It is not my intention to be political; I refuse to be identified with any political party or other social movements. My concern is solely for those who, one, have been or are involved in homosexuality and are attempting to extricate themselves; two, have struggled or are struggling with same-sex attraction; three, have family members or other loved ones who are gay; or four, have a ministry to gays or ex-gays.

            Let me say right away the whole issue is a monster, and I have to admit that the years I spent working with gays and ex-gays—these were stressful and difficult times. This is unlikely to change. The presence of the gay rights movement and the drive to normalize homosexuality will follow us all the days of our lives.

A legal issue not a moral issue

The gay agenda has succeeded to a large degree. Gay rights has been dislodged from the moral arena and relocated to the political, and is the poster child for social justice issues. This is old news now of course.  No longer (or possible rarely) is homosexual behavior considered to be morally deviant except when children are involved. Gay pornography and heterosexual porn are shelved side by side in the adult stores. Gay couples are shown being affectionate, even sexual in mainstream television, and this will only grow.

            Homosexual behavior will be increasingly viewed as acceptable and normal by even those who are presently undecided on the issue. Religion will count for nothing and there is no legal remedy. The U.S. Constitution, for instance, does not forbid it any more than it forbids plural marriage. The Founders simply could not foresee what was coming. In time, and not that far out, any public communication suggesting that homosexuality is wrong will be considered hate speech.

Hate speech

Hate speech? Yes, and the pro-gay community has already staked out the territory. Speaking negatively of homosexuality, the argument goes, encourages some people to be negative toward homosexuals, which may then result in violence. And this is not without foundation. It is not unknown that physical attacks on gays, even murderous attacks, have sprung from anti-gay rhetoric. I doubt that any biblically oriented Christians would engage in this, or maybe few is the word I ought to use. Some might think that any attack on a gay person would be from someone from the Christian community even though that is a misunderstanding.

            There is however a certain reasonableness behind anti-gay speech being considered hate speech. Should it be considered acceptable that evangelical preachers are sued or jailed if they should happen to read and/or comment on Romans 1:24–28? What then about anti-Christian speech? This does occur in various parts of the world and Christians have been murdered as a result. Anti Semitism, racially motivated violence, tribalism taken to extremes—all of these and more have been pushed along by what might be termed as hate speech.

            Will being nice in word and deed become the law of the land? No fear of that for sure, but there will be a question of just how far the U.S. Constitution’s protection of various groups extends. Could hate speech against Christians be ignored while even suggesting that there is something wrong with homosexual behavior could be considered a violation of the civil rights or even criminal laws?  Could such a case land in a court of law? Quite possibly.