Part Two: Soldiers of Christ, Arise to Face America’s Battle Against Sexual Immorality

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at what the Bible has to say about homosexuality. Just as drinking to excess, stealing, lying, and sex outside of marriage are condemned in the Bible, so is homosexuality. However, just as all the previously mentioned sins are often normalized or even glamorized in our society, so is homosexuality becoming more accepted.

We Christians must stand up for the unrighteousness of this lifestyle that is becoming not only legal, but something to be accepted and celebrated, even by our Commander in Chief.

In a YouTube video posted last October as part of the “It Gets Better Project,” President Obama spoke out against hate crimes and bullying, particularly when it comes to persecuting young gay people. We Christians should be just as committed and active in stopping cruel words and actions meant only to hurt those who are already hurting.

However, the president went on to imply that being gay is not a choice, and that differences, including being “LGBT” (lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender), should be sources of pride and strength. To end his message, he said, “As a nation we’re founded on the principle that all of us are equal and each of us deserves the right to pursue our own version of happiness, and…to be true to ourselves.”

This is a far cry from our nation’s founders: Thomas Jefferson attempted to make castration the punishment for sodomy (the Virginia Legislature rejected this possible sentence). Before 1962, sodomy was still a felony in every state, and some states held onto these laws until 2003, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that these laws were unconstitutional.

Were our nation’s founders discriminators and bullies? Or were they attempting to establish this country on Biblical standards of morality?

I think the latter is true, and unless we Christians shine a light in this dark world, our country could be headed toward the heathen practices of the Israelites described in the book of Judges, when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Sounds a lot like President Obama’s “right to pursue our own version of happiness.”

Our country needs brave Christians to stand up against this encroaching sexual immorality, lest we bring reproach upon our entire nation (Proverbs 14:34).

What does standing up to this sin look like in a Christian’s daily life? We want to reach out to the lost, but be separate and sanctified; to shine a light on what is true and defend the godly definition of sex and marriage.  How can we do this at home, work, or school? Here are some steps for action, both in our private and public lives.

1. Pray for our nation. Our churches must reach out in love, but also stand firm on Biblical standards, regardless of what cultural norms are at the moment. We need prayer to do this. Our legislators and judges also need our prayers to do the same thing, and all of us have individuals in our lives who we may or may not know struggle with sexual temptation. We can pray for them, too, with or without names, that we can help them however God gives us opportunities.
2. Study Scriptures diligently: We must be ready always to defend what is right (2 Timothy 4:2), not just with our passionate opinions, but also with the use of Scriptures, just as Jesus used against Satan in the wilderness.
3. Teach your children how to love their neighbors, never condemn or hurt anyone, verbally or physically; and most importantly, to know what is right. Children must be equipped with this knowledge, especially as they begin to face misinformation taught in some public schools.
   In 2008, the United States Court of Appeals gave Massachusetts teachers the constitutional right “not only to instruct their students regarding the alleged normalcy of homosexuality, but to do so without notifying parents” (See this Apologetics Press article). Massachusetts was the first state to legalize gay marriage, but eight states have since followed suit. Make sure your children are equipped for the attack on righteousness that will be present in their schools, not just from peers and bullies, but sometimes even included in the curriculum.
4. Be an informed, vocal citizen and voter. Legislators and judges are the ones making these changes that have profound ripple effects. Anti-discrimination laws being passed in some states have already forced at least one nonprofit Christian adoption center to close, so that it won’t have to allow gay couples to adopt its children. At the college where I work, a transgender professor is now fighting for tenure—if state anti-discrimination laws included homosexuals, this professor would likely be entitled to tenure, leading to a more LGBT-friendly college campus. Affirmative Action right now only includes minorities and women, but many corporations are voluntarily taking steps toward supporting the LGBT community, including Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, and Starbucks (see this Apologetics Press article).
   I’m not supporting discrimination based on a person’s private life, but for homosexuality to be treated as a civil rights issue does not make logical sense, in addition to defying godly righteousness. Being a woman or being a minority is not a choice, while being homosexual is. We should not support any efforts to expand anti-discrimination laws or Affirmative Action to include homosexuals.
   We Christians must know the positions of our legislators on these issues, know what is happening in our legislatures, and write to those in power to stand up for Biblical principles. Likewise, we must also stay informed of what our schools are teaching our children, and speak out to administrators and schools boards if the curriculum is unacceptable.
5. Don’t compromise on sexual immorality when it comes to entertainment. When we watch television shows or movies or listen to music that celebrates sexual sin, we participate in that celebration. We not only set an example to others by the media choices we make, but we also desensitize ourselves to the unrighteousness of these lifestyles.
   In addition, we vote with our dollars on what kinds of shows, movies, and music are made. A few hours of entertainment is not worth a compromise of Biblical values; we should instead dwell on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute” (Philippians 4:8).
   It is difficult to find a mainstream film or TV show that meets these standards; we as Christians have to make an extra effort to evaluate entertainment options before we decide whether it’s worth our time and money. Focus on the Family’s Plugged In media reviews is a good resource for making moral entertainment decisions.
6. Don’t keep company with so-called Christians who practice sexual sin. Christians may judge people within the church, and must not associate with hypocrites (1 Corinthians 5:11). Of course, before making this decision, we must try to turn this sinning brother or sister back to righteousness (James 5:19, 20). Just like with entertainment that involves sexual sin, when we associate with a person who is caught up in it, we endorse that sin.

We must not feel helpless in the face of this onslaught of sexual impurity and attacks on marriage. There are steps we can take to face it: to wield the weapons and armor God has given us to fight “against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). The time has come to put our armor on.

By Kimberly Mauck
Kimberly lives with her husband and two daughters in Durant, Oklahoma, where she is a part-time college English instructor and a freelance writer. She also writes forKatharosNOW, a webzine for teen Christian girls, and her own blog Virtuous Woman…Virtually.