I have wondered what issue would eventually divide Pentecostals. Would it be the consumption of alcohol or the abandonment of glossolalia as the initial physical evidence? Would it be the rapture or cheap grace? On which of these doctrinal or moral hills will we finally fight to the death?
As important as these issues are to the survival of a truly Pentecostal church, many have moved rapidly past these essentials on their road to apostasy. I am now persuaded we will eventually be defined and perhaps divided by our stand on homosexuality.
A couple weeks ago, one of my former students announced on his Facebook page that he was gay. You could have knocked me over with a feather. He was a fiery Church of God evangelist and I thought he was as straight as a string and as Pentecostal as Peter and Paul. Now, he says he is and has always been gay.
As floored as I was by his announcement, I was even more shocked by the response it provoked. More than 250 people commented on his post and it seemed that 99% of them were supportive. Pentecostal believers told him they were proud of him, supported him and wanted him to be happy. One man who attends a prominent Pentecostal church told him, “You're still a man of God.”
What?
Have we lost our mind?
The Bible is clear. There is no room for debate. Homosexuality is a sin. Scripture calls it an abomination. I Corinthians 6:9-10 says anyone living a homosexual life will not inherit the kingdom of God. There is no gray area.
Yet, in our compromising churches, there are no bold contrasts. White is not white and black is not black. Everything is nuanced. Everything is gray. Warm fuzzies outweigh biblical standards.
Don't think this has not already crept into the Assemblies of God. An AG pastor near me talks freely about “Gay Christians.” He told me, “I have had significant conversations with Gay people who exhibit more fruit of the Spirit, more love for Christ, and are more Pentecostal in practice than many Straight people in the A/G churches I've served.” He argued with me that, “. . . the Church has used the Bible to condemn interracial marriage, racial integration in schools, women in ministry, and even a heliocentric view of the solar system, while endorsing slavery using the same Bible. The Scriptures surrounding these issues are as clear as the ones condemning homosexuality. Yet the Church has done a 180 on those issues, when its position was no longer defensible.” He does not whisper these opinions. He is proud of them and advances them with no fear of retribution.
In her book, “Facing the Music,” a gospel singer talks about how poorly she was treated by Christians when she announced she was a lesbian. On his website an AG minister recommends the book to other homosexuals. Does no one notice? Does no one care?
This is only the tip of the iceberg. Our founding fathers would be beyond shocked to know what has been tolerated and even blessed with regard to this perversion.
In 2013 an Assemblies of God minister defended gay rights and gay marriage at the Society for Pentecostal Studies. Don't be shocked when you learn the follow up to that story, but I will leave that to another post. At the time, many in the Assemblies of God academia circled the wagons and rallied to his defense. Others of us protested vehemently to the General Council and to his district. I made a personal, private pledge, if he kept his credentials I would resign mine. As a matter of personal conviction, I would not be credentialed by an organization that would also credential a man with those views. He did not keep his credentials. Would he today? Would he next year or in five years?
This is a hill I will fight on. It is a hill I am willing to die on. If we do not stand here, what is left to stand for? If we are not willing to die here, what is there to live for?