The LGBT Community and the Church

“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”        

– Jesus (John 8:7)

In recent years every Christian denomination has had to answer this controversial question asked by millions of Americans across our nation: “What’s the Big Deal About Homosexuality and Gay Marriage?” As individual congregations and entire denominations have answered this powder-keg question, many have been split in two. So, how are we who are Bible-believing Christians supposed to answer this emotionally-charged question?

I don’t presume to have the perfect answer, but let me share with you some insights from Pastor Gene Appel of Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim. He tackled this question in a sermon several years ago, and I’ve found his insights to be challenging and helpful for all of us—no matter what your personal beliefs and opinions about LGBT issues may be. Here are three of the points Pastor Gene made during his sermon. I encourage you to wrestle honestly with these insights and test them with Scripture.

#1: God is grieved over the pain and mistreatment of LGBT people (especially by Christians). Over the years, Christians have been far too quick to tell “fag” and “dyke” jokes and treat people with same-sex attraction like dirt. Images of Christians holding up picket signs that say, “God Hates Fags!” have been embedded in the minds of many in the LGBT community. Not only are these messages hateful, they’re dead wrong! The Bible doesn’t say that God hates people in the LGBT community. The Bible says quite the opposite. There is no asterisk on the end of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Where does it say in John 3:16 that God only loves those in the world who are straight? Where does it say in John 3:16 that God only loves those in the world who don’t struggle with same sex attraction? Where does it say in John 3:16 that God only loves YOU as a sinner and not someone else who sins differently than you do?

Bottom line: It doesn’t. And similarly, there is no asterisk at the end of the second greatest command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Just as God loves every person regardless of the specifics of his/her personal sin, we who follow Christ must love every person in the same way. Love is the orientation that every follower of Jesus is called to. Billy Graham said it so well: “It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict. It’s God’s job to judge. It’s my job to love.”

#2: God is smarter than we are in understanding the complex dynamics that lead to same sex attraction. In recent years extensive research has been done to determine the root causes of same sex attraction. Are the roots genetic and biological, or are they environmental? At this time, the jury is still out. We know that many gay men and women experienced dysfunctional and destructive family dynamics while growing up. But so did many straight men and women. We know that many gay adults were sexually violated by trusted family members and friends during their formative childhood years. But that alone can’t explain same sex attraction either. You and I should never be so arrogant as to think that we have same sex attraction all figured out. But thankfully, according to Psalm 147:5, God has ALL things figured out. And since He does, we can and should follow His lead. Which leads us to point #3:

#3: God expects His followers to speak the truth in love. The Bible is very clear from the first two chapters of Genesis that God created two genders: male and female. And God designed full sexual expression to be ultimately between one man and one woman in the safety and context of a marriage relationship. Therefore, any straight or same sex sexual activity outside of that ethic is outside God’s design and plan. That’s not the truth that many in the LGBT community want to hear, but frankly that’s not the truth that many in the straight community want to hear either.

The truth is: God considers any sexual activity to be a sin that is outside of the marriage relationship between one man and one woman. Therefore, the Bible condemns heterosexual premarital sex (aka, fornication), heterosexual extramarital sex (aka, adultery) extramarital lust (aka, mental adultery) and homosexuality (see Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:26-27). The fact is, all of us have sinned sexually in one way or another, and because of that we all stand in desperate need of the forgiveness and grace of our holy God. To say it another way: God doesn’t see us as gay or straight. He sees us all as lost and dying sinners who need to repent and receive His mercy and grace.

A few final insights. Jesus never taught: “Love the sinner, but hate the sin.” Jesus’ teaching can better be summarized as, “Love the sinner, but hate your OWN sin.” You and I need to focus on the filthy plank in our own eyes. Finally, we as followers of Christ need to be able to answer two important questions. Since LGBT people are already attending our churches, the first question is, “Is our church a safe enough place where they can find love and support and allow God to work in them to contend with His truth?” And secondly, “Do we as Christians share this message loud and clear? ‘Just as you are, you matter to God. And just as you are, you matter to this church.’” Because of a blood-stained cross and an empty tomb, there is hope for all of us sinners.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 a.m.

