"But what did Jesus say, Pete? He said that the world would know us by our love."
That was the standard, predictable, go-to line I always knew was coming whenever I was challenged over my advocacy for the Christian sexual ethic (that is, sexuality, like every other aspect of our identity, should be made obedient to the will of Christ even when that conflicts with our own natural urges, desires, and preferences).
It never seemed to matter that in the verse being quoted (John 13:35), Christ is telling His disciples that they must love one another – fellow disciples of Jesus – in order that the world identify them as separate and distinct. It didn't matter that Jesus was saying to treat fellow Christians with such hospitality, charity, and affection that the world would see how different the family of God was, and be envious and desirous of it themselves.
No, instead the phrase became ripe for hijacking – the perfect vehicle for the "love wins" crowd to neuter Christian witness to the truth by falsely claiming that our refusal to promote or embrace sinful conduct as godly was "unloving."
The spirit of the age inverts the Scriptural teaching that God is love. Scripture affirms that God is the definition of love; therefore, whatever matches the characteristics of God is loving, and whatever contrasts with His character is not.
But in defiance of the truth, the world offers its deceitful twist, and preaches that "love is God." In other words, humans decide how to define love and then they worship it. If the God of the Bible questions or contradicts man's definition of love, He is rejected as unworthy of worship. It's just more manmade idolatry.
It's critical for Christians to become aware of this unfolding reality if we are to know how to properly and faithfully sustain our witness in the midst of such an idolatrous era. This is particularly true as the voice of compromise and capitulation continues growing ever louder within pop culture Christianity.
Consider the concerted push by Christian authors like Preston Sprinkle, and Christian conferences like Revoice to promote "pronoun hospitality." In order that the world know we are Christians, they contend we must "show love" to those who consider themselves transgender by using their preferred pronouns.
Sprinkle writes in his book Embodied,
Trans people typically view using their pronouns and chosen name as a basic courtesy and respect … Christians should build relational bridges instead of walls, and refusing to use someone's pronouns might as well be a brick wall the height of Babel's tower.
Meanwhile, according to a report from World Magazine, at the latest Revoice conference,
Speakers frequently referred to "sexual and gender minorities" and used preferred pronouns, along with terms such as women "assigned female at birth"… Organizers handed out name tags and instructed them to select a circular sticker letting others know their preferred pronouns…One virtual presenter… was introduced using "they/them" pronouns and wore a black T-shirt with the inscription, "Imago Dei" in transgender flag colors.
I'm not ignorant of the large stumbling block that public perception can be for Christian witness. Satan does remarkable work in using cultural movements to deceive the world into believing that the people telling them the truth actually hate them. So I understand the desire of men like Sprinkle to dent that deception. But being deceptive yourself is no way to do that.
No one has explained this better or more succinctly than former lesbian, feminist, and English professor Rosaria Butterfield. She used to espouse the same view as Sprinkle, but has since repented of what she calls the sin of using transgender pronouns. She asks,
Does any real Christian believe crafting a relationship on falsehood will give the gospel a better hearing? And is that how people are converted? By meeting God on sin's terms and hearing nice things about themselves?
Butterfield references another Christian woman named Laura Perry Smalts who, before Christ, called herself Jake and attempted to live as a man. When God transformed her heart, Laura returned to her parents and home church for one primary reason: they loved her enough that they had refused to lie to her all those years she was hurting herself.
Butterfield's article is a humble admission of fault as well as a thunderous prosecution of Christians who "bend the knee to the fictional identity of LGBTQ+," compromising truth on the altar of hospitality and winsomeness. It should be read and spread throughout the church.
A Christian must not choose to live by lies. A Christian must not make alliance with any sin Christ came to demolish at Calvary. A Christian must not surrender biblical clarity and lend undeserved credibility to a demonic ideology that is torturing bodies and imperiling souls. Not if we truly love God and love our neighbors as ourselves.
