Some might call it the latest installment of, "you'll never be woke (or gay, or gay-affirming) enough."
A gentleman by the name of Nate Worthington went viral this last week for proclaiming on social media that he was formally renouncing his past, pastoral condemnation of what the Bible calls immorality. Mr. Worthington has either decided that the Bible is wrong, or his past understanding of the Bible is wrong.
I must make a confession today. I am now a fully open & affirming Christian. To my LGBTQIA brothers and sisters, to quote Derek Webb, "I was wrong. I'm sorry. And I love you."
It seems apparent to me that Mr. Worthington feels a great deal of sympathy towards a sector of the population that he sees as hurt and hurting. There's nothing wrong with that impulse and I don't fault him for it. In fact, I find it honorable.
It is also honorable, even incumbent upon Christians, to not complicate that hurt by promoting lies. And that's where Worthington tragically errs, as do so many other believers who venture down the seductive path of becoming an "ally" with the spirit of the age.
First, such an approach will fail because hurting people need to be loved, and there is no love without truth. Second, that approach will fail because falsehoods beget more falsehoods beget more falsehoods ad infinitum. We've all experienced this phenomenon. We tell a lie and later, when called on it, we are forced to cover it with another lie. Not long after, we find ourselves in a position that to keep it all alive, we must tell yet another lie, until soon the whole thing collapses into a giant mess of self-contradiction.
That's what happened to this poor man in his own comment thread, as the very people he was trying to love through affirmation demanded more lies to appease them.
Notice in Mr. Worthington's original post that he declared his support for, "LGBTQIA brothers and sisters." Those two words (brothers and sisters) presume the truth of a gender binary (male/female). That runs afoul of true allyship, so another lie against nature is demanded:
Editor's Note: Many have noted that this reply, and those that follow, were meant to be mocking or satirical. But it should be pointed out that satirical or not, such comments are not dissimilar to actual talking points in the gender movement. Nate seems to have taken them seriously and virtue signaled accordingly.
Even using the term "siblings" can be triggering for some who demand another lie:
Still, even the term "people" falls short of those who do not consider themselves fully human. Thus, the need for another lie:
Others went back to Worthington's original post and pointed out that the acronym "LGBTQIA" falls woefully short of true allyship. More lies must be told:
And if moral lines prohibiting who can be romantically/sexually involved are unjust, what about those prohibiting how many can be romantically/sexually involved? More lies must be told:
I don't know Nate Worthington and don't presume to know his motives. But on the surface, he seems like a genuine guy who wants to help people by blessing them, loving them, and offering them hope. Praise God for that desire - far too few people seem to exhibit it these days.
But may all who do remember that ultimately there is no help, there is no blessing, there is no love, and there can be no hope without the truth. Jesus taught that, which is why those of us who love Him more than our own worldly rank or reputation will live not by lies.
