Pride Month is celebrated in June by many around the world — including corporations and governments — in support of the LGBT movement. The movement was initially focused on being against unjust discrimination of LGBT people (which I agree with in principle) — but that is no longer what it is today. Today, promoting the LGBT ideology is seen as one of the great markers of being a ‘good’ person or organisation. Even corporates are not immune from this kind of moral activism that is far from its own purposes — and are happy to jump on the celebration bandwagon in order to gain a commercial advantage. After all, what do shaving equipment manufacturers and airlines have to do with the rainbow flag? Nothing, except that it is an opportunity to latch onto popular cultural sentiment and build an image or reputation on the back of it.
The times we live in are especially marked by the phenomena of ‘virtue signalling’ and social activism. Quiet acts of mercy or charity are no longer a sufficient indicator of one’s morality — our stances must now be shouted out from the rooftops or tweeted with trending hashtags. Our public positions have become the barometer by which society judges our moral status. You could be an upstanding citizen, but your view of the gospel and its implications in the areas of abortion or sexuality are enough to consign you to hell. There is now public disgust and revulsion that ‘barbaric and dark-age beliefs’ such as chastity or life-long marital fidelity can be held by decent people.
While it may not seem threatening at first, the celebration of Pride Month is usually combined with ideological agendas to normalise the sinful lifestyle. What was laughed at as being absurd is now the new normal. But then again, this is not new. Back in the 40’s, going to church and being nationalistic were hallmarks of regular citizens in Western countries — not being those things was seen as problematic. Similarly, today, being part of an alliance or showing solidarity with causes like feminism and LGBT equality are seen as normal and comes with a veneer of respectability. Every generation seeks to be ‘virtuous’ — to take a stand for social and cultural change in pursuit of what it values — or rather, idolises — as good.
Every generation seeks to be ‘virtuous’ — to take a stand for social change in pursuit of what it idolises as ‘good’
As Christians, how do we assess these movements from a biblical perspective? Do we simply settle at commending the ‘good’ that the world promotes? Is there any harm in celebrating so-called equality along with the world?
To answer that, we need to look at a few truths to help set our focus:
Christians see two different spheres of influence when looking at anything beyond the church and their Christian circles. Our church life is seen as ‘separate’ from other areas of our lives and, as such, we tend to behave differently in one than the other. Scripture clearly teaches that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it — including its people (Psalm 24:1). What that means is that this is God’s world and it is He who declares what is good or evil. Not only does He tell us where the lines fall — but He also holds us accountable to it. You and l are under God’s judgement for every thought or act and will be evaluated in light of God’s reign of righteousness and justice. Every act of rebellion will be brought to judgement. You cannot believe that a practising LGBT lifestyle is sinful in church and then step out and wave a pride flag.
One of the things we must always remember is that behind every worldly value is a motivation to find in sin what only God can provide: true peace (John 14:27). At the heart of all sin and sinful lifestyle is a desire to obtain the good life that God has designed. Faithful, sexual union between men and women, as the constitution of a family, and children are good gifts of God given to all mankind. Only one type of sexual union is blessed explicitly as good (Genesis 1:27-28, Mark 10:6-9, Matthew 19:4-6) . All other forms of relationships (same-sex, incestuous and extra-marital) are transgressions of God’s natural law (Lev 20:10-21) and, as such, will suffer by design the deficiencies that come from going against God (Romans 1:18-32). Sin can only find sinful ways to express itself. We need to remind ourselves, therefore, that by celebrating sinful behaviour, we are blessing what God has cursed and bringing judgement on ourselves (Isaiah 5:20).
There is no way that the Gospel can make us hate a lost sinner. We were once lost and seeking our own ways in rebellion to God — and the only reason we are Christians now is because of God’s grace. We cannot look down on those who do not have our faith because that faith itself is a gift of God. No matter what someone identifies as (LGBT or others), we know that the sin they celebrate is just a natural expression of their broken natures — natures that are the effect of the rebellion of our first parents in the Garden of Eden (Romans 5:12). Each person is loved by us because they are made in God’s image and we too were once like them, lost in our sinfulness and lacking fellowship with God. But God is able to save wretches like us (Colossians 1:21-22) and no one is beyond God’s power to save.
While others are busy pursuing lives of sexual sin, we, who have died with Christ and risen to a new life, ought not to spit in the face of Christ by sinning or even celebrating the sin that He died to set us free from (1 Peter 2:24). What that means is that we disavow ourselves of any motivations or acts that promote or perpetuate sin. We may lose a lot of street cred and even attract insults just like Jesus did (1 Peter 2:23) — but we are reminded of Christ’s words in Matthew 5:10-12: rejoice and be glad [when others persecute you on My account], for your reward in heaven is great.
We ought not to spit in the face of Christ by celebrating the sin that He died to set us free from
Pride Month ends in June, but its advocacy will continue all year round. Its celebration is the natural expression of broken, sinful people who have not found the true peace of God. For Christians, that means an opportunity to love them by pointing them to the One who can provide true peace (Matthew 11:28-29). Engage with Christians who seem to be allied with the LGBT movement and bring Scripture to bear on their deviant views. Don’t be flustered by the reactions, but be ready to explain why you are not wearing a pride badge or putting up rainbows on your social media pages. Being a conscientious objector means taking a stand — God promises His grace is sufficient for all our needs (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Raised in the Middle East, now living in Melbourne, Australia, Godly John is married with one son. A former agnostic, he is now involved in lay teaching ministries at his local church, and loves thinking about the intersection between reformed theology, philosophy, culture and ethics.
Universal peace has never existed at any point in history. And yet, we are struggling to understand and respond to the situation in Ukraine
Transparency is important in any marriage. It goes hand-in-hand with trust. But how much should one divulge before one ties the knot?
A weekly brief of new resources and Scripture-based insights from our editorial team.