Our society has set aside an entire month to acknowledge and celebrate the LGBTQ+ culture.  The onslaught of this ideology pushed in our faces isn’t just June; it’s becoming year-round, from social media promotions to stores stocking their shelves with all sorts of rainbow fashion,  even clothing made for children.  Thousands of businesses push LGBTQ+, labeling it as a human rights issue and creating special clothing for this month.  Thousands of stores are now “woke” and are still proud to promote Pride Month.

Today, in cities far and wide, Pride Parades are eagerly organized, and these events attract vast crowds who cheer and revel in what they see as a pinnacle of freedom and human rights. Tragically, it’s not just adults participating; families bring their children along to witness the disgusting debauchery taking place and the sexual depravity that contradicts Biblical principles.

We are confronted with it everywhere we go, and it’s hard to get away from it.  

When and how did the Pride Month start?

• The month-long global celebration began with Gay Pride Week in late June 1970, a public celebration that marked the first anniversary of the violent police raid at New York’s Stonewall Inn, a gay bar.  There was a series of spontaneous and violent demonstrations against a police raid of the gay bar on June 28, 1969.  This was the defining event that marked the start of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world. 
• In June 1999, President Bill Clinton was the first to declare Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. 
• June 26, 2015, was a sad day when the White House was lit up in rainbow colors when the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision granted same-sex couples federal marriage rights.
• In June 2016, President Obama dedicated the Stonewall National Monument in the West Village neighborhood of Greenwich Village, New York City.  The 7-acre area includes the Stonewall Inn and nearby streets.  In 2017, the Rainbow LGBTQ+ flag was raised on the monument.

Election Year

This is a presidential election year, and President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign is launching an all-out effort to try to shore up support from LGBTQ+ voters. The campaign plans more than 200 Pride events in 23 states, including all of the battleground states, and to launch a paid media blitz aimed at reaching out to LGBTQ voters.  The goal is to show Biden is pro-LGBTQ+, which is true.  The Biden Administration has intentionally appointed over 200 openly LGBTQ+ people to serve in all sorts of roles.  Approx. 7% of the population identifies as LGBTQ+, and Biden wants their votes.

What exactly does LGBTQ+ stand for? 

LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or sometimes questioning), intersex, asexual, and others. The ‘plus’ is used to signify all of the gender identities and sexual orientations that are not specifically covered by the other five initials. In other words, the list keeps growing.

Churches

Incredibly, some churches are supporting the LTGBTQ+ lifestyle.  In recent news, we have seen the Methodist church recently split over the issue of allowing LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings.  Those churches have literally taken a black marker and redacted all the scripture they don’t care for, including scripture relating to homosexuality.  God is fully aware of the churches that are erasing scripture to fit what they want: apostasy.  They should not be called churches anymore.

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”  Revelation 22:18-19

 “Having lived for years as a lesbian myself, I can testify to how crucial it is that those bound in a gay lifestyle know there is freedom and transformation in Jesus Christ. Any other message leaves a person enslaved to his or her body, looking to their flesh to tell them who they are,” says Janet Boynes.

“If you have a theology that helps people grow in their homosexuality, you are actually promoting a theology that brings the Church under judgment.” Says Rosaria Butterfield, also a lesbian for many years and is now a Christian. 

Love

Many say that if you are a Christian, you must love others regardless, and they often reference this verse.

“By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have a love for one another.”  John 13:35

This scripture is true; we should love one another. However, loving others does not mean we need to affirm, uplift and encourage their willful and sinful lifestyles. You can love people without sacrificing God’s truth. 

What Does God Say About Homosexuality?

God created man and woman for marriage in order to bear children; this is God’s natural order and design (Mark 10:6-9).  Numerous scripture passages from the Old Testament to the New Testament address homosexuality; here are just four.

“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination,” Leviticus 18:22

“Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire,[a] serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”  Jude 1:7

“For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.”  Romans 1:26-28

“Or do you not know that the unrighteouswill not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”  1 Corinthians 6: 9-10

Our Fallen World

We are living in a fallen world, and it continues to fall further and faster.  The Bible tells us how bad it will become, so we should expect it.  People will continue to transgress the law of God; we will continue to rebel.  Therefore, we should not respond to the growing sinfulness in our world with panic or with fear.  People who celebrate Pride Month are those who have turned away from God’s design for sexuality to their own peril. 

Pride Month may look pretty to some with all its pretty rainbow colors, but it is deceiving; LGBTQ+ is really wrapped up in fleshly sin.  All sins should be mourned over and not celebrated.  Arrogant bragging about one’s own perversion is the kind of pride that will lead to God’s judgment.

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”  Proverbs 16:18

How Should Christians Respond?

• Don’t Participate. Should you find yourself invited to participate in events that celebrate what Scripture unmistakenly condemns, such as Pride parades, with a gentle but resolute spirit, stand firm in your faith. With grace and kindness, respectfully decline the invitation. Remember, your commitment to Jesus means that you cannot endorse or celebrate anything that defies scripture.  You may find yourself in a situation where you are being forced to bow down to the LGBTQ+ idol.  You may lose your job, but you’ll find a better one.   “We must obey God, rather than men,” Acts 5:29.  This timeless truth calls us today to make choices that honor our Lord above societal pressures. 

• Anger. Don’t get angry and spew out foul words towards others.  Jesus himself faced such moments; he often paused and responded not with a raised voice but with reassurance and truth found in love.  He spoke with a heart full of kindness.  Is your response God-honoring, Christ-like and biblical?  Deliver your words with gentleness and respect, always prepared to explain your hope in Christ.

 “… always being prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”. 1 Peter 3:15

• Sin. We are all flawed beings in need of grace.  Who has not sinned?  Have we not all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory?  Didn’t Jesus come to die for all our sins?  Is one sin greater than another?   Although sexual sins seem rather bad, God sees all sins as wrong.   Take a deep breath, look inward, and remember Jesus’ words, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.”

• Conflict with God.  Remember that the people attacking you are unbelievers; their conflict is with God, and they are rebelling against Him, not us.  Understand that their battle is not with you but with the Savior they have yet to meet.

• Pray. Pray for someone you know who is bound up in the LGBTQ+ lifestyle. Pray for the mercy of God to touch them and the Holy Spirit to convict, so that they experience the same repentance, forgiveness, and transformation that you have received as a follower of Jesus. Prayer is an effective and underutilized tool. God is faithful and hears our prayers. Our struggles are often against spiritual forces, not flesh and blood. Thus, respond with empathy and prayer. Your prayers hold untapped power to weave hope into someone’s heart, even if you don’t see immediate changes.

• Stand Firm.  And through it all, stand firm in your faith. The journey is far from easy, sometimes feeling more like a battlefield against temptations, societal pressures, and doubt. Yet, remember, even though the enemy cannot steal your salvation, he will attempt to rattle your fellowship with God. Put on the armor of God, for in Him, we find our strength and our peace to endure life’s trials.

“Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”  Ephesians 6:13