The Latest Fad

We can make it our goal to be more rooted in the Scriptures, so that we are walking hand-in-hand with the Savior who walks with us. We don't have to follow along with the "next big thing," but seek to walk consistently in Christ. James chapter 1 talks about the importance of Godly wisdom, stating:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Double-mindedness can short circuit our Christian life and cause us to be unstable.  We can ask questions and turn to God for answers.  But, when we seek our answers from this world, we are trusting in an unreliable source that could lead us astray.  We can continue to build our lives on a strong foundation so that we can strive to be unshakeable in the face of instability, firmly holding to the Lord when the world offers us poor alternatives.

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In Ephesians 4, we find this phrase in the context of a passage dealing with effective spiritual leadership. We can read that God put leaders in place...
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

This week on the program, I have spent some time analyzing some of the fallout of the proliferation of the LGBTQ agenda.  Why is this important?  Because the messaging is so pervasive and is such a glaring contradiction to the Scripture's teaching regarding marriage and sexuality.  Young people, especially, are buying in.

A Washington Examiner piece from earlier this year states:

A recent report from Gallup reflects an all-time high in the number of Americans who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. According to the report, the LGBT percentage of the total population has doubled from 3.5% to 7.1% in approximately 10 years.

As one could reasonably expect, LGBT self-identification was more common among young people. For example, about 11% of millennials and 21% of Gen Z identified this way. That’s right, roughly 1 in 5 Zoomers says they are gay or transgender. This is in contrast with only 4% of Gen Xers and 3% of baby boomers.

But the author of the piece, Debra Soh, who says that she is straight, but grew up in the gay community, contends that this may be resulting from social acceptability, writing:

First of all, the percentage of Americans identifying as LGBT has remained similar over time among older generations, including Generation X, baby boomers, and traditionalists (those born prior to 1946). As well, among the millennials and Gen Zers who say they are nonheterosexual, it remains unclear what proportion has actually had a same-sex relationship.

She states: "I would argue these sharply increasing numbers are the result of the social capital gained nowadays from identifying as something other than a heterosexual woman or man. This trendiness trivializes the difficulties and discrimination that gay, bisexual, and transgender people face." She also notes:

This is in tandem with educators' growing obsession with teaching sexual and gender identity curriculum to students at as young of an age as possible, including those in kindergarten. It’s important to note these teachers usually aren’t gender or sexual minorities themselves but are conveniently using these children as a vehicle for their politics, to redefine society and concepts such as gender and sexual orientation.

The Washington Examiner's Kaylee McGhee White echoes that theme in a more recent article.  She relates some information from a recent study by the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology:

Between 2008 and 2021, the study found, the percentage of young people who identify as LGBT tripled to 21%. Transgender and nonbinary identification has increased as much as 1,000%. And while LGBT activists have claimed this increase is the result of organic destigmatization and the secularization of America's culture, CSPI found that the open celebration and political embrace of the LGBT community have had an undeniable effect as well.

For example, the study found that while LGBT identification has risen among people under 30 by 11 percentage points since 2008, less than half of them reported actually having a same-sex partner or engaging in same-sex behavior. In other words, there are a lot of people claiming to share the LGBT label who simply are not gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

So, why is this - White believes there is a simple answer: "Queerness, in any one of its forms, has become a fad — both politically and culturally. It is associated with progress, leftism, and, most importantly, a rejection of the heteronormative values forced upon us by straight, white men. It’s cool, important, even necessary to be a part of such a movement — even if your sexual preferences don’t exactly align with it."  She goes on to say:

A decade ago, angsty young adults in search of an identity would dye their hair black or maybe chop it all off and play punk rock a little too loud. Nowadays, they’re coming out as pansexual and demanding that everyone refer to them as xe/xem/xir.

The desire remains the same: They want to stand out and express their dissatisfaction with the culture in which they’ve been raised. The way they’re going about doing it, however, is different — alarmingly so.

Unfortunately, this "fad" has had some devastating results - including people actually undergoing permanent surgeries to try to change their gender, only to find it's difficult to change back.  In the name of enlightenment, men are allowed to compete as women in women's sports. The violation of privacy is becoming more widespread.  And, those who don't celebrate this fad face punishment and attempts to silence their voice.  

And that puts those who want to adhere to Biblical truth in a tight spot. But, the contrast is very clear. Some have responded by attempting to virtue signal by accommodating the gay lifestyle in their churches.  I would think there are some who want to change the subject entirely.  But, this "fad" is much more than a fashion choice - it's a direct assault on the Christian worldview, and we can courageously proclaim the truth of the gospel.

We are not to give in to the fads of the day, but to the foundation of the Word of God.  We are not people of fads, but of faith.  Sure, it's perhaps "cool" to be part of the latest and the greatest, but when that fades away, what do we have left?  For instance, whatever happened to the "emergent church," offering a brave new approach to Christianity?  Nowadays, it seems like "deconstruction" is the latest fad. But, interestingly enough, these and other "fads" haven't propelled people closer to Christ, but in the opposite direction. Authentic expression of our faith in Christ is a powerful force.