The Heresy of LGBT Theology

In the following essay, I will lay out two different sides of a recent heresy that has developed in the church. We might call it “LGBT Theology” or “Affirming Theology.” The so-called Side-A and Side-B movements are two sides of this false teaching. One is more blatant and serious, but the other is also very dangerous. As pastors, we should be aware of these movements, because they are part of a big conversation going on in our culture and particularly on social media. I will introduce these views, critique them, and then give some pastoral applications.

INTRODUCING SIDE-A AND SIDE-B

“Side-A” refers to professing Christians who believe that God permits homosexual marriage and behavior. Some influential thinkers pushing this ideology are Matthew Vines and Brandon Robertson. Matthew Vines says he believes in the authority of the Bible and orthodox Christian theology, and yet fully affirms the LGBTQ+ spectrum.[1] Vines’ ministry, called the Reformation Project, says on its website: “We envision a global church that honors Scripture and fully affirms LGBTQ people.”[2]

“Side-B” (or Revoice) refers to professing Christians who believe that God condemns homosexual marriage and behavior, but who also think it is permissible for LGBTQ+ people to identify as such while living a celibate lifestyle. Therefore, a person can call themselves a “gay Christian” or “queer Christian.” Side-B Christians also tend to think homosexual attractions or desires are not sin, as long as you don’t act on them. Some have advocated for a form of covenant-making (called “spiritual friendship”) where same-sex friends commit to live together while remaining celibate. Some influential writers and thinkers for Side-B are Preston Sprinkle, Nate Collins, and Wesley Hill.[3]

THE ERRORS OF SIDE-A

Most Christians can readily discern why Side-A is wrong. The Bible, while demonstrating that homosexuals can be saved by Christ (1 Corinthians 6:9-11), does clearly call homosexuality sinful and unnatural. Along with the illustrative story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19; especially 19:1-11) and the biblical commentary on it (Jude 7; 2 Peter 2:6-8), we have clear verses in Old Testament moral law (Leviticus 18:22) and New Testament epistles (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:10) which tell us God’s standard on the matter.

Even underneath all that, we have the foundation of God’s creation of heterosexual, monogamous marriage in Genesis 2:24-25: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” All other forms of sexuality than this creational norm are unnatural and immoral (lust, pornography, polygamy, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bestiality, prostitution, rape, etc.). Side-A theology rejects or re-interprets Bible passages in order to permit things that were seen as sin by faithful believers for all of biblical history and the vast majority of church history.[4]

THE ERRORS OF SIDE-B

The error in Side-B is a little more subtle. They say: “We hold to traditional Christian sexual ethics and we encourage gay people to take on a life of celibacy! But some people are born gay, and their attractions are not wrong. Isn’t it better to recognize this, and make them feel welcomed and safe as they commit to giving up their desired lifestyle?” This may sound compassionate and orthodox. But there are three problems here.

(1) It identifies the Christian wrongly. The very act of identifying oneself as homosexual (or any other gender identity or sexual orientation) runs against the grain of New Testament teaching on who we are in Christ, and how we are to identify. As Daniel Kirk notes, “The first change the gospel offers is a new identity…For Christian men who are struggling with homosexual desires, it is neither biblical nor helpful to self-identify as ‘homosexual.’”[5] Christians must reckon themselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). Homosexual attractions and desires should be seen as disordered and sinful and not part of a Christian’s identity. They may be part of a Christian’s past, but they must see themselves as fundamentally new in Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:11: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

(2) It gives dangerous licence to sinful desires. The battle against sin is won in the heart and mind, at the level of thoughts and desires. Deceiving people into thinking they live comfortably with sinful attractions is a sure way to hinder or destroy them. Scholars like Preston Sprinkle have argued that attraction is not the same thing as lust.[6] There may be nuanced differences between admiration, attraction, desire, and lust. But even if attraction is different than lust,[7] it can very quickly become lust.[8] James 1:14 says: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” And in the case of homosexuality, the very attraction itself should be seen as disordered, since it is out of line with God’s created order. Therefore, Christians who find themselves struggling with same-sex attraction should not identify with it as their natural and neutral orientation but seek to put it to death along with other evil desires. I am not advocating for so-called “conversion therapy” practices.[9] However, the Lord has power to change desires or help us to fight them.[10] Colossians 3:5 says: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

