Ally Week

With the conclusion of “ally week” I feel I must make a post. For those who do not know, ally week is basically an entire week devoted to supporting the lifestyles of the lesbian and gay community. In a nut shell, it is meant as a way for people to publicly pledge support. So where does this leave Christians?

It is not a secret that Christians view homosexuality as a sin. We know from the Bible and our teachings that this lifestyle is wrong and against God. As such, we cannot in good conscience support the lifestyle. The problem is that this is no longer politically correct. It is literally impossible to give any view, radical or no, against homosexuality without being labeled as prejudiced or homophobic. There is a large pressure right now to simply conform and support the community. (Why there is such a big push is a post for another day.) So where do Christians fit in during this week? Well, one of two things happens. Either they compromise scripture to accept the politically correct claim, and thus free themselves up to support this lifestyle, or they stick to their principles and choose not to participate. And I must question, why is the latter so terrible? Why are Christians not allowed to hold their beliefs without being insulted or generating hostility? Many people today call for tolerance and acceptance. Yet Christian beliefs are often not tolerated and rejected by these same people. Not supporting the lifestyle is not the same thing as bigotry. I can respect someone as part of God's creation. I can attribute value to them because they are the image of God and because the Bible tells us to love our neighbors. I can meet someone who is gay and find them a perfectly awesome or at least normal person. Being a homosexual does not mean that they are automatically denounced as heathens. However, I do not have to agree with how they have chosen to live. I can respect someone without agreeing with them on everything. It is perfectly legitimate to support the man and not the lifestyle. In other words, if they choose to live that way, that is their decision. I have no right to govern another persons life. But that does not mean that I will validate their choice as acceptable when I know that it is wrong. I have a right to my beliefs just the same as they have a right to theirs. And I should not be expected to compromise mine for the sake of another's.

God did not promise us that being a Christian would be easy. He made it very clear that our beliefs will clash with the norm. But that does not mean we should surrender. That does not mean that we stretch scripture to fit the idea of the masses. Our job is to preach the truth even when it gets hard. Even when it gets difficult or lonely. Sometimes our views will clash and cause conflict. And quite frankly, that is ok. We should not be ashamed to stand up in the name of God. We should not be ashamed to go against the norm. We should not spend our days striving to be in the good graces of our peers at the cost of our faith. We should be able to stand up and say “no, I didn't participate, and I don't intend to. I can love the man without supporting the sin.” Even if it means people getting angry. Our priority should not be other men. because in the end, it is not the opinion of other men that matters.

-BlackFox

(613)