Fixed It For You

In Which I Take Apart the advice of Sheila Wray Gregoire and remind us all to look to Jesus

Jacob Jordaens - Christ, Healing the Man Possessed by Devils -1650-1655

I haven’t had a chance to read any more of the new papal encyclical, so let’s just have a little break and circle back to the question of whether or not Sheila Wray Gregoire is “affirming.”

First up, I came across a picture, a day or two ago, on X:

Alisa Childers was curious about whether or not Gregoire really retweeted this meme, as the account is no longer in existence. The person who took the screenshot believes that she did.

Either way, the Naked Pastor was not then and is not now “doing great ministry.” He is lying about the Body of Christ, the family of God, the Gospel that redeems sinners. He is making sexual identity into an existential prison beyond the grace and love of God. Worse, he is a willing propagandist of an ideology that destroys the human body and robs young people of their futures. This retweet, no matter who posted it, has not aged well.

Second of all, some people online are still mad at me for being so bold as to say, out loud, to the inimitable and brilliant Alisa Childers that Gregoire—whether intentionally or unintentionally I do not know—came out as affirming in She Deserves Better. Here are the paragraphs in which she exchanges a biblical paradigm for a therapeutic one:

Your daughter will likely have many friends and acquaintances over her lifetime who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Your daughter may even not be straight herself. But here’s what we do know:

A comprehensive review of over thirty years of research found that when LGBTQ+ youth were not given comprehensive sex education, they suffer. They are more likely to be victims of harassment or bullying, their mental health is more likely to decline, and they engage more frequently in risky sexual behaviors (unprotected sex, using substances before sex, having more sexual partners).

When LGBTQ+ youth grow up in homes with anti-homosexual religious beliefs, their suicide risk increases.

Now, this is not a theological book — and there are many out there that you can read. But no matter what you believe about sexuality, more dead kids is never good fruit. Marginalized people flocked to Jesus. They loved him, and he loved them. We need to take a big step back as a church and ask how we can be more like Jesus. If your child or your child’s friends are part of the LGBTQ+ community, how can you show them Jesus’ love? Look at the evidence, and do what helps, not what harms. (kindle page 160)

It’s interesting to look at this, several years after reviewing her content. I don’t know that one can make these accusations now, in this way, without having to better substantiate them. What, pray tell, are “anti-homosexual religious beliefs?” Is the writer referring to Islam? Or the Christian gospel that provides relief for sinners no matter what their temptations might be? And how debunked by now is the wild allegation that Christians prefer “more dead kids?” No one ever wanted “more dead kids.” What a thing even to suggest. And that final missive, “Do what helps, not what harms.” Right back at ya, one is inclined to say.

In the spirit of charity, of open ended dialogue, of desiring that all people should bear the fruit of the gospel in their lives, I’m going to take a page from Gregoire herself and “fix” what she’s said about the supposed “LGBTQ+ community.” My prayer is that the difference between Gregoire’s gospel and that of Jesus will be surprising and, best of all, full of the kind of hope that opens the way to happiness forever.

Fixed It For You:

Your daughter will likely have many friends and acquaintances over her lifetime who deal with a whole catalogue of tribulations and sins that, if continued unrepentantly, will set them outside of the Kingdom of God. Some of these sins will be sexual and might be so deeply entrenched that the friend enduring them might think they are part of her very identity. Indeed, your own daughter might be dealing with some of these inclinations and temptations. But your daughter and her friends are not beyond the grace of God. Even though we were all of us spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins, God, who is so abundantly rich in mercy, gave his only Son to die upon the cross to rescue us out of the darkness of death. All your daughter and her friends need to do is grasp on to that mercy, to open wide their hands to receive the great love with which God first loved us.

So here is what we do know:

A comprehensive study of over 2000 years of the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, found that when sinners were not given the pure milk of the word of God, they suffered not only temporally, but also eternally. They were more likely to be the victims of the sins of the body as well as the sins that assault and hurt the soul. Their mental health was more likely to decline, and they engaged more frequently in the risky behaviors that, if continued unrepentantly, would set them outside of the kingdom of God. Behaviors including but not limited to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, the exchange of the truth of God for a lie, the worship of the creature rather than the creator, the exchanging of natural relations for those that are contrary to nature, the committing of shameless acts, gossiping, slandering, murder, strife, envy, malice, disobeying their parents, and hating God.

When young people enduring attractions that are contrary to the law of God grow up in homes where the law and the gospel are both preached freely and charitably, those young people will feel distress as their foolish hearts endure the glorious light of God’s merciful truth. They may get angry. They may feel like they cannot endure. But by prayer, fasting, the continued faithful patience of those who love them the best, their families can take heart that God’s word never returns void, that God does not desire the death of sinners but that they should turn to him and live. By putting their children in his hands and continuing to tell the truth in love, it may in time come about that those precious children will desire to receive the glorious forgiveness of the cross of Christ.

Now, this is very much a theological blog—and there are many others out there that are even better than this one that you should definitely read. And you should be careful about everything that you read, that it draws you ever closer to the life-giving light of Christ, that you will not fall into error and sin, that you will grow in the strength and knowledge and love of God. You should heed the caution, that God will not be mocked, that he is holy and perfect and is not content to let his world and his creatures fall into ruin of any kind. What you believe about sexuality pertains to the very heart of the gospel of Christ. He came to redeem you out of all your sins and join you to himself. This joining is reflected in the great mystery that is marriage—the joining together of a man and a woman for life so that their mutual love, joy, and self-sacrifice will display to the whole world the very glory of God. This same God offered up his very Son so that none should perish—not a child, not an adult, not a person caught in sin, not a person who is confused—but that everyone who believes in him should gain eternal life. This great love is so perfect, rich, and complete that there is no hinderance to anyone who would come—no age, no gender, no ethnicity, no amount of money—nothing can separate the one who grasps on to Jesus from his great love.

We do need to take a big step back as a church and ask how we can more fully share this glorious message with the whole world. We long to be like Jesus, to have him come alive more fully in us, both individually and corporately. We pray that he will fill us with all the fullness of his love. If your child or your child’s friend is caught in some sin—any sin, but especially the deadening and disordering sins of this age—you can come to the church to find solace and help, to gather the whole Body together to pray for your child and her friend.

Look at Jesus—every moment of every day. Look at him, the founder and perfector of your halting and desperate faith. Don’t look at yourself. Don’t look at the world. Don’t look at the influencers. Put the eyes of your heart on him and keep them there for his grace extends so far past your efforts, your own sins, your own troubles, that you have nothing to fear. This great struggle is beyond your power to mend. You must trust him. You must give yourself to him. In him you will find your soul’s consolation, the desire that outlasts and heals every trouble of your heart.

Ok, so, have a nice day!