Published on June 1, 2024, 12:38 am

As we approach pride month, we are again entering a contentious season for many Christians. This June and throughout the summer, LGBTQ messaging will become increasingly visible in our daily lives. Whether on TV, in schools and workplaces, across digital platforms, or even amongst some Christian communities, exposure to this perspective is virtually unavoidable.

This inundation presents a dilemma for the Christian worldview, which calls followers to be ‘in the world but not of it’. It refers to being open to exchange with worldly ways while maintaining an inner reserve grounded in spiritual teachings. These teachings urge us to demonstrate the loving nature of God while remaining separate and distinct from activities that contravene divine decrees.

The underlying issue here is not merely current societal trends but pointed challenges to established religious interpretation and traditional values. The normalization and celebration of LGBTQ lifestyles can be seen as a direct affront to these standards.

This provocation invites us back to the Book of Romans where it describes sins of unnatural relations (Romans 1:26-27) warning against such conduct as an indication of a reprobate mind deserving everlasting penalties (Romans 1:32). This is rendered not as personal judgment but as a reminder of God’s righteous commandments.

So how then should we respond in face of such tensions? We are called on by Ephesians 4:15 to speak ‘the truth in love’, yet this does not mean endorsing contrary conduct. Instead, it prompts us towards expressing compassion born out of an understanding that we were once lost too; it drives us towards desiring repentance for others who remain unreformed.

We must also bear in mind our own fallen natures since ‘there but for the grace of God go I.’ Just like those trapped in ways deemed ungodly, we were dead in sins until quickened by divine intervention (Ephesians 2:1-5). This understanding should result in godly pity for others, accompanied by the sad knowledge that many will never discover salvation.

As we navigate through pride month and all its ensuing discordances with our beliefs, let us remain resolute yet compassionate. Let us not conform but slowly transform in understanding (Romans 12:2), clinging to truth while showing empathy to those entangled in what we perceive as sinfulness, fully knowing only God’s guidance can retrieve them.

With unwavering faith, we must face the challenges pride month presents. Equipped with our Christian worldview and the reality of our past faults, let real news be a source of reflection and growth rather than a battleground. And in trusted news we stand firm, emitting love while adhering to God’s standards. Remembering always that amidst disagreements and struggles lies a chance for mutual understanding and soulful engagements on this difficult issue.