Justin Holcomb is an Episcopal priest and a theology professor at Reformed Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Perhaps best known for his book ‘Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault‘ he co-hosts the White Horse Inn podcast with Michel Horton and Bob Hiller.
In a recent episode, they note the large number of LGBTQ-identifying folk who have left the church and offer that the church should speak about homosexuality from the pulpit, but “(the way) they are addressed, must not ever sound like CNN or Fox News.”
Horton: 86% of LGBTQ+ people who were raised in a faith community… with more than three fourths in mostly Evangelical, theological, religious, conservative communities. So that is to say, a large majority of people who identify with those that acronym, they were brought up in conservative Christian churches, and they have left…Why have they left the church? My guess, is that the conversation from the pulpit was ‘here are the evils of that sexual orientation, that temptation, that sin, that are ruining our culture, and if you’re a part of that group, you’re them, you’re out. And, if you identify that way, in our church, we’re going to kick you out or send you to camp until we fix you, and then you can come back and join us” because apparently, that’s how we’ve ever dealt with sin in the church is sending someone to a camp.
So what ends up happening is you start preaching against the culture, more than to the 13 year old boy who struggles with his sexuality in your pew. Who’s sitting there worried that he’s praying against this thing, and he’s terrified God’s gonna send them to hell. And you, from the pulpit, just affirm that for him. And so he says, ‘God hates me anyways, I don’t need to hear it every Sunday, why go back?’ instead of saying to him, ‘the Lord Jesus Christ took up a cross to die for you. He’s raised for your salvation and your justification. He’s promised you new life. You have a cross you’re going to have to bear, and we as the congregation are going to bear it with you. We’re not going to approve of homosexual activity in the church. Of course not. But we’re also not going to kick you out because you think that this is something you can’t overcome. We’re here to bear the burden with you, to carry you in our arms up to the altar to receive the body and blood of Christ with us.’
To remove that preaching from the ears and the hearts of the people in the pews, so that we can fix the culture is to miss our calling as pastors and as the church altogether.”
Holocomb: “Thinking of that 13-year-old boy, think of a pastor who wants to make a statement about sexual ethics for the culture. And they say that statement so clearly, unaware that a same-sex attracted teen is going to be four times more likely to consider suicide. The idea that we’ve traded in proclamation of good news to make a political moment, to be careless with your words, and to make a sheep of his flock think they need to not live, is a moment for deep repentance for that person.”
While it’s true that pastors need to be pastoral when talking about sin, it’s pure manipulation to dangle the threat of a teen throwing himself off a building or hanging herself in her bedroom and laying it at the foot of a pastor if he zealously preaches against that sin, or he doesn’t condemn it in a way that is well-received by the man or woman either battling it or joyfully frolicking in it. Perhaps the cause of their sadness and shame is the sin itself and the law of God being held up against their life, causing them so much discomfort.
It’s not just the teen suicide rate, but the trans adult suicide rate is much higher than the general population. Is railing against the impact that the trans movement has had on the culture at large from the pulpit anathema because they might kill themselves? Perhaps the pastors should start using personal pronouns to affirm them in this manner because otherwise a careless word will really kill them.
To say that pastors must temper their tongues on account of the rate of suicidality in those being confronted about their sin is not a biblical concept, mainly because the weight of sin is a weighty thing. Sin is a shameful thing that manifests even more shame in the holder’s heart. Whether preaching against adultery, theft, murder, child abuse, pedophilia, gossip, drug use, etc, people feeling deep depression and anxiety to the point that they might not want to live after hearing the rebuke is not the fault of the pastor, and drudging up suicide rates and admonishing pastors that life hangs in the balance if they get it wrong is needless manipulation that is completely uncalled for.
Editor’s note. We’re not accusing these men of being soft on homosexuality. Consider this friendly fire in the form of correction.
h/t The Dissenter
