No one disagrees that changes in our understanding and perspective of scriptural truth occur over the course of a life-time - and to highlight that is little more than a red herring: it leads believers to overlook the more important fact that the Bible consists of a core set of beliefs that are not subject to change; that are by and large immutable; beliefs we're told to "contend earnestly for" (Jude 3), resisting any attempt to alter or modify them; beliefs that define what it means to be faithful on the one hand and unfaithful on the other.

One of those core beliefs is that Jesus Christ is first and foremost a savior. To save us from what? From the penalty of  sin! As obvious as that seems, it's implications are being lost sight of - that sin is what salvation is all about; that to play down the gravity of sin or to redefine either its nature or the many specific examples of sin cited in the Bible (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:9) is to undermine the true meaning of Christ as Savior. That's precisely what's at issue in the struggle over homosexuality. And it's what Pastor X seems to have lost sight of.

But homosexuality is only one example of sins that are being played down by "emergent church" leaders. Other sins are also being redefined - to the point that the truly egregious nature of sin is being trivialized and disregarded. Is it any wonder that over the last thirty years or so, it's Christ as Friend who's been highlighted, not Christ as Savior? And that means we're losing the true meaning and significance of the Christian Faith?

Pastor X goes on to underscore the need to build community with men and women of other faiths - especially the leaders of other faiths. And, yes, the Bible speaks often of "building community." But it's the community of faith that the Bible encourages us to pursue. None other. It's not possible to build genuine community with the unsaved. It's a truth Paul stresses to the point of warning believers against marrying anyone who's not "of the faith" (2 Corinthians 6:14).

Pastor X warns us against establishing dividing lines between ourselves and the adherents of other faiths - implying that division is an evil that needs always to be jettisoned. But that's not what Jesus teaches. He clearly warns us that becoming his disciple will inevitably cause division (Matthew 10:35). Let's be honest: the gospel itself causes division. Division always follows in the wake of the gospel. And if the gospel we're preaching doesn't cause division, we should question its authenticity. The chances are good that we've watered it down to the point that it's no longer genuine.

And that brings us to Pastor X's remark, "God wants us to find ways to love people and not separate them." But proving our love for the unsaved by tearing down walls of separation misses the mark altogether. God's love of mankind is proven by the Cross - which, however, if not embraced will reveal the other side of God: his wrath arising from his holiness.  And that's a truth the unsaved will never embrace with equanimity. But unless we make that an integral part of the gospel message we preach, what we preach will never be real. Could it be that's why the evangelical church has not grown over the last thirty years - that we've been preaching a gospel that's not real - that lacks power?

Two more points that Pastor X stresses in the interview: that (1) homosexuality is a complex issue and (2) we should never impose our convictions on others. It's hard for me to fathom how any evangelical pastor could possibly lend credibility to either of these points.

To say that homosexuality is a complex subject is nothing more than another of Pastor X's red herrings. It's not complex at all. It's very plainly declared in both the Old and the New Testaments. (Press here for five articles I've written to make clear why homosexuality is proscribed). It's not that it's a complex issue; it's that teaching against homosexuality stirs up so much animosity and rage.

And, finally, Pastor X's last point: that we should avoid imposing our convictions on others who don't share them. Good grief! So much for the gospel! I can't begin to tell you how many persons I've pursued over the years for Christ who have thought me rude and intrusive - bent on imposing my convictions on them; and, yet, how many of them over the years have repented and have been saved - and have returned to thank me for not giving up on them.

	Sacramento Pastors in Conference with Homosexual Activists

Recently, here in Sacramento a group of evangelical leaders, senior pastors of some of the area's largest churches, agreed to dialogue with several homosexu­als. An unrepentant, flagrant homosexual activist was among those invited to attend. He's President of the Evangelical Network, an organization promoting the claim that homosexual behavior is not sinful and that practic­ing homosexuals should be vouchsafed full inclusion in evangelical churches.

Once again, I decided that remaining silent was not a very courageous op­tion; that doing so would only further distort the meaning of the gospel message here in Sacramento. My reply began with an admonition, "You are being called upon to leave your comfort zone." The full text is reprinted below ...

The Full Text

For many evangelical leaders, the fear of hostility is what lies behind their growing willingness to dialogue with homosexual activists. Just recently, a ho­mosexual activist sent me a video documenting a dialogue between evan­geli­cal pastors and homosexual leaders, insisting that though it does not prove that the longstanding prohibition against homosexuality has been over­thrown, it does indeed reveal that there's a growing willingness to discuss it. And for many within the homosexual community that's enough - at least for the time being! It's a significant break in the dam, a break they're convinced will eventually lead to its complete collapse. In short, they're using dialogue to prod evangelicals in the pews to harbor se­c­ond thoughts about the prohibi­tion against homosexuality - to, at the very least, justify ques­tioning it.

And it's working! Though most evangelicals continue to endorse the prohi­bition against homosexuality, many of them are no longer willing to affirm their opposition publicly. The cost of doing so, they believe, is pro­hibitive. And, after all, if their leaders appear to be questioning it, even if some are not actually doing so, why not just let it alone. It's not worth the risk. Let sleeping dogs lie!

Once again, what evangelical leaders are doing, whether inadvertently or not, is producing wimps, both unable and unwilling to face up to the ever mounting opposition against the Christian Faith - its apparent big­otry and narrow minded intolerance.

What's truly telling in so many of the dialogues is the obvious reticence of the participating evangelical pastors to declare blatantly and forthrightly that homosexuality is an egregious sin - and unless repented of and thor­oughly forsaken warrants excommunication. Instead, what we all too of­ten get is equivocation:

• "This is my interpretation."
• "This is what God has shown me so far."
• "My journey of faith has not led me to conclude that homosexu­ality is acceptable."