Normally, whenever LGBT activists interact with Bible Brain, it is with the spirit of hostility. I may have said something negative about homosexuality that they don't like, or perhaps it's just because I'm a Christian and so they assume (correctly) that I hold the biblical view of homosexuality. At that point, the teeth come out. "Grr, you're an evil homophobe, you're a hate filled bigot, how dare you express an opinion I disagree with, grr". Recently, however, I received communication from a rather pleasant LGBT activist. He came across the Bible Brain Facebook page, read some of my material, and figured I'd be interested in his story. And crikey, he was absolutely right!
Doron Braunshtein is an Israeli LGBT activist, and on December 1st 2021, he performed what he described as a "guerrilla operation" by waving the pride flag in the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. This would be somewhat tolerable here in the West, but in Abu Dhabi, waving the pride flag anywhere, let alone in one of the most significant mosques on Earth, is illegal. In the United Arab Emirates, where the mosque is located, homosexuality is literally punishable by death.
Now, for obvious reasons, I, as a Christian, cannot support gay pride. I fully believe, as the Bible says, that marriage is between one man and one woman, and sex outside of that context is a sin, which the Lord will judge. Nevertheless, I also believe, as the Bible says, that it is God's place, not ours, to judge that sin. His command to Christians is to be loving to all unbelievers, even those who persecute us. For that reason, I believe He would want us to stand against the oppression of LGBT people. Hating them is not on the table, killing them is a definite no no, and standing idly by while other people hate and oppress them is morally questionable at best.
Now, already, I hear the objection: "But Brian, homosexuality is also punishable by death in the Old Testament". And this is true, it is. There are, however, several key differences, not least of which is that we, as Christians, are not bound by the Old Testament covenant. But more importantly, it's an entirely different kettle of fish when God enters a covenant with a specific group of people, tied to a specific area of land, during a specific period of time. Of course, as this is God's universe, He cannot be logically judged for any of His conduct in it. If God commanded all Christians to persecute gay people, that would be what we'd have to do.
Suffice to say, however, He has not. Christianity is a religion of peace and goodwill towards all men. It is God reaching out to sinners who, while they have rejected Him, He has loved enough to die for them. Tell me, if you hate someone, do you let your own Son get nailed to a cross in order to save them? Certainly not. God loves gay people, and wants them to enter into an eternal relationship with Him, so that though we deserve wrath, He may instead grant us eternal life.
The God of the universe has given no command to anyone to persecute gay people. Not to the Christian world, not to the Muslim world, not to anyone. Therefore, although homosexuality is a sin, homophobia is also a sin. As, in fact, is pride.
I do not mean pride in the LGBT sense. I mean pride as in the elevation of the self. When you esteem yourself as greater than you are, especially if you put others down in order to do so, you are guilty of the sin of pride. Now tell me Christians, are you not sinners yourselves? If you say no, read 1 John, particularly verse 8, and tell me honestly, are you even saved? But if you are a Christian, you have to say yes, you are a sinner. Now, maybe you've never committed homosexual sin. Have you ever committed heterosexual sin? If you're a man, have you ever looked at a woman with lust? Jesus says that's adultery (Matthew 5:28). What about hatred? Even if that hatred is towards a gay person, John tells us that's murder (1 John 3:11-15). So that's two sins you only need your brain to commit. And which of you has never committed it? All of this to say that if we hated everyone who committed sins, it would be impossible to fulfill the greatest command: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:36-40).
And so there are two takeaways from this. The first is for LGBT activists in the West: You don't know how good you have it. Your version of "persecution" is having to walk across the street to a different bakery because the Christians said no. Your version of "speaking truth to power" is being in power and aggressively wielding it to bully the aforementioned Christians, crippling and destroying our businesses until we effectively become second class citizens. But you dare not wield the same power against Muslim bakeries even in the West. Meanwhile, brave men like Doron Braunshtein risk their freedoms, even their very lives, fighting against real bigotry. Put simply, every time you bully Western Christians, you are showing cowardice. Nothing more, nothing less.
The second is for the Christian. Christ told us to love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. He even said that this is so you can be sons and daughters of your Father who is in Heaven. My brethren, this is an opportunity to show love to those who need it most. Of course, we are to love and pray for our Muslim neighbors too, but when it comes to Islamic countries continuing to persecute gay people, one way to show love is to stand up for them.
For this reason, although I cannot stand for gay pride, I can absolutely stand with men like Doron Braunshtein, who so bravely, and even peacefully, fight for a better tomorrow for us all. It would be a truly beautiful world if Christians, Muslims, and gays, could live together in peace. Therefore, if we take Christ's words at all seriously, let us work for such a world.
"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." - Romans 12:18