I read a helpful illustration somewhere about the nature of pastoral ministry. The illustration likened ministry to mowing around a troublesome stump in your yard. Ultimately things would be easier if the stump were removed and you could just mow a straight path. But uprooting the thing might cause more trouble than it’s worth and so you just learn to mow around the stump. People and preferences are like this. There are hills to die on and there are stumps to mow around.
I thought of this illustration when I read a recent interview with Lauren Daigle on the topic of homosexuality. She was asked whether or not she felt that homosexuality is a sin? Here is her response:
You know, I can’t honestly answer on that, in the sense of I have too many people that I love—that they are homosexuals…“I don’t know. I actually had a conversation with someone last night about it. I can’t say one way or the other. I’m not God,” she continued. “So, when people ask questions like that, that’s what my go to is. Like, I just say, ‘Read the Bible and find out for yourself. And when you find out, let me know because I’m learning too.’
Now, I’m not Lauren Daigle so I don’t her motivations. I’ll admit that I’m reading between the lines a bit and trying to fill in some gaps. It’s possible that Lauren Daigle truly doesn’t fully know her own stance on homosexuality. Or it’s possible that she does have a position but she is uncomfortable with the implications of that position. In other words she knows that if she affirms homosexuality she’ll lose a swath of her Christian audience, but she’ll also lose followers if she is unequivocal in saying that homosexuality is a sin.
And I can understand the motivation for this. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news that God saves sinners. It’s the beautiful story of His redemption of rebellious, sinful, and broken rebels. The gospel is the God of the universe adopting His enemies as His own children and bestowing on them all the riches of heaven. Our sexuality certainly has a part in the gospel message but it’s not really central. So, it’s understandable that one wouldn’t want to sacrifice a platform for the spread of the gospel in order to make a stance on a minor issue.
There is only one minor problem with this. We don’t mow around a denial of biblical truth. The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture means that we are not to call something a sin which the Bible doesn’t. Nor are we required to do something unless the Scripture requires this of us. That gives us the freedom to mow around stumps when it comes to personalities, preferences, and disputable matters. But it doesn’t give us the freedom to not take a biblical stance when the Bible is clear. When Scripture does speak we passionately stand on what it says…especially when it comes to defining sin.
The reason we do this is not because we have to maintain a list of sins in order to take a judgmental posture towards others. No, we do this because it actually is attached to the gospel. Trying to redefine our rebellion and our brokenness isn’t going to lead to gospel healing. It’s going to lead to destruction and a further plunge into idolatry and pain. So we lovingly refuse to mow around the stump of human sexuality. Yes, even if it means our platform suffers. We are called to be witnesses of Christ. As ambassadors we don’t get to change the message in order to make it more palatable.
A better response would have been to affirm what the Scriptures say about homosexuality, but to also extend it to include pride and a host of other things which are an abomination to God. And then to use this as an opportunity to proclaim the sufficiency of Christ for any and every sin. The gospel truth is that all of us are far worse than we could ever imagine. But in Christ we can have far more substantial healing and grace and relationship with the God of the Universe than we could ever dare to dream. That message will offend some. But it’ll be life to others.
Sinners (like myself) do not need our equivocation. They need our gracious truth-telling. This isn’t a stump you can mow around.
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Photo source: here
Article originally published at Mike’s blog: Borrowed Light
Maybe she really doesn’t know? I don’t know a lot about her personally — where she worships or where she was educated.
I think the Bible is very clear on the issue. So I was really surprised and confused when I found an old friend who preaches was pro-LGBT. I asked him how can he possibly arrive at his stance and got no satisfying answers to my questions.
So if she is under a similar teacher, she may legitimately be confused between what the Bible says versus liberal faith leaders and their explanations/dismissal of it.
Who is Lauren Daigle and why should I care what she thinks? Never heard of her…
Well for one she is a person made in the image of God. That of course doesn’t mean that we de facto listen to her as an authority on sexuality (or anything for that matter), but it does mean we care what she thinks.
