What Are You Celebrating in June?
June is the perfect month for celebrating graduations and weddings. But it is currently celebrated by many as Gay PRIDE Month and endorsed with parades, stickers, clothing, and multiple events.
I have no desire to be joining an ugly and mean-spirited anti-gay movement because I believe strongly that Christians are called to respect and care about everyone, regardless of their beliefs. God Himself makes it clear in Scripture that He loves all humankind and sent his Son, Jesus, to bear the penalty of all our sins. (John3:16)
However, this does not mean God accepts and looks approvingly on our sins. We are told to put off lies, deceitful behavior, to not let anger control us, to forgive hurts and offences, to not steal, and to control our tongues and critical words. (Ephesians 4:22-32)
Hateful and judgmental words should not be part of our vocabulary, no matter how much we disagree with the current culture of sexual freedom and gender fluidity.
Our culture (at least in North America) is focused on these issues this month. In response, I want to share with you some very helpful articles that I just read from The Gospel Coalition (TGC) https://www.thegospelcoalition.org.
"I started getting Pride Month email advertisements in early May. One was from a children’s online boutique, with Celebrating Pride as the subject line. The email highlighted an array of rainbow-themed products to help children celebrate the mantra “Love is love”: rainbow onesies for infants, rainbow T-shirts for toddlers, rainbow stacking blocks, even a giant inflatable rainbow sprinkler. There was an implicit message: “Pride Month is a family affair! Turn your children into walking advertisements for sexual freedom and gender fluidity!”
Yikes. I almost unsubscribed from this particular email list. But had I set that precedent, I’d have to unsubscribe from pretty much every secular brand that sends me emails. These days, almost all of them have Pride Month sales or specials.
In the span of a decade or so, Pride Month has moved from being a fringe activity to a pervasive pop culture phenomenon. As I've experienced personally, even our preschool-aged children are being marketed the message that LGBT+ sexuality should be celebrated as an unqualified good. How should Christians respond? How can parents and pastors speak to their kids about Pride Month in a way that counters worldly messages with biblical wisdom?"
Let me encourage you to get yourself a favorite beverage and take time to read some of the following articles by clicking on the links below. These articles are written with sensitivity, but are faithful to the Scriptures. They contain much needed help for navigating the changes in our culture, and particularly in June when everyone is expected to join in the PRIDE Celebration.
The Gospel Coalition (TGC) has produced dozens of resources over the years that might help. If you’re looking for biblical wisdom on this topic, here are a few recent resources to check out:
“Downplaying the Sin of Homosexuality Won’t Win the Next Generation” by J. D. Greear
“Transformation of a Transgender Teen” by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra
“Pride Month Is a Road to Nowhere” by Casey Shutt
“Should Christians Ever Wear an LGBT+ Pride Patch?” by Patrick Miller
