How Should Christians Write About… LGBT Issues

This post topic has been on my “to-write” list for a long time now because, frankly, it’s a scary topic to broach. I expect it will offend people (possibly those from multiple directions), and I don’t prefer to intentionally make people uncomfortable. That said, I believe this is an important topic that Christian authors should be addressing, one that Christian authors have largely ignored and abdicated the conversation around, and since it recently came up again I decided it was time to actually post about it.

As always in this series, this post is meant to be food-for-thought, to lay out the scriptural guidelines for a particular topic and what we do or don’t have the freedom to include in our stories (or how we do or don’t have the freedom to portray it) based on that scripture. I’ll put forth my interpretation, but all of these topics are ultimately between you and God and the intention is not to bind or to violate your conscience.

The Biblical View on Homosexuality

The most important question to ask is (as always): What does the Bible say about homosexuality?

(Verses are in NKJV, and I encourage you to read the broader context as well, on your own.)

While we have a measure of Christian liberty, our consciences and choices should always be subject to the word of God, who designed the world we operate in and to whom we belong. He addresses the matter of homosexuality early on, in His giving of the law:

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.

— Leviticus 18:22

If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.

–Leviticus 20:13

For those of you saying, “Christ did away with the law!” (then you should reread Matt. 5:17-20, but), the matter of homosexuality is addressed in even greater depth in the New Testament.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

— Romans 1:16-2:4

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

— 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

There’s a lot to unpack here, but I would sum it up in the following three points:

Homosexuality is a sin, contrary to God’s created order and design, found in company (on a widespread level) with other forms of spiritual rebellion.Those living in unrepentant sin will not inherit the kingdom of God. The Spirit of God given through grace at salvation spurs us to repentance and righteousness; a lack of that fruit reflects a lack of that Spirit. (Rom. 2:1-4, 1 Corinthians 6:11; John 8:10-12, Mark 1:14-15, Acts 2:37-42, Romans 12:1-2, etc.)It is not more difficult for God to redeem a homosexual than any other sinner. There is still hope in Christ for redemption and repentance and eternal life through a living relationship with Him!

We’ll get to what that means for how Christians should approach representation of homosexuality in fiction in a moment.

The Biblical View on Gender/Sex

Transgenderism must be approached the same way: What does the Bible say about gender/sex?

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

— Genesis 1:26-28

“A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God.“

— Deuteronomy 22:5

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

— Psalm 139:13-16

But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”

— Romans 9:20
(Yes, this passage is discussing the spirit and will, but God has formed both our inward and our outward parts as He willed–and the combination thereof.)

To distill this into points, as well:

God created mankind male and female. He created (only) two sexes/genders, equal in value and image-bearing, distinct and complementary in role, both critical to the mission He called mankind to (Gen. 2:18, Eph. 5:22-33, Malachi 2:15, etc.)God formed each individual with intention and purpose, inside and out. When we question this (whether in terms of gender or otherwise) we are failing to act in faith, and trying to change His design for us is rebellious–as well as detrimental to the Church body, when the matter arises in that context (1 Corinthians 12).As with homosexuality, transgenderism is not any more difficult for God to forgive than anything else! There is still hope in Christ for redemption and eternal life through a repentant and living relationship with Him.What This Means for Representation

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

— Ephesians 5:8-13

A lot of people take verse 12 (“For it is shameful even to speak of those things”) to mean that Christians should never represent certain sinful behaviors–regardless of how they’re portrayed and whether they are glorified or condemned–because we shouldn’t even speak of them. If that’s your interpretation, I’m not here to say that it’s wrong, but I would pose a question: How are we supposed to expose darkness as darkness, per the rest of the passage, if we never address it?

My belief, from how scripture handles sin in its narrative and how we are instructed to respond to sin, is that we should not shy away from portraying sin appropriately. We should not write it in such a way that it seems right to readers, in a way that glorifies it, or in a way that lingers on it longer than is necessary or in more detail than is necessary; we should not be creating stumbling blocks or reveling in sin ourselves. We’re not to have fellowship with darkness! But we also can’t pretend it away or refuse to share the biblical truth on a “shameful” issue.

