By Hank Hanegraaff
I recently watched Conchita Wurst (alter ego of Austrian Thomas Neuwirth) push the boundaries of gender identity at a Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen, which boasted some 180 million television viewers. Wurst, who won, was roundly lauded for his courage in forwarding the normalcy of transgenderism, which continues to lag behind the growing acceptance of lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities. Sporting sensually highlighted eyes, a heavy dose of lipstick, cheekbones accentuated through an ample volume of makeup, and a gorgeous spaghetti-strapped dress, the bearded drag queen championed progressive ideals of Western civilization against the backward tyranny of Eastern powers such as Russia, which stereotypically views the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning) movement as a prime example of spiritual decay in Western Europe and America.
Shortly after seeing Conchita win the Eurovision Song Contest, I read a Kansas City Star account of a “happy, kind, sweet, considerate” six-year-old named A. J. who had been determined to be transgender. “The rough-and-tumble kid who once sported buzz cuts and dressed for his birthday as a pirate was growing her chestnut hair below her shoulders. A. J. was now a girl.” The narrative was crystal clear. Those who would so much as bat an eye at the determination of a six-year- old boy to become a girl are like the bigots who once fueled the fires of racism in America. “The arc of history,” opined the Star, “is moving quickly toward both greater tolerance and acceptance”—an acceptance enhanced by Bruce Jenner’s (a.k.a. Caitlyn) public transgenderism.
Thus, the question that inevitably arises is this: “How shall we then live?” I’ve codified my response using the acronym G-A-Y.
GOD HAS SPOKEN! The Bible is crystal clear respecting gender- bending activities. To begin with, the New Testament derives its proscriptions against same-sex sexuality (Romans 1:24–32; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:8–10; etc.) from the creation order of Genesis and the prohibitions of Leviticus. Furthermore, Scripture contends that wholly apart from access to special revelation, general revelation provides sufficient evidence to underscore God’s condemnation of same-sex sexuality. Finally, we would do well to recognize that the Bible does not condemn same-sex sexuality in an arbitrary and capricious fashion. Rather, it carefully defines the borders of human sexuality so that our joy may be complete.
ADJUST YOUR ATTITUDE. In place of a we/they siege mentality, Christians must commit themselves to becoming salt and light, and then do so with gentleness and respect. The “God hates fa*gs” mentality is more conducive to repelling than reaching a culture steeped in sin and confusion. As Joe Dallas has rightly said, “We can preach the right things in all the wrong ways, either too aggressively or too meekly. When either conviction or compassion is being compromised, a revision is in order.” Tolerance when it comes to personal relationships is a virtue, but tolerance when it comes to truth is a travesty.
YIELD NOT! We must never yield our consciences to the subtle lure of political correctness. Rather, with Luther we ought to say, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God, . . . [and] to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.” The temptation to yield to cultural norms will continue to be pressed upon us with increasing ferocity. Yet to yield is to abandon the very call that God has placed upon our collective lives. This is no trifling matter. It is a matter of natural law. As Dr. Jay Richards has well said, to deny natural law is to strike “a mortal blow to the foundation of a free society.”
We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.
Ephesians 4:14–15 NKJV
GOD HAS SPOKEN!
ADJUST YOUR ATTITUDE.
YIELD NOT!
For further study, and Joe Dallas, “Now What? Same-Sex Marriage and Today’s Church,” Christian Research Journal 37, 1 (2014) and Does its condemnation of hom*osexuality demonstrate that the Bible is antiquated?
***Note the preceding text is adapted from The Complete Bible Answer Book: Collector’s Edition: Revised and Expanded (2024). To receive for your partnering gift please click here. ***
