“Living Out states on their website that the audit is directed to the LGBTQ+ same-sex attracted community. Since Living Out believes that one’s sexual orientation is from one’s birth (more about this in my comments on statement numbers seven and ten) then clearly they believe that to live as a celibate homosexual, attracted to people of one’s same sex, but not acting upon one’s desires, is a sacrifice of Christian holiness.”
(Al Baker – Banner of Truth) It goes without saying that we must have compassion for all who are outside of union with Christ, including the homosexual. I think you know that I have ministered extensively in the past to the homosexual community, seeking lovingly to make known to them the hope that we all have in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the transforming power of the gospel in our personal lives. We must be open to all kinds of people coming to our churches.
Having said that however, the effort of the homosexual advocacy ‘ministry’ in the UK, founded by Gospel Coalition editor Sam Allberry, called Living Out and their LGBTQ+ Audit simply will not do. Under the heading, ‘How biblically inclusive is your Church?’, the website writes that at their Identity in Christ conference with Tim and Kathy Keller in June, 2018 they launched their Living Out Church Audit, a tool to help church leadership teams answer this key question: how biblically inclusive is your church? They say that unsurprisingly their focus is on those who might identify as LGBTQ+/same sex attracted. They say that Jesus included all in a counter-cultural way and they are hoping this audit will help churches follow his lead.
The website lists ten statements, to which one is to answer ‘True/False/Not Sure,’ in order to get the church member thinking on the topic. Here are the ten statements:
- Your church family meetings include people who could be labeled LGBTQ+ or same sex attracted. True/False/Not Sure.
- Derogatory language or stereotyping attitudes toward sexual minority groups would not be tolerated either up-front or in conversations between church family members. True/False/Not Sure.
- All in your Church know that we all experience sexual brokenness and all are being encouraged to confess our own sexual sins. True/False/Not Sure.
- Same-sex relationships are never mentioned in isolation from other sinful patterns of behavior, or from the forgiveness offered to all through faith in Christ. True/False/Not Sure.
Research:
H/T Cherie Folstad-Vandermillen