culturewarsBy Ryan Duffy and Evan Sharbaugh

There I was, a young youth pastor only two years out of college, wondering how this concept was so hard for the current generation of teenagers to grasp. We had been going through a series on what the Bible says about current issues in our society. I had given the students what I thought was a concise yet solid Biblical answer about homosexuality.

I can remember vividly when I was in youth group, my youth pastor turning to Romans 1 and pointing out the clear truth that homosexuality is sin according to God’s Word. We nodded in agreement and moved on to the next subject. Now here I was reading from Romans 1 but with a completely different outcome. While I had many nodding in agreement, I also had some heads tilted in confusion. Then came the mountain of questions, like How is it possible that God would say it’s wrong when people were born that way? and If they love each other, why is it so wrong? This led to my own questions, like What changed between then and now? and Why does it seem like we are speaking two different languages?

God’s people and the fallen world system have been at war since Genesis 3, especially when it comes to issues of sexuality and identity. God’s Word remains the same and transcends both human culture and the world’s ideas of morality. Satan, however, loves to deceive and distort. The problem lies in people’s root beliefs toward the issues of sexuality and identity. Since there is deception regarding these issues, we as believers need to be ready to give answers that cut to the core of this deceit.