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Following the publication of the "Nashville Statement" in which evangelical leaders denounce so-called "gender-fluidity" based on "autonomous preferences" and similar statements by the pope---secular progressives, the religious Left, the press and the LGBT activists have teamed up around their common cause.
The cause? Create a firestorm that will burn the evangelicals and the pope.
The declaration, called the "Nashville Statement" because it was originally drafted and signed there, reaffirms Christian teaching on God's creation of human beings as male and female, an assertion that flies in the face of recent attempts by the LGBT community and the press in the culture and in the classroom to advance the "gender fluidity" deception.
The statement says that the path to full and lasting joy through God's good design for His creatures is being "replaced by the path of short sighted alternatives that, sooner or later, ruin human life and dishonor God."
The statement says, "Our true identity, as male and female persons, is given by God. It is not only foolish but hopeless to try to make ourselves what God did not create us to be."
This statement was overdue. And this was the way to make the statement. I have personally signed it.
Last year, the pope denounced gender ideology, calling it a "global war against the family."
He decried the evils of indoctrinating children with the idea that gender is a fluid concept, disconnected biological sexual differences, saying that theory is "against the nature of things."
In a 2016 letter on marriage and family ("The Joy of Love"), he said that sex education should teach "respect and appreciation" for sexual differences, as a way of "helping the young to overcome self-absorption."
The angry firestorm is now burning out of control.
When the statement was released this week, it immediately came under fire. So has the pope.
Francis DeBernardo, the director of a Catholic LGBT group called "New Ways Ministry," has published a statement attacking the pope for his comments, accusing him of being "out of touch" with reality for his "reliance upon so-called 'gender theory' and 'ideological colonization'."
Last October the pope said modern gender confusion "contradicts the plan of God."
The evangelicals, however, are the main target.
The Daily News headline said the manifesto "is straight out of the 1980s." The story suggests that sexual norms have moved beyond traditional biblical morality.
The Huffington Post called the statement bigotry and "anti-LGBTQ for its denial of the moral goodness of homosexual relations and transgenderism."
The Chicago Tribune labeled the statement "Anti-LGBT," while offering a "more loving statement" of their own which essentially says that any sex is good sex.
Salon Magazine, a homosexual advocacy publication, called the statement "bigotry filled" containing "many discriminatory positions" and that the public is denouncing it as "un-American toilet paper."
These responses were predictable.
However, the response of Jen Hatmaker, former evangelical author and well-known speaker---now turned "Christian lesbian activist" is troubling.
Even more troubling is the fact that her views represent the religious Left, who claim to be followers of Christ while standing in stark opposition to God's Word.
USA Today published Hatmaker's tweet following the release of the Nashville Statement.
Hatmaker tweeted,
"If the fruit of doctrine regularly & consistently creates shame, self harm, suicide & and broken hearts, families & churches, we should listen."
Then she added, "The timing is callous beyond words."
What does that mean? USA Today, of course, explains.
They make the case that this evangelical statement on biblical truth has somehow been timed to coincide with the movement to remove statues and symbols across America that the Left finds unacceptable.
It's hard to make the connection---because it doesn't exist---except in the mind of the so-called religious Left.
Dr. Michael Brown had some thoughts on how the religious Left connect the dots, and the deception of it all:
This is utterly baffling and indicates, sadly, how far left Hatmaker has shifted.
What connection do neo-Nazis, the KKK, and White Supremacists have with an evangelical statement on biblical sexuality? Absolutely none.
What does the tragic death of Heather Heyer have to do with Christian leaders reaffirming that marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman? Nothing whatsoever.
Rather, the spirit of the Nashville Statement is summed up by Southern Baptist Leader Russell Moore, who noted, "The sexual revolution cannot keep its promises, and the church must stand ready to receive with compassion the many who are in need of a better hope. The Nashville Statement is part of that mission, and my prayer is that it will help anchor churches and Christians to the gospel of Jesus Christ for years to come."
What does this have to do with the now infamous, "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville? Absolutely nothing at all.
Unless, of course, you use the following "logic": 1) Donald Trump was elected by appealing to the worst elements of the racist, alt-right; 2) evangelical Christians also voted for Trump and are therefore part of the alt-right; 3) evangelical Christians penned and signed the Nashville Statement; 4) the statement is therefore related directly Charlottesville.
As incredible as that "logic" sounds, it's the only way I can understand Hatmaker's thinking, and it's further proof of a tragic and dangerous pattern: Once you replace biblical standards with LGBT theology, you soon embrace the mindset of the radical left.
The very sad fall of Jen Hatmaker, for whom we pray, is a striking illustration of the power of spiritual deception. Once you embrace the first lie, it's much easier to embrace the other lies, which get bigger and uglier by the day.
May God awaken those deceived by LGBT theology, and may He strengthen those who are taking a stand for biblical truth.
Indeed. Well said.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Prayerful. Be Bold.