The LGBTQ Movement and Christianity, Part 3: The Enemy's Game Plan

Pastor Ric Fritz President and Director, Center for Christian Civic Engagement
Published Jul 11, 2018

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) movement represents a clear and present danger to the culture, to the Church, and to eternal salvation of millions because of its active rebellion against God’s design of gender, marriage, family, and purpose of sexual relations.

This four-part article 1) clearly defines the dangerous threat inherent to the LGBTQ movement on the Church and the culture, 2) looks the current failure and corruption within the Christian church, 3) reviews the enemies game plan to date and how Satan is successfully using the LGBTQ lifestyle to further his goal of separating man from God, and 4) identifies how Christians should respond to the enemies actions while simultaneously lovingly leading people to Jesus Christ.

This part focuses on how the enemy has been so successful in destroying God design of sex, marriage, family, and gender.

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Same Old Enemy, Same Old Attacks

Satan has been on the attack of God’s creation from shortly after the creation of Adam and Eve. No specific timeframe is given but it seems clear Satan wasted no time. Chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis document God’s creation and purpose of mankind, in Chapter 3 it records man-kinds fall, strongly influenced and facilitated by Satan.

Genesis 3 lays out Satan’s game plan for attacking God’s creation. The fall of mankind came through 1) questioning God’s authority and design, 2) corrupting individual thought and reason, 3) failing to fulfill God’s responsibilities, 4) actively rejecting God’s design and role, and 5) blame and accuse others.

In the garden, after Satan had corrupted the thoughts of Adam and Eve towards God, he then corrupted the unity of marriage, setting the conditions where Adam failed to lead and protect his wife, causing Eve to seek and desire something she knew was not allowed. The result successfully caused both Adam and Eve to rebel against God as they sought equality with God. Satan knew if he could attack and destroy gender-roles and if he could attack the unity of marriage he could ultimately separate mankind from God.

He was successful then; he remains successful today. The attacks upon reason and thinking as well as marriage and gender roles are unrelenting. The LGBTQ-lifestyle is a prominent tool he uses today to degrade rational thought and pollute and destroy God’s design.

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Understanding Satan’s LGBTQ Game Plan

The LGBTQ game plan has been around a long time with the lifestyle coming and going throughout seasons of creation (Sodom and Gomorrah, New Testament, Roman Empire, etc.). LGBTQ lifestyles are not new. What is new is the level of lifestyle celebration and civil government concerted efforts to codify and protect these ungodly lifestyles from any and all Godly influence is also new.

For instance, many states have made it illegal for counselors and psychologists to help children suffering from gender confusion or unnatural sexual attractions to NOT succumb to temptation. In California they are taking it to the next level and are going to make it illegal to sell or advertise any products or services that would encourage “efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions, or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same sex.”[1] In other words a book store could not sell a book encouraging somebody to NOT live an LBGTQ lifestyle. I am not sure if they understand it, but the Bible has just been banned. It is a book that encourages people to “eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings towards individuals of the same sex”.

Some may scoff at my characterization that those who advocate for such laws are working under the influence of the Enemy. I ask you, who would propose a law that makes it illegal to influence Godly, Biblical behaviors? How did we ever come to this low place in America?

The enemy has a game plan and we must be aware and understand this game plan to understand how we arrived in our low state. We also must understand it before we can develop any meaningful defensive or counter moves. I use the term phrase to reflect the ongoing nature of each area of game plan. No phrase is ever complete. The enemy may shift emphasis from one phase to another at any given point in time, but they are always attacking on all phases all the time.

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Phase 1: The Destruction of the Ability to Reason

Romans 1: 21-22; 28-32 capture the constant attack upon reasoning Satan has used and continues to use.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

The first requirement of destroyed reasoning is not killing God, but simply the requirement that He be ignored. America, since the 1940s, has been systematically disallowing God’s influence upon education, civil government, and public policy discussions. There can be no mistake, the quality of reasoning in our culture is in decline and falling.

Photo courtesy: Unsplash/Rod Long

Phase 2: Destroy Sexual Standards

n order for LGBTQ lifestyles to become “acceptable” Satan needs to destroy long held sexual standards; and he has been very successful. He has normalized pornography and made its access unlimited and almost mainstream. Sexual immorality has been normalized through an endless and seemingly unlimited supply of sexual and homosexual images.