(3) It acts out of a false sense of compassion. Though Side-B writers may think they are being compassionate, gracious, and loving, they are not. Preston Sprinkle advocates for something called “pronoun hospitality,” which is the idea that we should use people’s preferred gender pronouns (for a time) even if we know they are not that gender, in order to win them to Christ. He argues it is more missiologically advantageous to use pronoun hospitality rather than refusing to use their pronouns and potentially shutting down the conversation. But we should not be hospitable towards sin.[11] It is crouching at the door, desiring to have us (Genesis 4:7), but we should choose not to let it in. Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak the truth in love. We should not perpetuate falsehood out of hyper-empathy. Ephesians 4:25 says: “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” To permit and aid sin’s growth in another human being is to go against the golden rule: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

PASTORAL RESPONSES

I want to suggest there are at least four different responses we should have to this issue depending on who we are talking to.

(1) Speaking to the Unrepentant Sinner. We must graciously warn people of the eternal danger their souls are in if they indulge in sexual immorality. The apostles of Christ tell us in the clearest terms that those who live in unrepentant sexual immorality will not inherit the kingdom of God but rather will be thrown into the lake of fire (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:6; Revelation 21:8). Ezekiel was called to be a watchman for Israel, warning them of their sins (Ezekiel 3:16-27). Paul mentions “warning” as part of his ministry (Colossians 1:28). Let us not neglect to preach the law of God and warn people of the reality of hell, even as we hold out Christ to them as an all-sufficient Saviour.

(2) Speaking to the Teacher of Error. Side-A teachers are “ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality” (Jude v. 4). They take the grace, love, and compassion of Christ, and turn it into license for sin. Affirming people in these sins is aiding in their deception and damnation. These teachers should be labelled as heretics and confronted as such. Side-B teachers may be better than Side-A, but they are still wrong and dangerous. They are potentially causing true Christians to stumble, giving them license to coddle an old identity and evil desires. Side-A and Side-B have both departed from the clear teaching of the Bible and are forming divisions in the church. We must stand against these errors with biblical truth.

(3) Speaking to the Deceived. Jude 1:22-23 says: “And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” If congregants of ours have doubts as to what Scripture teaches on these matters, we should correct them with an attitude of mercy. We ought to snatch out of the fire those who are being deceived. But we also must be careful not to take on any of this error and sin while we are handling it. May God keep us faithful.

(4) Speaking to the Struggling Believer. There may be believers in our congregations who struggle with these kinds of gender identity and sexual orientation issues. These kinds of temptations are common to man, and we must therefore take heed and have humility as we counsel them (1 Corinthians 10:11-12).[12] We must not be thoughtless and harsh.[13] Nor should we be falsely compassionate. Our job is to counsel people with truth and love (Ephesians 4:15). With much prayer, we must gently correct their self-understanding according to their God-given biology and identity in Christ. We must help them live a life of repentance and sanctification in the face of their temptations, and trust that the Lord will give strength and growth over time. We must remind them of the gospel truth that Christ has forgiven and freed them from their sins through his sacrificial work on the cross and his powerful resurrection. They need to know that their sin is not beyond the reach of God’s forgiveness, and that they are deeply loved by God.[14] They need to seek a life of repentance, worship, and delight in Christ.[15]

[1]From his website: “I’m passionate about helping Christians and churches rethink their views on LGBTQ topics in a way that strengthens their commitment to the authority of the Bible and to orthodox Christian theology” https://matthewvines.com/ (accessed Feb 12, 2025). 

