In an interview with Sam Wan featured on the Gospel Coalition, Simon Shead, a 24-year-old from New South Wales, spoke about his intention never to get married, serving as a microcosm for the problems with TGC as a whole.
He explains that the primary reason he is choosing lifelong celibacy and singleness is because “I believe that being single helps us to understand the sufficiency of Christ and to be undivided in our posture towards him.”
Shead offers that a secondary reasons for being single is counter-cultural, as “Non-Christians might wonder where my hope is placed if it is not in the deeply fulfilling sexual relationships we see on TV. This provides me with a great gospel opportunity.”
And the third? Out of solidarity with the gays.
Sam: You say singleness and celibacy is a godly and possible choice for straight Christians—and for the communities they are a part of. Why is that?
Simon: It is godly and possible because it is scriptural. Both marriage and singleness are great ways for a person to serve Christ!
But the cry I hear from celibate gay evangelical Christians is that straight Christians are not quite upholding the standard we apply to them. Sometimes the message from the evangelical church can feel like: “Marriage is great! Get married, everyone’s doing it. Oh, but if you’re gay, singleness is good too …”
I think a good way we can support our brothers and sisters in Christ in this area, is to stand in solidarity with them; to reclaim the gift of singleness for the church… it is worth gently pondering in the current cultural climate, is this a way we can further support our gay brothers and sisters in Christ?
Interviewer Wan affirms his decision, noting:
‘Standing in solidarity with your brothers and sisters who experience attraction to the same sex is such an important thing, and the choice you’re making is really putting your money where your mouth is.”
Talk about peak TGC right here.
Bonus: The message from the evangelical church should be that if you’re ‘gay and single,’ then you need to mortify that, as even the desire and inclination towards homosexuality are sinful. Thankfully, Christ died for those sins, and the scriptures clearly state that ‘such were some of you” is possible and in fact, is the natural progression in a life that has been submitted to Christ for sanctification.
A heart given over to God becomes given over to heterosexuality, as there is not one realm of our life that the Holy Spirit does not conform.
There’s no need to stay single, as a “same-sex attracted Christian” who will only be so temporarily as he conforms himself to Christ, ought to find a spouse in a similar position as they are or different, and get married, make babies, and conquer the world.
This above reality is what makes the upcoming comments so disastrous, as it reinforces their status as someone whom Christ can’t change and is destined to singleness and celibacy forever, suggesting it as support when, in reality, it is spiritually severing.