Good luck finding modern entertainment that does not contain some sex-based element. It is pervasive in movies, television, music, arts, and even sports. Children have no safe space. Transgender unicorns are starting to hang on bulletin boards in schools[2]; homosexual relationships have been introduced into children’s cartoons[3]; and drag queens read stories to children in public libraries[4].

Saving oneself for marriage is viewed as alien, premarital sex and cohabitation[5] has become the standard. Long-standing sodomy laws have been struck down and sexual relationships now exist in all sorts of types and compositions; mostly to great celebration.

Simply put, biblical sexual standards have been trampled and God sexual standards have been perverted from intimate, private, and partner specific to being feelings-based, public, and collective.

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Phase 3: Soften and Humanize the “Gay” Image

The enemy continued its efforts to push sexual immorality (1 Cor 6:12-20) forward by making “gay” become innocent and friendly. Hollywood and music has worked hard to introduce and soften the image of gay. People like Little Richard, Boy George, RuPaul, Richard Simmons, Ellen DeGeneres; movies such as Mrs. Doubtfire, Brokeback Mountain, and television shows such Roseanne, and Will and Grace all worked to normalize homosexuality and usually presented the characters as funny and likeable. They slowly took gay from something immoral and shameful into something that was neutral to something bold to now something that is celebrated.

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Phase 4: Weaken the Institution of Marriage; Take it Out of the Church

Biblically-ordained, God-blessed marriage (see Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Mark 10:6-9; Ephesians 5:31) has always been in the cross hairs of the enemy, but he has been particularly successful in destroying the institution of marriage in America over the last 40 years. Marriage was further weakened thought increased acceptance of cohabitation and through poorly crafted welfare policies that penalize marriage for low to middle class couples.[6]

Marriage has been under attack through rampant divorce for years, made easier through no-fault divorce laws and policies. Marriage is now viewed by less than 50% of the people as a covenant between God and a man and a women[7]; marriage has largely been taken over by secular government standards.

Now that secular government defines marriage, it is defined by the fallible men and women in the government and has little in common with God. With marriage, as an institution, weakened it is time to take it to the next phase.

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Phase 5: Utilize the Legal System to Deliver a Death Blow to Marriage

hase 3 has made LGB lifestyles acceptable in the eyes of most and phase 4 weakened the institution of marriage and placed it in the hands of men and women. The enemy then went to work to redefine what marriage meant through misguided and fallible men and women.

In the LG context, the effort was to first go for legal rights through “civil unions”. As the lifestyle was out in the open, the next argument was “what does it matter what people do in the privacy of their homes” which then led to “Why can’t we, as a gay or lesbian couple, have legal rights to leave money, insurance, etc. to one another?”

Many good-hearted Christians, myself included, agreed or at least wanted to demonstrate we cared about LG feelings. My rationale was, people will sin and it is a choice that is between them and God; what harm is it to give them legal rights, besides they say that is all they want–legal rights. Gays and lesbians weren’t clamoring to be married. Yep, I was foolish enough to believe them.

We played right into the game plan. Most Christians opened the door to Phase 6 by not taking a stand during Phase 5.

Photo courtesy: Religion News Service

Phase 6: Complete the Destruction of Marriage

No sooner had legal rights been extended did the enemy move the LGB community to demand full marriage rights and acknowledgment. Many Christians have been largely silent because they continue to want to be perceived as loving and caring. Many bow to the emotional pleas of “but if two people love each other” without a second consideration as to God design and intention. Christians especially ignore the repeated warning of sexual immorality (see scriptural support section).

The LGBTQ movement experienced success in redefining marriage in a few liberal states through popular vote; in other states through judicial activism. They also suffered defeat in other states who protected God-designed marriage. This would not do, so they took their case to the Supreme Court who, unguided by God, redefined what marriage was thus completing the destruction of God-designed marriage in America[8].

Ever since this victory the enemy has been full speed ahead. Marriage is battered unrecognizable and now the family is under significant attack.

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Phase 7: Destroy the Family

Now that marriage can mean whatever anybody wants it to mean, the family is up for grabs.

