The disruption came from a group that calls itself Bash Back, and involved demonstrations outside the church and inside the sanctuary while services were under way, said Mt. Hope Church communications director David Williams.

Members of the group inside the church shouted pro-gay slogans, threw leaflets, unfurled a banner and pulled a fire alarm, then hastily departed, Williams said. There were no injuries, he said.

Other reports note that the demonstrators threw condoms at the congregation, shouted “Jesus was gay!” and made out at the pulpit.

Stories like this can evoke a lot of responses; fear, anger, frustration, doubt–just to name a few. While this particular ‘protest’ definitely falls into a more extreme category than most, there’s no doubt that tensions are rising in the Culture War.

Many within the LGBT community were hurt and angered by the passage of marriage protection measures in California, Arizona and Florida in the 2008 election. This is no surprise, since most people with same-sex attraction have bought into the idea that “gay” is who you are–it’s your unchangeable identity. With that sort of mindset, Biblical standards concerning homosexuality can seem like hatred, and the choice of voters to uphold the Biblical definition of marriage can come across as a personal rejection (even though it’s not). Media fixation on the explosive nature of these topics as well as rhetoric from extremist groups definitely add to the tension and anger on both sides.

The election, however, only underscores a cultural tension that was already pretty strong. On the one hand, you have some in the Christian community who see homosexuals as a “threat” to the nation. Likewise, there are gays who consider Bible-believing Christians to be the source of all the hardship in their lives.

So as the culture war gets more and more heated, how are we as the Body of Christ going to respond? What is our goal, and what resolve do we have?

Standing Strong

We’ve got to realize that we can’t reject, omit or ignore Scripture’s teaching on sin of any kind.

Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves…
1st Corinthians 6:9 (NLT)

Don’t fool yourselves. It doesn’t make any sense to compromise the Gospel to make it more attractive to people–because then it’s not really the Gospel at all! But in the face of ever-intensifying opposition, many Christians think that’s the way to go. It certainly seems easier, when Biblical teachings on hot topics like homosexuality stir up the kind of anger expressed by this “Bash Back” group.

The truth is, Christ-followers have been getting into hot water for calling sin what it is and promoting an uncompromised Gospel since the very beginning:

Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John . . . John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry your brother’s wife.” So Herodias [the wife] bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. Mark 6:17-19 (NLT)

Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property… Hebrews 10:33-34 (NIV)

We haven’t really seen this kind of treatment of Christians in the USA yet. Many could probably claim the “exposed to insult” part; we are stigmatized with labels like “bigot” and “homophobe” and sometimes mocked by popular culture for believing what the Bible says about a variety of issues. Is that reason enough to shy away from Biblical truth?

The early Church, though, faced so much more persecution. Just in these short verses we see people doing jail time and having their personal property seized by the authorities. Oh, and Herodias was eventually successful in her attempts to get John killed. But look how they responded–sympathizing with others who suffered the same persecution, and even accepting it joyfully! Imagine that! Where did they get the strength to have that attitude?

You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. Hebrews 10:34-35 (NIV, emphasis added)

A truly eternal perspective will give us all the hope and confidence we need to live faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Not only is the persecution we suffer minimal to what our Christian forefathers experienced, but even their trials were no match for the hope that they had in Jesus.

Don’t Forget About the Love

In a culture that seems addicted to polarized debate and rivalry, we can’t forget that a big part of following Jesus is learning to love when it’s the hardest thing to do. We have to really care about and seek to serve those who might be considered our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

Some people won’t acknowledge or receive our love if we refuse to compromise our faith in Scripture. They will probably even accuse us of hate. We have to be okay with that, and keep on loving them anyway.

Love is about telling the hard truths sometimes, but even more than that it’s about caring for the needs of others. Do you have gay neighbors, classmates or friends? Be thinking about practical, kind things you could do for them. As much as we tend to think about preserving and promoting Biblical truth about sexuality, let’s try to think twice as much about how to show Christ’s love in simple, everyday ways. Jesus, after all, made a priority of healing the sick, helping the needy and defending the abused. He didn’t grill them about how they got sick, needy or abused; he just helped.

There are lots of ways we can help those who identify as LGBTQ without compromising Scripture. Stick up for them when they’re being picked on; speak up when people talk demeaningly or abusively and ask them to stop. Reach out to those who are hurting–for whatever reason. Do these things regardless of whether they are acknowledged or appreciated.

Above all, pray for the gay-identified people in your life–all the more for those who really push your buttons!

I’ve had my share of run-ins with radical gay activists. To be honest, they can make me pretty angry. There’s nothing wrong with feeling that way, but you can’t let that anger pollute the way you think and how you treat people. And you can’t let it steal your own personal peace!

Prayer is a great way to overcome offended feelings. Hope in God’s power to change hearts keeps negativity at bay. Just think how great it would be for the most hard-core, Christian-hating person to experience the kind of transformation that the Apostle Paul did. Did you know he was a vicious persecutor of Christians before he himself became one? (Galatians 1:13) It’s amazing to think that this man who killed Christians in his religious zeal went on to write a big chunk of the New Testament!

I pray for that day that we can say of the most extreme gay activist, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” (Galatians 1:23)

Carrying signs bearing the words “I’m Gay and It’s OK” and “Christ Taught Love Not Hate,” the protesters lined both sides of San Jacinto Street in front of the downtown church.

They sang “Jesus Loves Me” and cheered when passing motorists honked their horns and waved in support.

