay movement. Rainbow flags were also featured outside the Munich Soccer Arena ahead of Germany’s Euro 2020 match with Hungary.

Amazon, Netflix, Google, and HBO max feature a barrage of gay-themed programming, not to mention Disney’s celebration of their first ever bisexual character, Loki. One does not have to go very far to see how the LGBTQ+ movement is influencing our culture. Last year, on September 17, 2020, the city of Raleigh featured “Drag Queen Story Hour” for kids. An article by WRAL explains, “Drag Queen Story Hour is just what it sounds like — drag queens reading to children and telling them stories in libraries, businesses and other public spaces to inspire creativity and teach them it’s okay to be different.”

Furthermore, the full condoning of gay pride this past month came alongside the announcement in the news that NFL player Carl Nassib became the first active player to announce his homosexuality. Furthermore, the NFL came out with an ad that claims “Football is Gay…” And it is not just public life that has been influenced by the movement, the military also. The Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada recently hosted its first-ever drag queen show at one of its on-base dining and entertainment clubs, according to one of their spokespersons.

The Bible and Gay Pride

Let me be clear, I do not hate or abhor anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+. I believe that any fair society should treat all its citizens with respect and honor. As a Christ follower, I am not only commanded to love my neighbor, but to also not pass on condemnation unto others. My argument here in this article is not fueled by disdain for LGBTQ+ people. Rather, it just to highlight the fact that I believe a biblical-based worldview does not condone the affirmation of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle.

Note that the basis for my argument is biblically-centered. In other words, I do not believe the Bible affirms homosexuality. Rather, it views homosexual practice as sinful. Our culture wants to define people by their sexual orientation. However, the Bible teaches us that our sexual orientation is not the most important thing about being a creature made in the image of God.

Dr. Michael Brown, in his book Can You Be Gay and Christian? writes, “Everyone’s story is different, but the bottom line is that God doesn’t call us to heterosexuality as much He calls us to holiness (e.g., Ephesians 5:1–16; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8). More than that, He calls us to Himself—to the complete surrender of all that we are and all that we have and all that we desire to Him. And that is how we now define ourselves: as children of God, as sons and daughters of the Most High, as servants of the Lord” (p. 28).

Scripture tells us that God created man and woman as similar yet different from one another. The Hebrew word for man is “ish” and the Hebrew word for woman is “isha.” You do not have to be familiar with biblical Hebrew to notice that these two words are correlated and have similar pronunciation. Though similar, they too communicate distinction.

Furthermore, in Genesis 1:27 when God creates humans into his image, he distinguishes them as zachar (male) and nekevah (female). These two words carry the idea of total distinction. When man and woman are encouraged to become one in Genesis 2, what is implied is that male to female relationships are the norm established by God. This text, therefore, does not condone the idea of same-sex marriage. Jesus makes reference to it in Matthew 19:5 affirms marriage as between one man and one woman as the biblical standard.

Are Christians to be against same-sex couples? No. Are Christians to condone same-sex marriage as the norm? No. Two things can be true at the same time. Christians should be able to disagree with same-sex marital relationships as being the appropriate norm, meanwhile being able to love those who choose to practice such lifestyle. I have gay neighbors, but I do not treat them any different (neither should anyone) than any of my other neighbors. A friend of mine just attended his neighbors’ party this weekend; they are a same-sex couple who are soon going to become adoptive parents.

The reason why I cannot condone, and neither should any Christian condone Pride Month, is because its moral thrust is contrary to biblical ideals. Romans 1:27 describes the practice of homosexuality as sinful. Some have tried to point out this text refers to male cult prostitution, but offer no solid contextual evidence for such claim. Elsewhere in Scripture the practice of homosexuality is described negatively (i.e. Sodom and Gomorrah and Leviticus law).

To conclude, all people, including any members of the LGBTQ+ community, should be treated with respect. We should love our neighbors as ourselves. Hatred should not be fostered in the hearts and minds of anyone, let alone Christ followers. However, as Dr Michael Brown points out, “Some Christians may be judgmental and even hateful, which is wrong and inexcusable, but as followers of Jesus we are called to recognize the difference between right and wrong, to make proper moral judgments rather than be judgmental and condemning” (p. 12).

If you support the LGBTQ+ community I want you to know that my intent is not to make characterizations. I simply disagree with your view of morality, as much as you disagree with mine. As decent people, we should be able to still relate to one another cordially even though we may disagree on certain issues. Though I am not proud of pride month because of its support of LGBTQ+ values, I do appreciate the fact I can be friends with people that hold to a different set of values than mine while still maintaining civility.

Written by Daniel Messina

Read another one of my articles here: https://pastordanielmessina.com/the-trans-formation-of-america/