47 - Joe Dallas - Five Pro Gay Questions to Answer

On Oct. 5th, Joe Dallas posted “Five Pro-Gay Questions to Answer” in his series aimed at church leaders. The questions are:

1️ “Jesus was inclusive, so why aren’t you?”

2️ “Since Christian teaching causes suicide and depression among LGBTQ people, why not change your message?”

3️ “Why do pastors rail against homosexuality but wink at divorce and remarriage?”

4️ “Doesn’t biblical teaching ignore science and psychology?”

5️ “By calling homosexuality a sin, aren’t you practicing conversion therapy?”

Once again, Dallas, the author of Christians in a Cancel Culture, provides solid answers for these questions. He notes that Jesus’ invitation is inclusive – calling all of us to come to Him, while His terms are exclusive. We must repent and submit to His authority, obeying Him in everything. Dallas goes on to remind us that the claims that biblical teaching causes harm are based on unverifiable and anecdotal evidence. (Which was brought up in the recent Chiles v Salazar Supreme Court case.). Most (if not all) of these studies rely on self-reports, which are not verified, and fail to prove causation. He also reminds us that we are called to compassionately respond to those with questions about their sexuality and/or gender.

Dallas goes on to state that it is unfair to generalize pastors’ concerns about emphasizing one type of sin over another. While there are Biblical grounds for divorce (adultery, abandonment), there are no passages in Scripture excusing same sex sexual behavior.

“Where there’s a double standard, correct it; where there’s a false charge, refute it.”

The Lord provides moral and spiritual authority, while science examines and describes the natural world. Science increasingly upholds what we find in Scripture, as there are no archaeological discoveries contradicting what we find in the Old and New Testaments. No scientific studies prove that sexual orientation is immutable or that someone is born with same sex attractions.

“Use science for data, but Scripture for direction.”

Finally, Dallas reminds listeners that offering godly counsel to those with unwanted attractions to the same sex is not “conversion therapy,” but rather discipleship. “Conversion therapy” is a slanderous term created to group adversive and coercive methods with talk therapy. He concludes that the accusation represents a cultural inversion of good and evil: “Woe to those who call good evil and evil good.”

Let’s continue to pray for those who have bought into these false teachings, and that the Lord will give us wisdom and gentleness as we speak with them about what is true.