I would not have thought that I would be writing about Any Stanley so soon again. But he said something at his “Unconditional Conference” I just learned about. He said that Rosaria Butterfield and Christopher Yuan had nothing helpful to say to parents of LGBTQ+ children.
In her book “The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert,” Rosaria Butterfield shared how she left the lifestyle of a lesbian, being a feminist, and an LGBTQ+ activist as she came to Christ. Today she is a pastor’s wife and mother.
Her story had a balanced perspective of what it was like becoming a Christian and leaving the lesbian lifestyle behind, a genuine account. I read her book and have heard her speak about her experience on several different occasions. She is genuine and articulate, and knows what she practiced and what the Bible says about it.
Christopher Yuan despite being raised in a Christian home embraced the homosexual lifestyle. His mother continued to pray for him. When events in his life brought him to a low point in his life he began to return to his Christian roots. He rejected the homosexual lifestyle he had embrace to begin a new walk with Christ.
Both these individuals have experienced the dark side of same-sex practices and by the grace of God have come out of these life controlling lifestyles to serve Jesus Christ. I would think they would have much to say to parents of LGBTQ+ children and to the children themselves that would be of great value. Why would Andy Stanley say they do not have anything to offer parents of LGBTQ+ children?
A homosexual man who attended the “Unconditional Conference” said he did not like the first two minutes when Andy Stanley said marriage was between a man and a woman, but the rest of the time the conference served to affirm his practices as a homosexual man.
It seems that the “Unconditional Conference” gave out some very contradictory messages and that those who were practicing homosexuality came away affirmed in what they were doing. That is an outcome that contradicts the teaching of Scripture, the Word of God.
I think the church has much to learn about how to address the issues surrounding LGBTQ+ people and their practices but there is no room for going against the clear teaching in the Bible on these matters. To ignore the sin of homosexuality is of no help or hope for those deceived by its practices.
Homosexual practices in the Old Testament were unheard of among God’s people and there was no word for it. That is why God used descriptive language when forbidding the practice, “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination,” Leviticus 18:22.
Our culture may have changed but God’s word hasn’t.
Before I was saved my thoughts were far away from God’s word in that I thought to myself “what harm is same sex marriage – if they want to be married who’s it hurting?” My thoughts are very different now that the scales have been removed from my eyes. The very act is entirely contrary to the natural order of creation – in practice it denies creation. People in their sin do not want to think they are sinning – they want to do every desire of their hearts without consequence. They want to be god over their lives rather than turning over their lives to God. If one truly turns the heart toward God, He will change the desires of the heart.
Well said Lana. Ofcourse the harm of same -sex marriage and homosexuality is its inability to “be fruitful and multiply,” it cannot reproduce the next generation.