“Our confidence in Christ does not make us lazy, negligent, or careless, but on the contrary it awakens us, urges us on, and makes us active in living righteous lives and doing good.” – Zwingli
Throughout history, there have always been movements. A movement can be defined as, “a group of people working together to advance their shared political, social, or artistic ideas.” In our own country of the United States, movements have been apart of our society since its beginning. The American Revolution started with a movement to separate from England. The Abolition Movement sought to end slavery. The Women’s Right Movement, which first started in 1848, sought for various rights for women. Currently, the Climate Change Movement and Black Lives Matter Movement have had significant impact on our culture.
When we step back and analyze these historical movements (and even current movements), we need to see if a movement is beneficial or hazardous to our culture. There are many that fit both the good and the bad. Something that is beneficial, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is defined as “producing good results or helpful effects.” When we see movements like the Hippie Movement, Black Lives Matter, and Abolition we can legitimately discover if that movement has benefited society (Abolition) or not (The Ku Klux Klan Movement).
As a church, we need to do the same with every social movement. As a new movement marches the streets, Christians are responsible to not react to these movements. Christians are to look to Scripture and see if there is any way this movement can help the church.
A movement benefiting the church would need to bring helpful effects. However, to clarify what this looks like, we need some criteria.
The Criteria
As Merriam-Webster defines, a movement that is beneficial needs to produce helpful affects.
Therefore…
A movement beneficial to the church would need to push us in our gospel-focused interactions with people.
A movement beneficial to the church would need to cultivate a deeper Biblical thinking and study of the Word.
A movement beneficial to the church would need to affirm our stance on God’s Word.
A movement beneficial to the church would need to assist us in our gospel proclamation.
We can all agree if a movement came along that fulfilled these criteria, that movement would beneficial to the church. For example, the Abolition Movement fulfills each of these criteria. We learned to study the Word deeper and cultivate a Biblical thinking on the issue of race and slavery. We were forced to push our gospel-focused interactions with people of different races. We were forced to stand on what God’s Word said about slavery and race rather than mans’ misguided teaching. We have been pushed to contextualize the Gospel to other people groups and not white-wash our churches and the Gospel.
Therefore…
The Proposition
The LGBT+ Movement benefits the church.
The LGBT+ Movement is dedicated to gaining rights and normalcy for those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and any other category in this group.
First, we need to remember that we do not bend where God’s Word stands on this issue. What God’s Word says about this lifestyle or this worldview or however we want frame it we do not compromise. What God’s Word says goes.
Second, this means there will be disagreement between Christians and the LGBT+ Movement over what is sin and what is not sin. As Christians, we stick with Scripture. However, it does not mean that the LGBT+ Movement can’t benefit the church. As we will see, the LGBT+ Movement fulfills our criteria; and therefore, is beneficial to the church.
Image of God Interactions
Genesis 1:26-27. God creates all human beings in His image. Men and women are created by God, personally, in His image. God did not make us like the animals. He did not make us like plants. We are the crowning glory of His creation.
Each human bears the image of God. Genesis 9:5-6 states that any murder of a human is heinous in God’s sight, because it is destroying someone who bears God’s image. We would agree that abortion is murder because it is destroying the image of God.
James 3:7-9 takes the destruction of God’s image bearers even further. Not only is murder destroying the image of God, but according to James the slandering and verbal degradation of another person is degrading the image of God.
Not only actions and words, but attitudes that degrade the image of God are condemned in James 2:1-13. We are not to show favoritism. We are all made in the image of God. Therefore, having an attitude that one is inferior than another is still degrading the image of God.
When we look at the LGBT+ Movement, what comes to mind? Do we call them the “alphabet soup”? Do we see them as freaks in society? Do we avoid having friends who identify with this group, because we see them as inferior to us? How do we see the sin of homosexuality? Is it a sin no one can be forgiven of? Is it a sin worst than any other? Or, is it a sin like stealing, lying, and idolatry? When the topic of the LGBT+ Movement came up in your life, how did you respond?
Romans 3:23 clearly states that all have sin (including us), and all have fallen short of the glory of God. I Corinthians 6:9-10 condemns all of us. We are all not without sin.
The LGBT+ Movement benefits the church, because it challenges how we view each other as fallen image bearers of God in need of a Savior. All of us are lost in sin. All are in need of Jesus Christ. We will continue to degrade the image of God in those who identify with the LGBT+ Movement until we see them as God sees us – Fallen image bearers in need of a Savior.
