Engaging the Culture for Christ: A Response to Pride Month

Introduction

A man was walking down a city street one night when some gang members attacked him. They stole his money and beat him up leaving him bloody and bruised on the side. About 20 minutes later a pastor for a church came by, but he was in a rush and kept on

We are in the midst of Pride Month. A celebration of those of the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Queer, plus) community. To many Christians the very fact that I would bring this up in a Bible church might make you uneasy, on edge, or a bit put off. Yet, this is part of the world in which we have been called to.

The Church in Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness Foreword

We have to take an honest, hard look at why we are seeing this trajectory now. Many have noted that the decline of Christian values can be attributed to a reactive, angry, disengaged, and politically motivated Christian culture that has sought to assert itself in order to win a culture war that was destined to be lost. We have the best news in the world, but often we have communicated it as the right news instead of the good news. Many times, we have preferred to be right instead of loving, and lost our reputation in the process.

Christians today are faced with at least three ways to respond: (1) assimilate the secular culture, (2) isolate from the secular culture, or (3) engage the secular culture. In light of the gospel, the only choice for the Christ follower is to engage.