Why would a preacher constantly make anti-gay remarks?

by Sherri
(Louisville, KY)

Rick Brentlinger Answers -

The situation you describe troubles many Christians these days. Some preachers appear to be obsessed with homosexuals when they should be preaching the Bible verse by verse.

What causes a preacher to constantly make negative remarks about gays and lesbians? Here are some factors which may be causing him to commit this offense.

1. He may be struggling with same sex attraction himself. If this is the case, constantly bringing it up in the pulpit and making negative comments about gays and lesbians reflects his inner struggle. The solution for him is to read and study what the Bible says in context. Books like Gay Christian 101 will be helpful if he is open to reading it.
   
   
2. He may be speaking from ignorance, having never studied the clobber passages. If this is the case, he is simply repeating what someone told him in Bible school. Preachers love to find someone to attack, so as to cultivate an "us vs. them" mentality in their congregation. The solution is to educate himself through believing Bible study and historical research to discover what the clobber passages mean in context.
   
   
3. He may be speaking from bigotry, intending to drive away any gays or lesbians who may be attending your church. If this is the case, the preacher involved definitely has a spiritual problem. The solution is to get his heart right with God. No one can get his heart right for him so your job in this situation is to pray that God will open his eyes and his heart to receive scriptural truth.
   
   
4. He may be spiritually lazy and simply using caustic anti-gay comments as filler, the spiritual equivalent of small talk. If this is the case, he needs to be made aware of how offensive his comments are by members of the congregation.
   
   
5. He may be stereotyping gays and lesbians, speaking as if we're all sex-crazed, drunken, bar hopping, drug-abusing pervs. If that's what he believes, he is an idiot and no one should pay any attention to him. The solution is for him to get his heart right with God because if he is saved, he is going to face God at the judgment seat of Christ.

What are your options?

1. Remain silent, wrestle with your irritation, continue to give money and do nothing.
   
   
2. Pray, then go to the associate pastor who makes anti-gay remarks and talk to him privately about your concerns.
   
   
3. Quietly stop your financial support of the church until the anti-gay rhetoric stops.
   
   
4. If talking to the associate pastor does no good, talk to your Senior Pastor.
   
   
5. If your associate pastor and your Senior Pastor see nothing wrong with the anti-gay rhetoric, prayerfully consider whether God may want you in another church.

Links with information
on the same general topic

What are practical ways to change the antigay bias of evangelical Christians?

How can we build bridges of trust with non-gay Christians?

God saves gays but do you think he wants them to stay gay?

Is there any evidence of an actual gay marriage in the Bible?

Why has God allowed his word to be so misinterpreted regarding homosexuality?

Sherri's Original Question:

I am a heterosexual christian who see nothing wrong with gay christians. My problem is my associate pastor seems to bring up gays in almost every service. I am tired of hearing this and would like a way to open his eyes that we are all GODS children no matter what our sexual orientation is. Would you be willing to help me with this?