When we do not see them as image bearers, we assume the worst about their motives and interactions with the world around us. The American government did the same thing with Japanese-Americans after the bombing of Pear Harbor. People did the same thing during the Red Scare with their trials. Lastly, Christians did the same thing during the Salem Witch Trials.
When we forget to see people as the image bearers of God, we treat them under suspicion. Everyone needs Jesus. The LGBT+ Movement benefits the church by challenging us to continue to see people as made in the image of God who are fallen and need a Savior just like we do.
A Deeper Bible Study
One of the most reoccurring themes in the pulpit today is that of Bible study. Pastors and teachers in the church continually challenge us to read and study our Bibles with depth in order to know God and to know how to live for Him.
Titus 1:9 is a forgotten reason for studying the Bible. We are to study the Bible with such a depth that we are able to answer those who try to contradict what the Bible says.
In recent news, we have seen many instances where the LGBT+ Movement contradicts Scripture. However, we tend to react to those things. We stiff arm and say, “that is wrong.” But, we do not have a reason. We have not studied the Bible in-depth in order to come to a Biblical response to the LGBT+ Movement.
The LGBT+ Movement challenges us to study the Word deeper and to come to a Biblical response to what is happening. This is a benefit to the church. Instead of reacting the this movement, have you seen it as a God-given opportunity to deepen your Scripture study? If we all claim II Timothy 3:16-17 as a promise of what God’s Word does in our lives, then do you not think it is sufficient to answer the questions and concerns of this movement? If you have been pushed to study your Bible deeper for God’s glory, then it is benefiting the church.
A Firmly Founded Stand
Sometimes there are ideas and movements in our culture which make our faith seem to wobble under pressure. We are unsure what to do. We think we know the truth, but we are scared to stand for the truth. The pressure comes, and we feel like cowards towards God’s truth. However, the issues of the LGBT+ Movement forces us and challenges us to stand firm on God’s Word.
Paul’s final exhortation, in I Corinthians 16:13, urges us to stand firm in the faith. He commands us to be courageous and strong. He would not give us this exhortation if it was going to be easy to stand on God’s Word in faith. In fact, throughout the New Testament we are urged to stand firm in our faith and to stand on God’s Word no matter what movement or government is sweeping society (Ephesians 6:10-18; Philippians 4:1; Colossians 4:12; II Thessalonians 2:15; I Peter 5:12)
Any person, movement, government, or anything that forces us to stand firm in our faith in beneficial. The reason is because we live by faith, and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7).
Contextualizing our Outreach
As missionaries plant themselves in other countries to make disciples, they have to learn to contextualize the Gospel. Contextualizing the Gospel is not changing the message of the Gospel. It is adjusting the presentation of the Gospel in order for a people group to understand it. Paul clearly contextualizes his Gospel presentations throughout the book of Acts. In Acts 13:13-52 Paul preaches to a group of Jews. He uses a lot of Old Testament references in order to reach the Jews. However, in Acts 17:16-34 Paul takes a whole different approach to reaching Gentiles with the Gospel. He uses their own culture to reach them by using the altar to the unknown god as an illustration and expounds on a point using one of their poets.
Have you ever thought how you would share the Gospel with someone in the LGBT+ Movement? How would you share with them how to be reconciled with their Creator through the work of Jesus Christ in faith? The message of forgiveness of sin through Christ will not change, but how we present it will change.
The LGBT+ Movement benefits the church by challenging us to present the Gospel in a contextualized way that will make sense to those who identify with this group. If we all agree we are all created in God’s image who are fallen and in need of Jesus to save us, then we need to know how to present that to everyone so they can understand it and make their faith in Jesus personal.
Conclusion
Movements come and go throughout history. Our country has seen many. Our churches have seen and interacted with many. We have been benefited by many; like the Abolition Movement. However, some movements we react to and forget there might be a benefit in disguise. The LGBT+ Movement is one we tend to react and stiff arm. We forget to Biblically respond.
The LGBT+ Movement does benefit the church. We will disagree on the issue of sin. However, that does not excuse the church to write off this movement. We can learn and grow as Christians from things we Biblically disagree with. God brings things into our lives to grow us. Do you not think the LGBT+ Movement can be used to grow our faith and churches? God uses everything for His glory as He uses the church to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
The next time you come across the LGBT+ Movement or someone who identifies with this group, what are you going to think? How are you going to approach this group? Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). All nations mean all peoples. All people include those in the LGBT+ Movement. This movement does benefit the church as we seek to fulfill the mission of the church to make disciples of all peoples.
“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Braced By Truth 