The Not-So-Great Social Experiment

Those who practice these things "will not inherit the kingdom of God."

– 1 Corinthians 6:10

Maybe you’ve already noticed, but we are living in the day of the great social experiment. For several thousand years marriage was defined as a lifelong union between a man and a woman. But in recent decades, we’ve been trying to redefine marriage. Maybe we could replace it with cohabitation. Or maybe we could regard it as something temporary. Or it could even be a legal long-term relationship between “two people” regardless of gender.

Last week we looked at one of the alternatives to replace traditional marriage, cohabitation. Today I’m going to talk about two other alternatives: serial monogamy and gay marriage.

Serial monogamy is the practice of engaging in a series of monogamous sexual relationships. Most people probably wouldn’t refer to it by its formal name, but here’s how it goes: date, have sex, break up, repeat. Date, have sex, break up, repeat … you get the idea. Serial monogamy is the alternative to marriage that is most glamorized by Hollywood. But while Hollywood is obsessed with serial monogamy, it’s safe to say that God isn’t crazy about it, since the Bible makes it clear that sex is meant to come only after marriage.

So, let’s focus on one specific kind of serial monogamy: serial monogamy in marriage. The pattern is pretty much the same, with minor modifications: fall in love, get married, get divorced, repeat. Fall in love, get married, get divorced, repeat. But in Matthew 19:3-9, Jesus makes his views on marital serial monogamy clear: divorce and remarriage was never part of God’s plan either. He explains that the law of Moses allowed for divorce only because of the hardness of our hearts. But if you’re divorcing your spouse for any reason other than adultery, when you marry someone else, you’re committing adultery with that person!

That drives a nail in serial monogamy’s coffin. Because the New Testament makes it clear that adultery—if it continues without repentance—will keep us out of heaven: “Do not be deceived: Neither the fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9b-10). So, these verses state that both premarital sex and adultery are sins that will keep us out of God’s kingdom.

And, you will note, homosexuality is another sin that will keep us out of God’s kingdom. That’s a point to remember as we turn to one more alternative to traditional marriage: gay marriage. This is an alternative that’s gained in popularity and acceptance in recent years. Less than nine years ago, here in one of the most socially liberal states in America, Californians voted to approve Prop 8, which defined marriage in our state as being “between one man and one woman.” But it was shot down in the courts. Then, just over 2 years ago came the Supreme Court ruling that state bans on homosexual marriage were unconstitutional, which—in effect—legalized gay marriage in all 50 states.

According to the Pew Research Center, in 2001, 35 percent of Americans supported same-sex marriage. In the 16 years since then, the level of support has almost doubled: 62 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage. So, what does God say? Oh, I’m so glad you asked. God created marriage in Genesis 2:18-25, forming the first human relationship—between one man and one woman, Adam and Eve. And if we take that great passage together with Paul’s description of marriage in Ephesians 5:22-33, here is a biblical definition of marriage: a lifelong covenant relationship between one man and one woman for the purpose of companionship, bearing children and learning to love as Christ loves.

So, regardless of what an American court calls it when two men or two women enter a contractual relationship with each other, to God … it’s not marriage. Period! And as we read in 1 Corinthians 6:9, God considers homosexual sex of any kind to be in the category of sexual sin along with heterosexual premarital sex and adultery. Just as with premarital sex and adultery, homosexuality, if it is not followed with repentance, will keep someone out of God’s kingdom. Whether or not someone in a homosexual relationship has a marriage license, to God it’s sin. Sex is only to be practiced in a married relationship between one man and one woman.

Regardless of whom you are attracted to, every one of us has to overcome sexual temptation. God urges us to resist temptation and pursue holy relationships that are set apart from the world and in line with His word. So, God’s answer to sexual temptation is biblical marriage. God’s answer to our deep longing for companionship and acceptance and love is—you guessed it—biblical marriage.

It bears repeating: Marriage is a lifelong covenant relationship between one man and one woman for the purpose of companionship, bearing children and learning to love as Christ loves. And what could be better than that?

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 a.m.