Queer Culture in the PCA

FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS

volume 17, number 20, May 24, 2018

“. . . if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.” -Ezekiel 33:6

Queer Culture in the PCA

On July 26-28 at Memorial Presbyterian Church (PCA) in St. Louis, Missouri the Revoice Conference[1] is to be held. The stated purpose of the conference is, “Supporting, encouraging, and empowering gay, lesbian, same-sex attracted and other LGBT Christians so they can experience the life-giving character of the historic Christian tradition.” Further, the website promotes new community, “Gather together with other gender and sexual minorities and those who love them and experience a new kind of gospel community.” Concerning better conversation, “Listen to, learn from, and participate in conversations with speakers who bring a nuanced perspective to the table of discussion.” And in referring to a diverse collective, “Benefit from curated presentations on a wide variety of topics related to LGBT experience and the historic, Christian sexual ethic.”

Various workshops are also to be provided addressing a number of topics concerning “gender or sexual minorities.” One of the workshops in particular caught my attention, “Models of Queer Theory and Literature: An Adventure.” The Presenter, Grant Hartley, says this about the workshop, “For the sexual minority seeking to submit his or her life fully to Christ and to the historic Christian sexual ethic, queer culture presents a bit of a dilemma; rather than combing through and analyzing to find which parts are to be rejected, to be redeemed, or to be received with joy (Acts 17:16-34), Christians have often discarded the virtues of queer culture along with the vices, which leaves culturally connected Christian sexual minorities torn between two cultures, two histories, and two communities. So questions that have until now been largely unanswered remain; what does queer culture (and specifically, queer literature and theory) have to offer us who follow Christ? What queer treasure, honor, and glory will be brought into the New Jerusalem at the end of time (Revelation 21:24-26)?”   

The Revoice Conference – supporting, encouraging, and empowering gay, lesbian, same-sex attracted and other LGBT Christians – is shocking in at least two ways. First, this conference is being held at a PCA church. Perhaps none of the Teaching or Ruling Elders at Memorial Presbyterian Church are leading any of the workshops, and perhaps no Ruling or Teaching Elders in the PCA are either (I certainly hope not), but the very fact such a conference could be held in a PCA congregation highlights for me the downward trend of my beloved denomination, a trend which has been happening for many years (more on this later). Now, if this conference was billed as one which will address the issue of evangelizing homosexuals, seeking to offer them the hope of deliverance from this sin, then great. I would love to see more done in this regard. Perhaps I should remind you that I had a ministry a number of years ago with HIV positive, homosexual men. I met weekly with fifteen to twenty of them. We had a Christmas party with over fifty homosexual men in attendance. We had many of these men in our home on numerous occasions. So, by all means we must minister to them, but only with the message, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” (Acts 2:38). Such regenerate people have everything they need pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). They can and will change if they are in Christ Jesus.

Secondly, note the inclusive language on the website – “gay, lesbian, LGBT Christians.” My friends, must I state the obvious? Practicing homosexuals are no more Christians than are practicing fornicators, adulterers, drunkards, swindlers, or thieves (1 Cor.6:9,10). There is no such thing as LGBT, gay, lesbian Christians. There is no such thing as a Christian drug dealer, a Christian stripper, a Christian thief, a Christian liar. Paul clearly states that all such people will not inherit the kingdom of God. There has never been a time in the orthodox, Christian church where homosexuals have been considered Christians. Note also the Marxist, social justice language of “gender and sexual minorities.” Do we find any such talk in Scripture? Such talk is another effort at identity politics in the church. 

So, now I am addressing my PCA friends (but you Baptists and Independents ought to listen in too, because this kind of thing is coming your way very quickly). To be more specific, I am addressing PCA Ruling and Teaching Elders. The prophet Ezekiel, in prophesying to the nation of Judah, which had long been on the road to apostasy, is warning them of the judgment which was coming. It finally came in 586 B.C. when the Babylonians routed the city and took them away as captives. Yahweh told Ezekiel that he was to warn His people of impending doom and judgment. He said that he was to be like a watchman on a tower, keeping his eyes open on the terrain in front of him, looking carefully for any sign of an approaching enemy. If the watchman saw the enemy coming and failed to warn the people of danger, when the people were taken away by the sword, then they were responsible for what they themselves would suffer; but the blood of those who suffered would be on the hands of the watchman.

Do you get Yahweh’s drift? Paul told the Elders of Ephesus in his farewell address to them at Miletus, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert,” (Acts 20:28-31a).

I, for one, have been preoccupied with other things while on the watchtower. Yes, I have been doing some good things – traveling around the country and world preaching and writing. Nothing wrong with any of that. I am sure you Elders have been involved in your local churches as well as work at the Presbytery or General Assembly level, and that’s good too. But the enemy is fast approaching, my friends. In fact he has already entered the gate of at least one of our churches.

I, for one, will not continue to doze off while on guard on the watchtower. I intend to do something about what is happening. I am still praying and thinking about what I should do, and I hope to give you more information very soon.

What about you? If you, if I, do not sound the alarm, if we do not protect our people from  “Queering in the PCA” then the blood of those who perish due to our negligence or cowardice will be on our hands. 

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1. see <revoice.us> for details.