Last Thursday, Nathan James wrote an article calling on Christians to, as he put it, “end LGBTQ intolerance.” While Mr. James rightfully reminded Christians to love their neighbor and be mindful of their actions’ unintended consequences, some of his assertions ran contrary to Christian doctrine and must be clarified.
For some context, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is the largest and most complete compendium of Christian doctrine, describes homosexual acts – not homosexual persons – as “objectively disordered” because they are “contrary to the natural law,” they “close the sexual act to the gift of life,” and “they do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity.” Remember, it does not say that persons with homosexual tendencies are objectively disordered. In fact, the Catechism states the opposite. It states that “they must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity,” and that “every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.”
The logical flaw presented in many LGBT activists’ arguments against Christians is the demand for Christians to follow one part of Christ’s teachings, about accepting all persons with love, yet also completely rejecting another part, about sexual morality. When Christ was speaking to a woman “caught in the very act of committing adultery,” he commanded her to “sin no more” just seconds after condemning those who wished to throw stones at her (see John 8). While Jesus always offers a message of love, compassion and acceptance, he makes it clear that he does not always accept someone’s lifestyle.
Ultimately, James is correct in stating that Jesus would not be “tolerant of anyone who willingly participated in a system of discrimination and suffering.” Bullying and violent hate crimes against LGBT individuals must stop. Clearly, since Christ called us to love our neighbor, Christians have a responsibility to oppose any unjust bullying or hate crimes against LGBT persons. At the same time, we need to understand that if Jesus came back to earth today and told an LGBT activist to “sin no more,” there would be a very high chance that he would be called a bigot or a bully and forced to undergo sensitivity training. If a gay couple approached Jesus of Nazareth, a carpenter and small business owner, and demanded that he violate his beliefs and craft them something to celebrate their union, and Jesus in response refused and told them to “sin no more,” the ACLU would’ve sued him faster than the Pharisees could crucify him.
Yes, Christians must understand that there is no excuse for violence or bullying aimed towards LGBT persons. Christians must continue presenting all of Christ’s teachings, such as defending marriage as between a man and a woman. The Bible’s “sexual mores,” as James described them, are part of Jesus’s commandment to love God and love your neighbor. Yes, we must love and accept all people. But presenting only parts of Christ’s teachings – the easy and the popular parts – is simply not Christ-like.
Joe Puchner is a sophomore studying mathematics. His column runs biweekly.
