As we have said before, so I now say again; if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. - Galatians 1:9-10, ESV On November 29, 2016, left-leaning infotainment website Buzzfeed published a now-infamous article calling out a sermon delivered by pastor of Antioch Community Church Jimmy Siebert - notably because the church is attended by HGTV star couple Chip and Joanna Gaines. The article quickly made its rounds on social media, instantly outraging masses of websurfers, who made haste to either defend the television stars or to tear them down verbally for the perceived "homophobia." This prompted a response from Chip Gaines on January 2 that was both a non-apology as well as a non-stance. While the message contained within is one of positivity and feel-good energy, it fails to satiate the need for a hard-line stance on this troubling and controversial issue for so many on both sides of the argument. However, Gaines concludes, almost damnably, "The bottom line is, I'd rather be loving than be right."
There's little mistaking the words of Scripture when it comes to homosexuality. It is a grave sin, one of many, as Paul addresses in Romans 1:24-32, or in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. All attempts to resolve homosexuality in light of these passages must be done through a theologically liberal point of view, either assuming Paul's writings to be uninspired, or by drawing far-reaching conclusions through extremely suspect interpretation of language, verbiage, and syntax. There's also little mistaking the personal risk Chip and Joanna Gaines would be taking by standing firmly on a literal interpretation of the Bible, considering their employer, which frequently both features and stars homosexuals front and center in their shows. So, was this compromise in writing acceptable, given the circumstances? In a word, no. It was not. I will be careful not to discredit or condemn the Gaines, as Paul wrote in the aforementioned passage: "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1. Cor. 6:11, ESV) Remember, this was written to church actively embracing such sins as incest (1. Cor. 5:1-2). The Gaines' response was indeed a poor and ill-advised compromise, but it signals an opportunity for spiritual growth in their lives and the need for prayer. I should hope and pray that God continues to work in the Gaines' lives during this certainly difficult time and strengthen them for the future. Nonetheless, the Gaines' are clearly on the wrong side of history by altering or watering down the message of the gospel to make themselves appear more attractive to a fallen world or to make it more easily palatable. For one thing, the message of mankind's natural, fallen state and its propensity to sin is a core part of the gospel message as a whole. The love and grace of Jesus Christ is that He came from heaven as a Man and died and rose again as the kind of acceptable sacrifice for the debt of sin that we could never adequately repay (John 1:1, John 3:16, Rom. 5:18, 1 John 2:2). That debt of sin ranges from the minute - a hasty, critical word or an otherwise innocuous lie - to the massive - murder, thievery, and yes, sexual deviance. The end result of all of mankind's sins is that every individual is destined to an eternity apart from his Almighty Creator, unless one is merely called out by God, repents and turns from his sin, and believes in the person of Jesus Christ as His eternal Savior (Rom. 3:10, Eph. 2:4-10, 1 John 1:9). While no one really likes to be told that the lifestyle they live in is contrary to the eternal moral authority of God, that truth is central to the message of Jesus Christ. However, the other reason that the Gaines' compromise is just not acceptable as a defense for scriptural truth is that compromise will never be enough. In a society that has long held to a generally Judeo-Christian set of ethics and has started to crumble internally, a compromise might be seen as acceptable - for now. But the inevitable conclusion of this societal breakdown is that the world will desire to see the message of Jesus in its entirety eradicated. It is already more than evident in the media's treatment of Christians that believe that Jesus Christ is the only Way, Truth, and Life (John 14:6) that such exclusivity is totally unacceptable to a society that ironically sees itself as "tolerant" and "loving." Jesus even prayed for His disciples and every successive generation of followers in his prayer in John 17:14-17: "I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of this world, just as I am not of this world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." (ESV) The truth is something the world never has tolerated - if it did, Jesus would not have been crucified almost two millenia ago. We are sanctified through the holy Word of God, which, as Jesus said, is the truth. When our mostly comfortable and tolerant society gives way to progressively more aggressive and intolerant generations of non-believers, we cannot afford to compromise on the Word of God - we must be, more than ever, willing to stand up for it. References: (1) - Kate Arthur, "Chip and Joanna Gaines' Church Is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage," Nov. 29, 2016, Buzzfeed Entertainment. Accessed Jan. 29, 2017. (2) - Chip Gaines, "Chip's New Years Revelation," Jan. 2, 2017, Magnolia Market. Accessed Jan. 29, 2017
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Clifton J. Gardner lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife, Courtney. He is a Registered Nurse, musician, and writer, as well as an active member of Ezra Baptist Church in Oak Grove, Alabama. Archives
January 2017
Categories |