Love Already Won
It’s the kind of message we’ve been expecting. On our Facebook page, a group called “No Conversion Canada” has been accusing of us supporting the torture of gay people because we support the right of LGBT Canadians to see a counselor of their choice.
“Luckily for LGBTQ+ Canadians your open support for conversion therapy will soon be illegal in Calgary and everywhere in Canada. We will be reporting this post. Shame on you.”
Sadly, the laws they advocate would severely limit how Christians can counsel, speak or even pray with LGBTQ+ people. Worse, it would prevent LGBTQ+ people from speaking to any religious counselor, or perhaps even just a family member, who would advise them to live according to a biblical view of sexuality.
The group returned to our page when Calgary City Council passed a motion to write a law banning “conversion therapy.” This time they simply posted a meme that said, “Love wins” along with an image of the vote.
Ironically, as part of our “Reason to Hope” campaign this month, we are highlighting that another reason why Christians can be hopeful is that God is love. Sadly, too many Canadians define love to mean never being offensive and letting people do whatever they want. In the case for “No Conversion Canada”, their actions show that the most important aspect of their identity is based on who they find attractive or how they view their gender.But the Christian story is different. The Apostle John models this when he constantly references himself as the “disciple that Jesus loved.” In sharp contrast to our culture, which says we are defined by who we love, scripture reminds us that we are defined by Who loves us.
“In sharp contrast to our culture, which says we are defined by who we love, scripture reminds us that we are defined by Who loves us”
Unlike our attractions, God’s love is constant and unchanging. Christian apologist, Michael Ramsden says this kind of love is one where God knows us fully, warts and all, and yet seeks to be with us. And because God is the source of this limitless love, John the Apostle reminds us to love the very people who attack us, including the folks at “No Conversion Therapy.” He writes, “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1 John 4:8).
It’s hard to love the people trying to shut down your ministry. But it’s in these moments the command to “love your enemies” becomes so much more real. You can no longer just accept it as an abstract idea but one that you actually have to put into practice. After seeing the LGBTQ+ love post, I simply responded by posting an image of the cross, reminding them that “love had already won” when Jesus died for our sins and rose again to offer forgiveness and eternal life to the very people who hung him there. They didn’t have much of a response to that.
In fact, how Christians choose to love is probably one of the most important apologetics tools we can use today. For us, love isn’t just being nice to those who persecute us. Rather, our actions need to reflect how much Christ loved us—that while we were still His enemies, He was willing to die for us (Rom. 5:10).
When we respond to lies and insults by turning the other cheek and reaching out, we remind the world our actions are based on the living presence of Christ in us. We have reason to hope that the love God gave us is so good and wonderful it can never be overcome by evil. As our culture grows more and more hostile, it’s Christ’s love that a hurting world most desperately needs.
PS. All donors this month will be put into a draw to win Jackie Hill Perry’s book, Gay Girl, Good God, the kind of book that will be censored by “conversion therapy” bans. For details please see https://www.faithbeyondbelief.ca/reasons-to-hope/february-giveaway
Our Annual Be Ready Conference is back! This year at Be Ready 2020 our theme is ‘Conversations that Matter’. We'll equip you to have conversations with family and friends on matters of faith and culture. Learn how you can explain your faith to others and how you can strengthen your own family and children.