Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

New Wineskins

Home
Evangelical
The False Dichotomy the World Presents Christians Concerning the LGBTQ Movement

The False Dichotomy the World Presents Christians Concerning the LGBTQ Movement

Last updated on: April 16, 2020 at 1:54 pm by Josh Daffern

The False Dichotomy the World Presents Christians Concerning the LGBTQ Movement 2020-04-16T13:54:36-06:00 Josh Daffern

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Mercedes Mehling

Unless you’ve lived under a rock for the past decade, you recognize that the number of Americans identifying as LGBTQ is increasing. In the last major Gallup poll conducted last May, a record 4.5% of Americans identified as LGBTQ. That would translate as 11 million Americans. The rapid growth is driven primarily by Millennials, as 8.2% of Millennials identify as LGBTQ, almost one in ten of the upcoming generation, the generation that by the way is walking away from the church in record numbers and also the generation that will shape the future of our country.

This used to be an issue that was theoretical, something that happened “out there.” Not so anymore. Most Christians know someone, love someone, maybe they’re related to someone who’s gay. One way or another, the church must figure out what our interaction should be.

And here’s the problem: we’ve already been given our two choices. When it comes to issues surrounding the LGBTQ movement or your gay neighbor, the world presents it as a multiple choice question with two options: Condone or condemn. And here’s the dirty little secret: either answer is fine with the world.

If you condone and unconditionally approve of homosexual behavior, then you’re having to do back-breaking gymnastics around the New Testament Scriptures that clearly state where Jesus stood on not just homosexual but heterosexual sexuality: one man, one woman, together for life. So, to condone homosexual behavior you would have to compromise or simply disregard the integrity of Scripture.

The other option is to condemn. Every time the issue comes up, you take a strong stand for truth, no matter who it offends, no matter what relational destruction it causes. This is still fine with the world because it can then paint you as an out-of-touch, narrow-minded and ultimately irrelevant homophobe who hates gay people. Many times this issue is used intentionally to force Christians to choose one of the two camps because either way they win: you either agree with the world’s definition of sexual morality or you sideline yourself and your influence with angry rhetoric.

But here’s the problem with the way this issue has been framed. And although I didn’t realize it at the time, I learned this my freshman year of college when I took a course on logic and how to properly argue an issue. What the world is offering us is technically known as a False Dichotomy. If you’re not up-to-date on your logical fallacies, let me give you a standard definition:

False Dichotomy: A situation in which two alternative points of view are presented as the only options, when others are available.

Now, if you’re a parent, you do this all the time. Let’s say your kid is sick and you have to take them to the ER and they don’t want a shot. So, you may ask them, “Which arm to you want your shot in? Your left arm or your right arm?” Well, there’s more than those two options, like no shot at all! But, you’re not presenting those other options to them.

When your child asks you for ice cream but they’ve already snacked, you come back at them with: “Would you rather have a sandwich or some carrots?” How about some ice cream? You don’t present that as an option. That’s a false dichotomy, and it can be useful to manipulate people to do what you want. Well, the world is desperately attempting to manipulate Christians with a false dichotomy on issues surrounding homosexuality, and either option is fine with them. But, when we choose one of the two camps, to either condone or condemn, we are breaking a very important teaching of Jesus.

In Matthew 10, Jesus sent his disciples out into the villages of Israel on their own. It was their first mission trip, and it was a minefield. In preparation, he gave them this timeless instruction:

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16

When the world presents you with only two pre-selected camps to land in, choose another option. When the world presents you with two options, choose option three. What does option three look like concerning the evangelical church and the LGBTQ movement? We’ll discuss that in upcoming blogs.

If you’d like to connect and engage with more of the content I’m working on, be sure to like my church Facebook page. You can also find me on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Previous Post

April 30, 2019

How the Apostle Peter Reconciled a Good God With Pain and Suffering

Next Post

May 14, 2019 5 Biblically Loving Ways Christians Can Respond to the LGBTQ Movement

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Family Matters Ministry in the Trenches Morning Brew MTVpastor New Wineskins Top Menu Truth from Life Uncategorized Watch Sermons

Select a Month June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many times is Jesus directly quoted in the book of Acts?

Select your answer to see how you score.

10 6 4 1