“Most of the people here are Christians, and they’re taking offense at the Baptist Church trying to say how Christ’s love should be interpreted,” said Patrick Hancock, who attended the peaceful protest. It was organized earlier this week when someone noticed the sermon topic on the church marquee.

While I don’t know the exact content of the sermon, the statements of the protesters reveal some of the fundamental misunderstandings people in modern America have about the Gospel of Jesus–especially when it comes to this issue.

It’s pretty common that I hear attitudes like Mr. Hancock’s expressed; people believe that to say homosexuality is sinful is the same thing as saying that God doesn’t love people who struggle with it or embrace it.

What people seem to forget is that Jesus consistently reminded people that we are all sinners in need of saving.

“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:11 NLT (emphasis added)

“…And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.” Luke 13:3 NLT

Remember the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11)? Jesus defended her from the people who wanted to condemn her to death (and revealed that they were really no better than she was). The scene ends, though, with Jesus telling the woman to leave her life of sin (verse 11).

Imagine if she had then brushed Jesus off and accused him of hate! Sadly, that’s what a lot of people did in Jesus’ time when they heard the meat of his message, and they’re still doing it today.

The Gospel is about God’s unconditional love for every person in the world, and that because of this unconditional love we have the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins and make–with God’s help–a radical change of direction in our lives; in essence, to go from self-serving to God-serving. A gospel that’s just about “acceptance” and good feelings and ignores the call to repent and obey God is not the Gospel at all.

Like I said, I don’t know the exact content of the sermon, but from the article it seems like the preacher got the basics right.

He said Sunday’s sermon was part of the “Politically Incorrect” series he’s preaching that explores seven of the most controversial beliefs that Christians can articulate in today’s culture.

Of those, “homosexuality is probably the most culturally explosive issue,” he acknowledged. “Even though culture changes, God’s word doesn’t change.”

Dr. Jeffress said the purpose of his sermon was to “let Christians know what the Bible says about this important topic, and to reaffirm that any and every sin can be forgiven.”

Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin. (Leviticus 18:22 NLT)

If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense. (Leviticus 20:13 NLT)

Challenge: There are lots of commands in Leviticus that we don’t follow today, like the rule that you can’t eat shellfish, or combine two kinds of thread.

Answer: Not all Levitical law is the same. There were rules that were moral rules–such as prohibitions against things that were wrong and sinful–and then there were ritualistic commands that the people of Israel were meant to obey as a sign that they belonged to God.

The difference is clear when you study all of Leviticus closely, and you understand the context and the structure of the writing. For an example, in the same passage of Leviticus 18 we find commands against bestiality, incest and adultery. The passage also says: “Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.” (Lev. 18:24-25).

So these rules obviously didn’t only apply to Israel but to all people, and God was driving these other countries out because all these sexual sins were rampant within them

Lastly, it’s important to realize a few things in light of these harsh-sounding verses. Some people have assumed that, since homosexual acts are called a capital offense by Leviticus 20:13, it’s alright to bully and abuse (verbally or physically) those who are or are perceived to be gay. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Let’s never forget how Jesus responded to the woman caught in the act of adultery:

“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”…

They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”

…Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” From John, Chapter 8 (emphasis added)

…God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. (Romans 1:26-27)

This is part of a larger message Paul is giving in Romans 1 about the descent into sin and depravity that takes place when people don’t acknowledge and worship God (Romans 1:18-32). He’s actually setting up an argument that comes to bear in Chapter 2, that we would be hypocrites to judge others, because in our hearts we do the same things and it’s only through grace that our hearts are changed.

Challenge: Paul wasn’t saying that homosexuality was unnatural–he was saying it is a sin for people who aren’t naturally gay to do those things. But it’s still okay if you were born gay.

Answer: The Bible never talks about homosexuality coming naturally to some people and not to others. All that’s ever mentioned is homosexual behavior–motive and orientation are never addressed. This could only mean that it does not matter why one might engage in homosexuality–it is always wrong.

It also says that the men “burned with lust for each other.” Seems like they found it pretty natural.

Through this writing, Paul makes clear that homosexuality is one of many sinful indulgences that result from turning away from God. But the purpose of this passage isn’t to single out those who struggle with that particular sin–he is leading up to a truth that is greater than human sin (which is shared by us all).

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24)

For a great, in-depth study of Biblical arguments about homosexuality, check out The Gay Gospel by Joe Dallas.

Let’s ask ourselves: does God think the way we do? Not quite (Isaiah 55:9). So I wonder if God would even think of people as “gay” or “straight” in the first place?

Like the verse linked to above says, God’s ways are much higher than ours. You know, the Bible really never classifies people as “gay” or “homosexual” (even though some translations make it seem that way). The Scriptures only ever talk about homosexuality being a kind of behavior–not a kind of person.

The gay identity is a relatively new concept in world history. Some people think that people in the past weren’t “enlightened” enough to understand it; others say that real gay people didn’t exist back in Bible times–that they have sort of evolved into what gay is today.

But we know that Gospel tells us that mankind is fallen. We all experience desires that pull us away from God’s will, especially in the area of sexuality! Homosexual attraction is just one of many of those desires. If you think about it, God must have expected that there would be people who would struggle with same-sex attraction–otherwise, why would He need to tell us not to engage in it?

So it’s more accurate to say that, rather than seeing people as “gay,” God just sees people–some of whom have same-sex attractions, and others who have different struggles. And He loves them all. The only question is whether we are willing to daily make an effort in faith to submit our ground-level ways to His heavenly ones .