Third way attempts are first steps of compromise

Ten years ago in June 2015 the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling with Obergefell v. Hodges. By a 5 -4 vote the court ruled that the 14th amendment grants the right of marriage to same-sex couples. This ruling has led to several unfortunate results including a much wider acceptance of homosexuality in our culture at large.

More unfortunately, a small, but growing section of the Christian church is trending along a similar path. In the same year (2015) David Gushee, a professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University in Macon, GA wrote a book titled, Changing our Mind. The premise of the book is that Christianity has been wrong about homosexuality and we need to change our mind about this subject.

In a review of the book by the Gospel Coalition, a colleague writes, “David is now convinced that to reject homosexual  practice among “covenanted, monogamous” LGBT couples constitutes a rejection of them as people. Thus he proposes the church remove the “sin” label from certain forms of homosexual sex.”

Transition: The world system always exerts pressure on the Christian voice to conform to the prevailing culture, and that is certainly true in the arena of homosexuality. God has, however, given His people a Book and we have His standard. But do we understand it correctly?

Dr. Gushee and other Christian leaders are presenting the argument that we have misunderstood the text and are misapplying God’s word in this area. Sadly, this message is being accepted by a growing number of denominations and by individual congregations. After all, who doesn’t want to be on the “right side of history.”

So, let us go to the Word of God and discover what God has proclaimed concerning these things

Read the Text: Romans 1:18-27

Explanation: In this text Paul sets forth a pattern and then gives the results.

God reveals Himself to the world through natural means (the created order)

Natural man rejects this truth about God. He suppresses it (v. 18b) because in his pride, he does not want to be accountable to God

In pride, natural man will worship the created order rather than the Creator. This is idolatry. The specific idol may be science, human achievement or fame, but they are all foolish substitutes. One very popular idol of our day is self-identification, or the supposed autonomy of a person to claim he or she is whatever is felt / experienced in the moment.

The result of false worship of creation rather than the Creator is that God “gave them over” to debased practices.

Christian author Rosaria Butterfield has this to say on Romans 1:18-24 when she sums up the unnatural exchanges in a tragic order: “(1) The exchange of the triune God for gods of our own making; (2) the exchange of truth for lies; (3) the exchange of the natural (heterosexuality) for the unnatural (homosexuality).  A world that grows in its homosexuality and gender confusion is a world judged by God, given over to sin (Rom 1:24), and increasingly barren and corrupt.” (p. 12)

[for Kevin DeYoung’s forward to Five lies of of our anti-Christian Age, by Rosaria Butterfield, p. 12]

Argument from the Acceptance Side:

Dr. Gushee and others reject this interpretation, one that the Christian Church has held for over 2,0000 years, and instead, advocate for an approach that sees this passage (and others) condemning only homosexual activity outside of a committed, covenantal, monogamous homosexual union. In other words, the Bible does not condemn homosexuality as a category. “gay Christians” should be accepted and affirmed by the Church and those Christians who refuse to do so are the ones that are wrong. Supporters of this view interpret the sin of Sodom as attempted gang rape, not the practice of homosexuality in and of itself.

Those who are supportive of “gay Christianity” are grouped in two broad categories, Side A and Side B.

Side A Christianity is affirming of homosexuality in all its forms. Those groups in Side A would include the UMC, the PCUSA, the European branch of the Anglican Communion, and others. These churches celebrate and officiate homosexual unions and ordain open homosexuals to the ministry. Homosexuality is viewed as normative.

Side B Christianity does not affirm homosexual behavior and does not ordain homosexuals to the ministry. This group does affirm the category of SSA and teaches celibacy for those individuals who identify as ‘gay.’ They recognize such as brothers and sisters in Christ and welcome them into the life of the church.

You may have never encountered the terms, Side A Christianity or Side B Christianity, and you may be wondering what any of this has to do with us.

Side B advocates should be on our radar because some of them have positions of respect and leadership with evangelical circles. One such pastor with a lot of influence is Andy Stanley. Andy is the son of Pastor Charles Stanley of FBC Atlanta and serves as the senior pastor of North Point community church in Alpharetta, GA. Andy reaches and influences tens of thousands of believers every week through sermons, podcasts and social media. In October 2023, North Point held an Unconditional Conference for other church leaders and for parents of LGBTQ youth. The purpose of the conference was to teach them how to assist the young person navigate his or her LGBTQ experience. They encouraged the parents to Embrace the Journey, not to pray for repentance or give guidance regarding God’s design biblical identity.

Much more information could be shared to demonstrate the increasing acceptance of Side B Christianity, but a list of names and experiences is not the main point. The main point is to understand how this is happening and what what our response should be.

Recognize this is a Gospel Issue.

The type of music - hymns or choruses

Type of preaching - topical or expository

Observing the Lord’s Table - monthly vs. quarterly

These have importance, but they are not 1st order Gospel issues. The status of ‘gay’ Christianity IS a gospel issue. When a Church or an individual tells a person living as a homosexual that he or she does not need to repent of homosexuality, a false gospel is being presented.

This means that it is wrong for believers

God is actively transforming His people into becoming more like Jesus (Rom 8:29)

Jesus did come to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10) and He can save a person from the most vile sin condition - BUT, He does not leave him there. Those in Christ are being changed to the glory of God and are no longer identified by the former life, but the new (cf. Colossians 3:7-11). It is unthinkable for a Christian to be identified by former sin. The term ‘gay’ Christian is an oxymoron - the words do NOT go together.

The Main issue is Biblical Authority

You may already be convinced that homosexuality is a sin (and I hope you are) and you may already know that ‘gay’ Christianity is not possible. That is wonderful. Be aware, however, that there are those in the church that are governed more by the world than The Word. Know also they are pushing for all believers to come to their way of understanding the Scriptures, and they want all of us on what they consider the “right side of history.”

This isn’t about feelings or personal experiences or if a gay person is nice. This is about remaining grounded in the Word as the pressure continues to mount. Every generation of believers is called to be faithful and to confront the issues of their time. In this present moment, one of the gravest threats to the Church is the LBGTQ agenda which is attacking from the inside in its attempt to overthrow biblical authority and the family. We do not get to choose the issues, but we can, with God’s help remain faithful.

The Briefing: February 24, 2025 edition

Andy Stanley: Embracing the Journey and the Unconditional Conference - review by Stand to Reason on 10/12/23

Side B Word Games, by Kevin Pense in American Reformer (7/22/2024)

Engaging CT’s piece on Side B Christians by Denny Burk (12/4/2021)

Southern Baptists confront a ‘third way’ on homosexuality and sin - Pew Research Center (6/19/2014)