Amid the increased push for LGBT ideologies to be accepted by people from all walks of life, a renowned author explains why those who profess to follow the Lord Jesus Christ should never ever support homosexual lifestyle choices made by people around them/

New York Times bestselling author Dr. Preston Sprinkle laid out reasons why Christians chose to affirm homosexual lifestyles in a pastoral paper. According to him, a growing proportion of Christians, even evangelical Christians, are now supportive of same-sex sexual relationships. He pointed out that the main issue now is about what the Bible means, rather than what it says.

For the past two decades, there's been an increasing acceptance of homosexuals in many countries, according to Pew Research. In the United States, the acceptance among homosexuals significantly increased after legislation on gay marriage. Despite its increase, the U.S. maintained to have one of the lowest acceptance rates among the Western European, North, and South American countries surveyed in their 2019 study.

Despite the conventional view of marriage being the most logical and biblical interpretation of the Bible and Christian tradition, Sprinkle pointed out that many Christians are changing their minds regarding the historic Christian sexual morality not because of homosexuality arguments that he listed in his paper.

He said Christians are frequently adjusting their minds because they want to show compassion to LGBT+ folks. The majority of affirming Christians believe that traditional views of marriage are incompatible with compassion and that the only way to embrace LGBT+ persons is to redefine Christian marriage.

While there are Christians who openly disregard theology to show compassion, there are also Christians on the other side who according to them, Christians must not affirm their LGBT friends' lifestyles. Here are the reasons why Christians should not affirm homosexual lifestyles:

Affirming LGBT Lifestyles Means Lying

Cornerstone Chapel of Leesburg Senior Pastor Gary Hamrick addressed today's activism about sexuality in a question-and-answer event in their church. According to him, bible-believing people would clearly understand that homosexuality is a sin.

Referencing Genesis 1:27, the pastor said that although the truth exists, the church didn't do a good job at conveying the truth. He argued that most churches fall into two extremes - hate or affirmation. The megachurch pastor said that finding a balance in communicating the truth was hard, however, Christians must find a way to communicate the truth.

Hamrick pointed out that affirmation of the LGBT lifestyle was a form of lying. He argued that it was unloving to deny people the truth. Instead of doing good, he pointed out that Christians end up lying to themselves and the Lord. He encouraged people not to compromise the truth just to appease people.

Affirming Gay Lifestyle Choices Glorifies Man, Not God

In his article entitled "A Peculiar Disapproval of Gay Pride," American Theologian John Piper explained in his platform how the disapproval of homosexuality differs from non-Christians. Sin condemnation of genuine Christians differs because it was based on, maintained by, and directed at stunning facts that non-Christians despise.

Piper sad when a person gets transformed into being a Christian, many changes happen including what he disapproves of and the way he disapproves them. He asserted that many Christians considered their transformation a miracle and called it a "new birth." The pastor explained this change covers entrusting to Jesus Christ's death and resurrection to cover people's sins, relying on the Holy Spirit to walk in Christlike love, and bending all actions to reflect God's glory.

In Romans 1:22-27, the apostle Paul noted that the origin of homosexual inclinations was from humanity's trade of God's glory for man's glory. Piper explained that when a man values their kind over the opposite sex, it was one manifestation of valuing humans above God. Though the pastor noted that it wasn't in the form of homosexuality all the time, some people can express idolatry in other ways.

He explained that homosexuality was one of the results caused by idolatry in the human race. Though it was one way to express idolatry, Piper chose to tackle homosexuality as many people were condoning the act during pride month. He explained that the act was rooted in "covetousness," a grave sin against God that honors human desires above God's desires.

So, Piper hoped that Christians disapprove of the practice in a distinct way. He warned people that no sin must take away people from heaven, encouraging everyone to repent in the light of salvation through Jesus's death and resurrection.

Also Read: Virginia Church Leaves UMC Over Homosexuality Debate, Joins Conservative Denomination

Affirming Does Not Mean Loving

Many Christians believed that denying a person's right to pursue the romantic relationship they desire was unloving. Sprinkle noted in his study, that there were people who argued their affirmation of homosexuality in the context of Jesus' teachings to love all people, especially the minority.

He encouraged Christians to reflect on their past actions if there were instances when they do not show love to other people. He urged everyone to repent if they became unloving toward others to address this issue being thrown at Christians.

Furthermore, People need to distinguish the difference between societal ethics and church ethics. He explained that when people expressed their stance on homosexuality, they were projecting a distinctly Christian ethic that was based on Scripture and traditions. Sprinkle said that "Christians should be able to love people without forcing them to adhere to a Christian ethic."

In John 15:12, Jesus commanded his disciples to love others as he loved them. The Christian author emphasized that people devalued the meaning of this verse to use this as an argument to uphold their sexual beliefs. Sprinkle explained when Jesus loved his disciples, he didn't always or often agree with their actions or desires.

It's not a "Christian love" but "worldly love" that affirms everything that people desire and believe. It's different from the love that Jesus projected in his time of ministry. Jesus loved people and urged them towards holiness, not the other way around. He encouraged Christians to do the same, pursuing Christ together.

Related Article: Former Gay Drug User And Dealer Who Got Saved By Christ Says There's 'No Justification For Homosexuality'