It is not terribly difficult to find fiction reflecting a worldview that fully accepts homosexual behavior and transgenderism as part of the identity of those practicing them, a worldview that believes you cannot accept and love a person without accepting and loving all of their choices. Those who seek to normalize this behavior make a point to represent it in their fiction, and it is an ever-growing theme in all genres of fiction.

You can also find authors who refuse to touch the subject because they believe any portrayal is a normalization of sinful behavior, they want to pretend those struggling with this sin don’t exist, or it just makes them uncomfortable. (The former can be a valid conscience issue, which I’m not critiquing here; my critique is of those who cannot distinguish between a portrayal of sin that normalizes and glorifies it vs. a portrayal of sin that exposes it as wickedness. The latter option may also, in some cases, be a valid reason not to write about the topic, but we’ll get into the nuances of that a little later.)

This combination–of heavy worldly portrayal and Christian silence in the context of fiction–means that there is very, very little fiction out there that represents the full biblical truth of what homosexuality means in the eyes of God.

If Christians don’t address this issue biblically, then the only viewpoint represented is that which is anti-Scriptural. If we want to represent the truth of God’s design and salvation, we can’t leave the issue to only be addressed by those who think like the world. We don’t need to villainize those stuck in sin–those caught in homosexuality or transgenderism are still image-bearers of God who need His saving grace–but we also don’t need to paint their sinful behavior in a positive light in order to show them grace. In fact, that grace is meaningless without the truth of why it matters. We need fiction that represents the firm biblical truth that homosexuality and transgenderism are sinful rebellions against God’s design, that acknowledges fallen mankind is prone to sin and we cannot save ourselves from it, and that presents the grace and hope of the gospel.

To take it even further, think about how you portray the biblical alternative. How do you portray marriage in your books? How do you portray the roles and gifts of men and women? How do you portray children and parenting? Do you portray these things as blessings, rightly ordered according to their biblical design? Do you focus on their true biblical definitions without adding in cultural stereotypes? Can your readers see that you believe God’s created order is not only right but good for those who follow it? Again, I’m not trying to bind anything here; your characters need not (and should not) always be perfect or fully satisfied, broken families are just as acceptable to portray (as less-than-ideal), and there is nuance and balance in all of this. But do keep in mind that readers are motivated toward things, not merely away from them; “take off” and “put on” is a biblical pattern of instruction, and we should be mindful of what we are portraying as right, good, and normal just as we are mindful of what we are portraying as wrong, sinful, and broken.

As a last note, I do not believe the importance of this issue means that every Christian author is failing if they don’t address it, or that every Christian author should 100% agree on the importance of seeing it addressed in Christian fiction, or (certainly!) that Christians whose consciences forbid it should violate their consciences in order to write about these things. In fact, I believe there are certain contexts in which Christian authors should refrain from representing characters who are practicing homosexuality or transgenderism:

When your conscience forbids it. As I said at the outset, this is ultimately between you and God and my intention is not to incite you to violate your conscience! If you come to a different conviction on this matter, heed the Spirit of God, not me.When you cannot have grace for those stuck in this sin. If you are full of judgment and can’t bring yourself to reflect God’s grace for those tied up in these sins, you are not in a position to represent this theme in a biblical manner (Luke 6:41-42). Showing only one side of the story in either direction is not a faithful reflection of biblical truth and will not edify your readers (or you).When it doesn’t suit the story. Not every story (I would even venture to say not many stories) will be served by including a representation of characters in these situations. In some cases, it will merely distract from the main themes of the story you’ve been given to tell. In others, there just won’t be space to be as biblically grounded in your portrayal as is needed. If your story is not served by the addition—just as with any other story element or character—leave it out.

Let the discourse begin. What do you see as the application of Scripture’s principles on homosexuality and transgenderism? Do you think I left anything out? Feel free to comment below; I only ask that disagreement remain respectful on all sides.

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