Mike… come on. You write like she is someone famous whose opinion matters in the larger scale. Who is she?
She is someone famous. One of the most popular CCM artists of our day. Her last album debuted higher than many well known secular artists. She is 27 and quite popular.
It has been on social media and in discussions quite a bit.
“But it does mean we care about what she thinks.”. I must take exception to that statement. Could you clarify that please? Care as in disagree?
Care. Verb. Feel concern or interest.
As one made in the image of God we have concern for her. I don’t mean I agree with her, but I care about what she thinks.
We care about what she says because her VERY large platform means MANY young Christians look up to her and will listen and emulate her.
Frankly, I think a lot of people who profess to being Christian pretend to not know because they don’t want to take a stand. They loved being adored by the world. Unfortunately, they reject what is clearly written.
While I think all of us certainly can struggle with a desire to please people, I do believe there is something else going on here on occasion. I do think folks are wanting to keep a platform for the sake of the gospel. I don’t agree with them. I think that thinking is built on faulty premises, but I also don’t think it’s just as simple as wanting to be a people-pleaser (at least not always).
Agreed. I don’t believe we should unnecessarily give away influence. I believe that there is some merit in sometimes saying that “my feelings and opinions don’t matter, but there is a standard that you should pursue.” I course do not think we should hide the truth of God’s design, but tact is important.
Sadly my guess is she sold out for the cross over crowd of secular and Christian music.
A possible modern day Demas…
Lauren Daigle had the most popular iTunes download a few weeks back. Anyone who follows current music, secular or Christian, knows her name. We do many of her songs in our worship sets, and her lyrics over the past two years have been the most popular songs in our church in our ministry. Her words here are very disappointing and I am struggling with what steps I need to take in this regard. This is clear evidence of what happens when your words show compromise- nothing good comes from it. Stand on the clear scripture. Call a spade a spade.
I am attending a concert of hers in a few days in my city. I’ve been looking forward to it for months. I’m not boycotting the event. However, I’ll be disappointed if she doesn’t address this in some way to clarify. I’ll be equally disappointed if there are ‘legalistic’ protesters in front of the concert hall. I am expecting both of what I just said to happen. The church (including me) is awaiting her response and actions. The world is watching how we respond and treat her. Both are equally important. We (and she) can’t blow this and be anything less than Christlike.
There is something of a tension between the song and the songwriter. Rich Mullins converted to catholicism. Horatio Spafford became a heretic after writing “It is well.” Others well known writers have fallen morally. Do we throw out the song with the artist when the artist leaves the faith once delivered for all the saints? I couldn’t encourage someone to ignore the singer’s doctrine just because the song is good. “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
Asking a Christian about his or her view on homosexuality has become the world’s “shibboleth.” It’s bizarre, really. Before our culture can embrace an artist, a politician, or an athlete, they need to know what that individual thinks about two people of the same gender having sex with one another. That’s what we’ve come to: freedom of sexual expression is seen as the ultimate good. We therefore know what our idol is. The world wants an answer of absolute endorsement. It’s willing, for now, to accept non-judgmental ambiguity.
I doubt the world will be accepting ambiguity for much longer. If she honestly doesn’t know where she stands (which I doubt), she better figure it out soon. The world will not long bestow blessings unless one is willing to bow the knee before her altars.
Yep. The reality is that the world will not be satisfied with a nuanced answer. They only want to hear “it is not a sin”
Jeff, its worse than that. This isn’t about “sexual expression.” People believe that their IDENTITY is lesbian, gay, or transsexual, etc. So this is not mere expression, but who they are as a person. So, to call homosexuality a sin is tantamount to saying a person’s identity is wrong. That is why there is so much pressure to accept the LGBTQAI+ agenda.
You have a fair point, Mark. Voddie Baucham talks about how our culture has transitioned in just a few decades from viewing homosexuality as a sin, then a disorder, then a lifestyle choice, and now an immutable personal identity such as race. But our culture wants to have it both ways when it comes to sexuality: they see sexual orientation as something inherent and unchangeable, but they also want to affirm individuals’ freedom of self-identification and self-expression (as whatever they want to be).
