It is time for Christians to face the truth that homosexuality is here to stay in the United States and other Western nations.  This practice has been progressively ingrained into the culture over recent decades, and the youngest generations are more accepting of it than any before.  Homosexuality is being normalized and sanctioned by many states through marriage licenses for homosexuals, and it is highly likely that homosexual marriage will soon be legal nationwide.  In times past, Christians might have lived in this nation without ever encountering a homosexual, but those times are no more.

Facing this reality, we must prepare ourselves to deal with the practice of homosexuality.  If we are going to be faithful to the Lord as Christians, then we must abide by the truth of His word in all things, including the matter of homosexuality.  Concerning homosexuality, the word of Christ is clear: homosexuals shall not inherit the kingdom of God (1Cor. 6:9-11).  Furthermore, homosexuality is classified as a degrading passion, an unnatural function, an indecent act, and an error (Rom. 1:26-27).  In 1Timothy 1:10, homosexuality is described as being contrary to sound teaching.  Granted, these passages were penned by the apostle Paul, but Paul wrote the Lord's commandments (1Cor. 14:37).  Moreover, Jesus Himself defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman (Matt. 19:4-6).

On one level, Christians should view homosexuality in the same way as any other sin.  Those who are engaged in this sin will be lost for eternity if they do not repent and obey the gospel of Christ.  They need to be told the truth of their error and have the gospel preached to them.  God loves them, and He wants them to be washed, sanctified, justified, and saved in Christ (1Cor. 6:9-11; 1Tim. 2:4; 2Pet. 3:9).  It is our responsibility to preach this message to homosexuals and all sinners regardless of their particular sins.

On another level, Christians must understand that homosexuality has risen to a status within our society that is different from other sins.  The pressure from society for accepting, endorsing, and even celebrating homosexuality has become so great that opposition is now characterized as bigotry.  Those who oppose homosexuality or homosexual marriage are becoming more and more likely to face severe consequences that exceed those typically experienced for opposing sin.  Persons expressing their faith in opposition to homosexuality are in danger of losing their employment even when their expressions were made outside of the workplace.  Several examples of this effect have been in the news lately:

• Shortly      after being named CEO of Mozilla, Brendan Eich was forced to resign in      April, 2014, because it was discovered that he donated $1000 to support Proposition      8 in California to ban homosexual marriage in 2008.
• Craig James      was fired from Fox Sports in February, 2014, because he had said that      homosexuals would "have to answer to the Lord for their actions" during a      political debate in 2012.
• In      September, 2013, Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Phillip Monk was relieved of      his duties after nineteen years of service because he refused to agree      with his commander, who was a homosexual woman, about homosexual marriage.
• Just this      month (May, 2014), David and Jason Benham had their HGTV program cancelled      because they had opposed the homosexual agenda at political events.

These are just a few publicized examples, but such penalties may not be the worst consequences Christians will have to face.  Some other Western nations already classify open opposition to homosexuality as hate speech, and there are possible legal ramifications for those who preach against this sin.  If this trend continues and the United States follows it, then Christians in our nation may someday face legal penalties for preaching biblical truth about homosexuality, including imprisonment.

The question for us now is, are we ready for this?  Many churches and people who claim to be Christians have already compromised on this issue because of the societal pressure to accept homosexuality.  What about us?  Are we prepared to suffer for standing on the truth?  Will we support our brethren who stand for the truth?  This challenge is not as much about homosexuality as it is about the principle of defending our faith in Christ.  In this case, the issue is homosexuality, but it could be any other sin that society attempts to force us into accepting.  Regardless of the issue, let us always abide by the words of 1Peter 3:14-16:

¹⁴But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. and do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, ¹⁵but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; ¹⁶and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. 

Stacey E. Durham