[2]https://reformationproject.org/ (Accessed Feb 12, 2025).

[3]A side-b website shows a breakdown of views here: https://www.lifeonsideb.com/foursides. There is some variation of views within the group, as with any movement.

[4]There are a range of arguments these heretics will use to justify homosexuality. They use linguistic arguments, historical arguments, and even complex hermeneutical arguments. At the end of the day though, they are all grasping at straws to try to force their understanding on the text. Rebecca Mclaughlin’s book Does the Bible Affirm Same-Sex Relationships: Examining 10 Claims about Scripture and Sexuality is a popular level defense against the common arguments (though we still may have disagreements with some of her ideas). Tim Keller dealt with the main claims of Matthew Vines and others in this article: https://www.redeemer.com/redeemer-report/article/the_bible_and_same_sex_relationships_a_review_article. He points to the definitive work by William Loader in Sexuality in the New Testament (2010) and The New Testament on Sexuality (2012) as resources on this issue. He notes: “Loader is the most prominent expert on ancient and biblical views of sexuality, having written five large and two small volumes in his lifetime. It is worth noting that Loader himself does not personally see anything wrong with homosexual relationships; he just — rightly and definitively — proves that you can’t get the Bible itself to give them any support.”

[5]Daniel Kirk, “Struggling with Homosexuality” in Men Counseling Men: A Biblical Guide to the Major Issues Men Face, John D. Street, gen. ed (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2013), 308.

[6]Preston Sprinkle, “A response to Alisa Childers and Christopher Yuan,”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTh53jIkH7I (accessed February 18, 2025). 

[7]The question of whether attraction is different than lust appears to me more complicated than Preston Sprinkle wants to present it. Attraction usually involves an attractive object and an attracted subject. In attraction, there seems to be an interaction between something desirable and the one desiring it. I don’t think it is the norm to have desire-free “attraction.” Consider Genesis 3:6, where Eve sees the attractive qualities of the forbidden fruit, and takes it and eats it: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

[8]Look at how quickly a recognition of Bathsheba’s beauty led to adultery in David’s case (2 Sam 11:2-4).

[9]“Conversion therapy” used to be a term for a range of clinical and psychiatric practices in the 1900s designed to “cure” people of homosexuality. These were in use before the DSM changed it’s wording on homosexuality in the 1970s. These included electric shock therapy, aversion therapy, different kinds of counseling, and even surgeries.

[10]There are many testimonies of the Lord taking away disordered sexual desires from people (e.g., Rosaria Butterfield). There are also faithful Christians who still experience homosexual desires but choose not to identify with them or nurture them (e.g., Christopher Yuan, Jackie Hill Perry). 

[11]THINQ Media, “Should Christians Use Preferred Pronouns | Preston Sprinkle,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onj7o-VLCb8 (accessed February 18, 2025).

[12]Kevin Carson, ““Jason” and Homosexuality” in Counseling the Hard Cases, eds. Stuart Scott and Heath Lambert (Nashville: B&H, 2012), 233-234.

[13]Kevin Carson writes about a young man he counseled on the issue of homosexuality. His experience of his pastor was very negative: “He reported that his pastor ‘talks about homosexuals as perverts and people who are lovers of themselves...Really, he [the pastor] just didn’t care for them [homosexuals] and it sounded as though he would just kick me out of the church if he knew how I was struggling.’” Carson notes, “Often…Christians make thoughtless remarks and use sarcasm to address this hot-button sin, never considering the impact of their remarks on those who may be embroiled in an intense battle. Many Christians are repulsed by homosexuality and see the sinner not only as broken but also disgusting and dismissable…But Paul reminded us that ministers of the gospel are not qualified to serve as ministers of the gospel if we contribute to this harsh and unloving approach...” (Ibid., 236).  

[14]Daniel Kirk, “Struggling with Homosexuality,” 309. 

[15]Ibid., 313-314.