Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”
“Pride Month” is here.
The ads will come, the commendations and celebrations from the White House and liberal politicians, and the rainbow flag bombardment and many stores are set, now, for the month of June.
Proponents of what it represents will be vocal. They will target our children online and through streaming apps. And, they will show why what they may call their “identity” is really a full-on, anti-God religion.
Pride Month is a sickening celebration of sin, debauchery, and man-claimed authority over God’s Design. It’s what He gave us for our good, distorted, turned upside down, and celebrated.
That’s why the Christian should not simply respond to “Pride” by being “icked out” or mildly irritated. The Christian should respond to “Pride” with a zeal for God’s glory, to reclaim and honor what He has made, and to intentionally and wonderfully point a fallen culture back to Him.
Because that’s what “Pride” is – it’s the ultimate consequence of the Fall and the clearest path and marker of destruction. It, like Satan’s original sin, is man’s effort to claim God’s authority to say, “We can do it better.”
The first gifts God gave to humanity were – life, His likeness/image, dominion over the earth and all that is in it, distinct characteristics and roles of male and female, and the unique relationship of marriage. “Pride” shakes its fist at God’s image, replaces “dominion” with a false identity, distorts and denies the distinct characteristics of male and female, violates marriage, and replaces it with a relationship that cannot produce life. It’s a full-circle, full-scale war against God’s Design.
And, Christian, you are called to proactively engage in proclaiming God’s good and wonderful plan and in the battle to reclaim our culture for His glory.
“Pride” will be all-the-more in-your-face over the coming months. Here are some reminders for believers as we combat “Pride”:
- The LGBTQ movement is built on sin – There is no equivocation or dancing around it, Scripture is replete with references to the sin of homosexuality – often referring to it as one of the most egregious and special kinds of sins for the reasons outlined above. While pulpits are sadly being filled by weak and unbiblical “Andy Stanley types” who deny the truth and authority of Scripture, LGBTQ actions and identity are, without question, sin.
- Sin is born from brokenness – We are all sinners, and, as a consequence of the Fall, we are all broken. Our relationship with God and the identity we find in Him is not what it was initially designed to be. As we encounter neighbors and friends who identify as LGBTQ, we are dealing with broken people.
- Broken people will never find hope and joy by basking in brokenness – The overcompensatory name of “Pride” is born from a lifestyle and identity that will never result in true joy or peace. While they may make every effort to be “happy” and “gay,” living outside God’s good design leads only to more brokenness.
- Brokenness should be met with compassion – Despite their best efforts to deny it, every LGBTQ-identifying person that you meet is made in the image of God, valuable, and worthy of your compassion and love. We can hate the sin. We can and should hate the efforts to infiltrate institutions, target people of faith, and groom children. But, we should never, ever lose sight of the fact that every individual person claiming this identity and living this lifestyle deserves compassion and love.
- Compassion and true affirmation do NOT mean silence and faux affirmation – Proponents of this lifestyle call for “affirmation” as a way to show support. Christians should “affirm” LGBTQ-identifying people… in their God-given design. It is not loving or affirming to tell someone God made them wrong and that they should deviate from His plan, as laid out in His Word and also clear in biology. Christians should not shy away from speaking truth, pointing people to God’s Word, and lovingly calling their neighbor to repentance and alignment with His good design.
- The Church is essential to providing biblical teaching – “Andy Stanley types” have softened the Church’s response to this crisis, and our pulpits too often lisp instead of thunder. Pastors should address this issue. Counselors should be prepared to deal with it. And, parents should be equipped to teach and train their children to encounter the world and hold fast to biblical truth.
- The Church is essential to modeling marital joy – Christian retreat from the “LGBTQ battle” has all-too-often resulted in a retreat from discussions of sex and marriage. When conservative churches do address these things, it is all-too-often shrouded in duty and fuddy-duddyness. Marriages are not perfect, and many marriages are filled with pain and struggling. But, that does not make God’s ideal design any less good or ideal. Biblical marriage should be joyful, pleasurable, loving, satisfying, and beneficial. The debauchery of “Pride” should be drowned out with in-your-face joyful biblical marriage! And, in this, the Church has failed to show the attractiveness of what His good design offers.
- Policy matters – As the Church shines a light for our culture, it is imperative that we continue to fight for laws that recognize His design, protect our children, and uphold biology.
- As do politics – Passing good policies stems from the election of good political leaders. You and your church should make certain to engage in the electoral process to oppose those who would see children mutilated, indoctrination happen in schools, and girls put in jeopardy by having boys in their locker rooms and bathrooms and on their sports teams. Courage matters, and Christians should be intentional about raising up leaders who will pass good policies.
- We should think BIG – It took 50 years, but the pro-life movement successfully overturned Roe. There should be no hesitation in building and proclaiming a culture that, with time, could one day see the overturning of Obergefell.
- We win – Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is on the throne – has won, is winning, and will win. As Christians, we are assured of ultimate and lasting victory, and, one day, He will ensure that the wickedness we see in our culture will be no more. He will heal the brokenness. He will mend the fallenness. He will fix marriages. He will eliminate our pain. “Pride” will come to an end and be replaced with joyful acknowledgment of His design. This month, as you encounter evil, you are right to feel anger and sadness. You are right to feel compassion. You are right to feel compelled to engage in it and fight back. But, you are not right to feel worried or anxious. Our God is so much bigger than this, and this struggle does not fall outside of His plan or His victory.
This month, let’s show the world true love and compassion. Let’s speak truth with boldness and clarity. Let’s model joy. Let’s stand against Pride. Let’s stand for His design.
May God use His Church in this way,
Cole Muzio
President, Frontline Policy