Sometimes I don’t even know where to begin.
I try hard to approach all of life with a sense of balance. I don’t mean “balance” in the sense that it might be understood in many circles today…the sort of balance that considers all things of equal value and validity. Rather, I mean the sort that seeks to apply God’s Word equally to all aspects of life.
I never want to get overly tied to one portion of Scripture over another or to narrow my view of the Church to only my experience or to spend inordinate energy focused on one particular kind of sin. Sometimes, however, it seems that we are surrounded by manifestly obvious and urgent issues that require more attention than they might ordinarily merit.
Enter the inundation of “Pride” celebrations which, though seemingly ever-present, are at center stage with top billing and all the spotlights during the month of June.
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2 NIV
I don’t shock easily anymore, but I was flabbergasted and exercised as my wife read off the list of “Pride Week” events touted in our local community bulletin on Facebook. I’m not sure I have the words to describe the deep, visceral feelings I experienced as she recounted these festivals of godlessness, but utter disgust is a starting point.
Let me interrupt the flow of thought here to interject that I cannot sufficiently address these things in this brief article, but I am happy to discuss it all with anyone who would like to meet and talk.
Furthermore, I feel (sadly) obliged to preempt the standard confusion of our age with a clarification. As Christ-followers who have been saved from our sinfulness by grace alone, we must always apply that same grace in our love for others, no matter what their sin looks like. Nonetheless, one cannot rightly love without truth any more than one can save a starving child by feeding them poisoned food. Real love speaks truth.
That said, those who follow Christ must learn to view life as Jesus did (and does)—through the lens of God’s Word. We must train ourselves to think “Christianly” by diligent study of God’s Word; by faithful and obedient submission to God’s Word; and by consistent, committed fellowship with other believers who value God’s Word. By renewing our minds in these ways, we take up the tool with which the Holy Spirit will transform us from within (Romans 12:1-2). This is how we discipline ourselves to take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Thinking “Christianly” involves learning to love what God loves and to hate what God hates. Notably, God loves people, each one of whom He created in His own image and for His own glory, and He hates sin. We must, therefore, learn to do the same.
The very nature of celebrating “pride” flies in the face of the humility God requires. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34). Moreover, the pride of life that identifies with anything other than Jesus Christ as our primary identity is a clear path to death and destruction (Proverbs 11:2). To celebrate and promote such pride is nothing short of evil, and God will not fail to pour out His wrath against it (Romans 1:18-32).
What is more, promoting sin in others—especially among the young, impressionable, dependent, and weak—is nothing short of evil (Matthew 18:6-9). It is active, rebellious warfare against the Great and Holy King. Christians cannot justify any participation in activities or attitudes that celebrate and promote what God hates and condemns. To do so is, in fact, choosing the world over God (James 4:4). To lead others astray by joining in, endorsing, or acquiescing to such evil makes us partners in the warfare against God. To be complacent about evil is to be complicit with evil.
Many of our local businesses, especially restaurants, actively support Harbor Country Pride, an organization existing for the promotion and celebration of sexual sin and rebellion against God’s authority. These businesses are readily identified by a multi-colored sign or sticker indicating their support.
Among the “Pride Week” events scheduled for our area are “GROM: Teen Pride Prom/Grad Party” and “Big Gay Gallop, mini kids’ fair” (both located in Union Pier). The irrefutable evil of these events should be abundantly clear to everyone who claims Jesus as Lord.
Many conversations about how to think about and interact with issues of sexuality, gender, and identity may be legitimate discussions. Life in a fallen, sinful world can certainly be confusing. It can be challenging to demonstrate both love and truth well, particularly with so much of the world around us insisting that they are incompatible. Nonetheless, Christ-followers must speak truth in love. We must stand firm when those around us conform to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2, James 4:4-6). We must stand for righteousness, virtue, truth, purity, and beauty. We must let Christ’s light shine so brightly in us that those around us notice and acknowledge the glory of the Living God (Matthew 5:16). We must not ever—in any way, through our actions or our inaction—communicate our support for anything that takes pride in sin.
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” Psalms 1:1-2 NIV
May the Lord Himself give us steely spines and tender hearts in the fullest measure as we live to reflect the reality of Christ through the relationships He gives us.
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