Culture Shock

Many pastors avoid dealing with controversial issues. That certainly is not the case with Chip Ingram. His sermons and books go to the hot-button issues of our day with his biblical convictions and his biblical compassion.

His latest book is a good example of this. Culture Shock: A Biblical Response to Today’s Most Divisive Issues takes on a variety of topics ranging from abortion to the environment. But the major focus of the book is human sexuality.

When he was on my radio program we spent most of our time talking about human sexuality, cohabitation, and homosexuality. Teen sexual activity rose from around 5-10 percent in the 1950s to 70-80 percent today. Fifty percent of all women under thirty cohabitate prior to marriage.

As a pastor, he has lived in Santa Cruz, California and now in the San Jose area where large segments of the population are gay or lesbian. He also has seen the way some Christians have poorly treated people who define themselves as homosexual. With conviction and compassion, he takes on the various presuppositions of the homosexual community: I was born gay, this is who I am, and homosexuality is normal and natural.

He calls for us to balance both conviction and compassion. He says: “we must treat homosexuality as we do other temptations and sins. We need to be forthright and truthful as we present the truth of the Scriptures, but do so with humanity and compassion, not a sense of condemnation or superiority.” On the other hand, we should be willing to reach out. “Most of those in the gay community have never met a kind, nonjudgmental Christian who had the courage to share God’s love and plan of forgiveness and eternal life.”

I applaud Chip Ingram for addressing so many of the divisive and controversial issues in our society. And I am grateful that his book and small group program provide light where there is often just heat.

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