The destruction of God-designed families started with the attacking of traditional roles. The strong father has been replaced with dumb, aloof, and bumbling (if not completely absent) father figures (think Homer Simpson). Stay-at-home mothers are mocked[9] and women are made to feel inferior or portrayed as failures if they don’t pursue careers outside of the home.

The family now can consist of two moms, two dads, a single mom, a single dad, etc. This is forcibly taught in schools to kids as young as kindergarten; parents have no opt-out option. Birth Certificates are now designed without the terms “mother” or “father” to enable corrupted minds to somehow believe a baby can be the result of two women or two men[10].

God’s design of the family is in tatters and the attacks keep on coming. By Satan’s standards, phase 7 is moving along splendidly and there was no reason to wait to take destruction to the next level.

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Phase 8: Destroy Gender

Next on the list for destruction, now that sexual-design, marriage, and family have been destroyed, is gender. Today we see an all-out Blitzkrieg (evil comparison completely intended) on God’s clear design and creation of genders. The concept of male and female is under relentless assault.

Kids are now asked what they want to be referred as regarding their gender[11]. California has passed a law where one could face jail time if they refuse to confirm a lie and use a wrong pronoun[12]. A teacher is now demanding their Second-grade class to refer to them with a gender-neutral term[13]. Transgenders are now given protected status (translated special rights over everybody else).

Some birth certificates now come with an “X” gender if the parents of a child want to refuse to acknowledge the child’s God-given, God-designed sex at birth[14]. Kids as young as 8-years old are being forever harmed through hormone blocking medications[15]. Kids are being sexually mutilated and abused by parents and doctors by performing gender reassignment surgeries without ANY efforts to walk children through this stage. In the past, 80% of kids who experience gender confusion work through the confusion[16] and embrace God’s design of their life. Today, they are not given the chance. Laws are being past that make it illegal for someone to counsel or advise a child they can work through gender confusion.

Phase 9: Destroy??

Looking forward, I am not sure as to what destruction is next. There have been headlines that talk about people believing they are trans-species, trans-abled (choose to be disabled when they are not), trans-racial (although I wish all racial bias and difference would indeed go away). Abominations that are yet to be celebrated include having sex with animals. There are pressures within segments of the LGBTQ community, the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA), who want to lower the age of sexual consent to allow for men and boys to have sex. The polygamists are waiting in line for their acceptance. There is no shortage of immoral, ungodly behaviors clamoring for acceptance. If there is a design o God’s in place the Enemy will attack it.

Make no mistake, each will demand acceptance and protection. Those without God’s standards have no defense, no excuse to NOT allow each of these sinful conditions to be allowed. Those who support LGBTQ lifestyles cannot and have no place to be intolerant of any lifestyle (though that does not stop many from being intolerant of Christian beliefs). This is very much at the heart of the problem caused by errant Christian acceptance of the LGBTQ lifestyle.

Conclusion

The enemy has been and remains extreme successful in his game plan to destroy God’s creation and design. The question now is—what are Christians to do?

[1] https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB2943

[2] http://www.worldtribune.com/schools-use-purple-unicorn-to-teach-kids-as-young-as-5-about-gender-identity/

[3] https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2017/august/disneys-doc-mcstuffins-targets-little-kids-with-pro-lesbian-message-in-2-moms-episode

[4] http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/10/16/draq-queen-library-lgtbq-kids/

[5] https://www.barna.com/research/trends-redefining-romance-today/

[6] https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/3/welfare-discourages-middle-class-marriages-study-f/

[7] https://www.barna.com/how-do-you-define-marriage/

[8] https://www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues/promos/supreme-court-marriage-decision

[9] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-is-stay-at-home-mom-shaming-still-happening_us_58addc05e4b0d818c4f0a4d2

[10] http://fox43.com/2018/01/11/removal-of-mother-and-father-designations-from-pa-birth-certificates-irks-some-lawmakers/

[11] http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/10/09/gender-inclusive-school-district-says-drop-boys-and-girls-call-kids-purple.html

[12] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/09/new-california-law-allows-jail-time-for-using-wrong-gender-pronoun-sponsor-denies-that-would-happen.html