This is completely off topic— but I’d never heard of the word Shibboleth until last night because I was trying to register for a course and the local university uses software called Shibboleth. It must have stuck with me though because in all of the bizarre nightmares I had last night the word Shibboleth kept popping up printed on the background. In the last nightmare it was being used as a surname for someone on a list tacked to the wall and I kept staring at it trying to make sense of it till I woke up. So it’s kind of amusing to me that you mentioned it. So finally I looked it up. :p
So I’m literally someone’s nightmare come to life. I’ve reached a new low in blog commenting. 🙂
Shibboleth: (West Wing)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fqkaBEWPH18
Hey! So I have a tangentially related question.
Over the past couple years, of all the biggest issues I’ve had talking to the unchurched, one of the most challenging walls I’ve faced has been the issue of LGBTQ. I’ve had conversations with multiple people, some who have sought me out specifically because they feel like they need to get back to church and address something missing spiritually in their lives and that of their families. They’ve asked me where I attend church, and when I tell them _______ Baptist Church they ask “Is that Southern Baptist? Because I have some very close gay friends and I don’t want my children raised in a place that thinks homosexuality is wrong.”
With the LGBTQ affirming churches, people tend to view it not as a matter of black and white because why would these other pastors say it’s ok…
Similarly, my son was harassed constantly for months on the school bus because people would daily initiate conversations with him to try to make him state his position on homosexuality so that they could all put him down for being a bigot. He never went out of his way to try to make anyone feel condemned but when this lesbian former friend would confront him about it he would answer honestly. She wasn’t a former friend because of her LGBTQ position, but because she bullied him about it daily and made his bus rides miserable. Truth be told he would still be her friend if she stopped, because he’s a very tenderhearted and forgiving person. But when she was starting this, there were other friends from more liberal churches that would say that their churches teach that homosexuality is ok, and they would side with the girl in calling him homophobic etc.
Anyway, from an evangelism stance, how do you see an effective and kind way to address the women I talk to who are wanting to go back to church and learn about Jesus but are not yet willing to accept that the Bible says homosexuality is wrong. Similarly, if their child or close relative is transgendered or homosexual.
I find it a lot easier when someone knows that something is wrong— the addicts or alcoholics or adulterers I know realize on some level that there is a sin or an issue. With homosexuality because I guess in part because of the unloving way they’ve been treated in the past, it’s almost like they think we are the ones sinning (hate).
As fast I know, the sin of homosexuality is the only sin that people practicing the said sin ask us to celebrate their lifestyles with them.
Kimberly, your question is very much relevant. I hope you get a good discussion. It is something that we as Christians will have to deal with in a society that glorifies sexual expression. How do we express what we believe without coming across as condemning? It is what our children and grandchildren will have to deal with. Your son’s experience will become all too common. He sounds like a brave, loving young man. He might express that while his beliefs do not condone certain lifestyles, he still loves her as a friend. He may also ask her why she would continue to harass him for his own beliefs. My own sister has has maintained a close friendship with a gay friend who she has known for years, even though she is strongly Christian. They acknowledge their differences, but support each other through difficult times.
Thanks Frank! Yes he has expressed to her that he would still be friends. I think what put an end to the harassment is that I suggested that instead of engaging in the argument by restating/confirming his position every day, that instead when she predictably asked him that he should just calmly and kindly reply back to her that his beliefs are the same as the day before and the day before that and every other day that’s she had asked and that’s he’s starting to think she doesn’t care about what he thinks but just wants to pick a fight and that’s he’s not going to fight with her.
And I reminded him that it’s not his job to convince anyone or win an argument, but if he remains kind in the face of that kind of treatment, others will take note of that and that would be a better testimony than any points he might score in an argument.
Good advice. Parents today deal with a whole lot of issues that we didn’t have when raising kids. You sound like you are doing a good job of helping your son negotiate treacherous waters. I am sure that it keeps you on your knees.