Alistair Begg Controversy - Collection of Videos (ft: John MacArthur, Steve Lawson, Al Mohler, Ligonier, and Voddie Baucham)
Includes all videos dealing with the very disappointing news that Alistair Begg now believes that it is okay for a Christian to attend and celebrate LGBT Weddings.
The videos include recent and old clips of Alistair Begg on this topic and there is also discussion about The Shepherd's Conference 2024 at John MacArthur's Grace Community Church (hosted by Grace to You (GTY)).
Videos include discussion about: Alistair Begg, John MacArthur, Phil Johnson, Steve Lawson, Al Mohler (not yet released) and others.
Ministries related to Preachers include: Grace to You, Grace Community Church, Shepherds Conference, One Passion Ministries, Truth for Life, Southern Baptist Seminary, SBC
Playlist - Alistair Begg Controversy (A Vital Issue in Evangelicalism)
Alistair Begg Controversy Video Titles and Descriptions:
Playlist Description:
Includes all videos dealing with the very disappointing news that Alistair Begg now believes that it is okay for a Christian to attend and celebrate LGBT Weddings.
The videos include recent and old clips of Alistair Begg on this topic and there is also discussion about The Shepherd's Conference 2024 at John MacArthur's Grace Community Church (hosted by Grace to You (GTY)).
Videos include discussion about: Alistair Begg, John MacArthur, Phil Johnson, Steve Lawson, Al Mohler (not yet released) and others.
Ministries related to Preachers include: Grace to You, Grace Community Church, Shepherds Conference, One Passion Ministries, Truth for Life, Southern Baptist Seminary, SBC
Playlist - Alistair Begg Controversy (A Vital Issue in Evangelicalism)
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Title:
What is HAPPENING with Alistair Begg?!!! | Truth for Life, John MacArthur, Shepherd's Conference
Description:
Breaking news about Alistair Begg. This is very sad!!!
Alistair Begg has been a faithful preacher of God’s Word for decades. He has been the Senior Pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio since 1983. His media ministry “Truth for Life” is broadcast daily to over 1800 radio outlets and distributed to over 1 million followers online each day (between Youtube, FB, Twitter/X, Pinterest, Tiktok, LinkedIn and IG as well as platforms that don’t publicly share follower statistics such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and others). Truth for Life ministries receives over 20 million dollars in donations each year, according to the ECFA (The Evangelical Counsel for Financial Accountability) which are used for the purpose of advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations! Begg is the author of 18 books and a world renown conference speaker in conservative circles of evangelicalism. So, it comes as a great shock to hear him give the advice that he did about whether one should go to a gay / trans wedding or not.
We’ll be diving into that topic today and I’ll be giving you my thoughts on the matter. I’ve seen a lot of content created as soon as this was released by heresy hunter blogs. It was shocking to see that it was true and you could go and hear what was said on the recording for yourself. And I’ll be playing that for you in a moment, in case you haven’t heard it (and I don’t want to assume that you have). Many of you may have heard it already but I know that many of you have not. And it’s big news now. It moved past heresy hunter blogs to known Christian news sources so it’s definitely making waves in Christian news.
Video 2 (Clip from End of 1st Video)
Title:
This news about Alistair Begg just came out today. You won't believe this news about Alistair Begg. Alistair Begg is scheduled to speak about John MacArthur's Shepherd's Conference at Grace Community Church this year. Be sure to watch to learn about the latest updated regarding Alistair Begg.
Video 3:
Title:
Alistair Begg Responds to Concerns of American Family Radio | Will John MacArthur's ShepCon be Next?
Description:
Alistair Begg responds to concerns from American Family Radio.
Title:
Why Alistair Begg NEEDS to Go to Shepherd's Conference AND Public Statement #1| John MacArthur, GTY
Description:
I make the case that Alistair Begg NEEDS to go to John MacArthur's Shepherd's Conference this year AND share a clip from Alistair Begg's first public statement regarding his controversial remarks from a September broadcast on Truth for Life.
The Shepherd's Conference is hosted by Grace to You and is held at Grace Community Church. Alistair Begg is listed as a speaker and many are calling on John MacArthur and other organizers to disinvite Begg from the conference.
Title:
It is WAY WORSE Than it Looks! Alistair Begg REFUSES to Repent! | John MacArthur, ShepCon, GTY, G3
Description:
Alistair Begg addressed his congregation and said that he refuses to repent from advising an elderly woman to celebrate her grandson's lgbt wedding. He delievered the remarks at Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday January 28, 2024. I respond to portions of Begg's sermon and the episode also includes discussion about John MacArthur and The Shepherd's Conference.
Title:
THIS is Why it's such a big deal! | Alistair Begg Controversy, John MacArthur Responds, ShepCon, GTY
Description:
John MacArthur finally weighs in on the Alistair Begg Controversy. Will Alistair Begg still be speaking at the Shepherd's Conference? Executive Director of Grace to You recently spoke out regarding the Alistair Begg Controversy and related news. Phil Johnson of Grace to You in strong disagreement with advice that Alistair Begg gave a grandmother and decided to bring to the public arena. Begg advised that a grandmother attend her grandson's transgender wedding to demonstrate the love of Christ. A recent podcast of Truth for Life had attention drawn to it and was picked up by Christian news sources. Since that time, even Fox News, Washington Post and USA Today have written about the Controversy.
Many have been waiting to hear from John MacArthur. John MacArthur finally weighed in on the situation and I also discuss how serious a matter it is in this video.
Title:
"Sin Never Travels Alone!" Steve Lawson Weighs in on Alistair Begg / John MacArthur Controversy
Description:
Steve Lawson weighed in on the Alistair Begg Controversy by answering the question of whether Christians Should attend gay or transgender weddings. He boldly declared that "sin never travels alone" while preaching from Luke 3 about John the Baptist's public rebuke of Herod the Tetrarch. Steve Lawson and Alistair Begg were set to speak together at John MacArthur's Shepherd's Conference in March of 2024 before Alistair Begg withdrew from the conference.
It is reported that Alistair Begg and John MacArthur spoke privately about the matter and mutually decided that it would be best for Begg to not attend to avoid an "unnecessary distraction." Phil Johnson reported this news to the media when asked and nothing beyond that has been reported as of date of this video publication (2/8/24).
The question was clearly posed and answered in this video by Steve Lawson in the midst of this major Alistair Begg controversy: "Should Christians attend gay or transgender weddings?"
I'm pretty sure you can guess his answer. Now be sure to watch the video in it's entirety... This is not one that you want to miss!
Title:
The Advice that Grandma SHOULD have Received!!! | Alistair Begg Controversy
Description:
The Advice that Grandma Should have received from Alistair Begg about attending an LGBT Wedding. In this video, I cover the advice that the grandmother that Alistair Begg brought into the public conversation should have received regarding whether or not she should attend her grandchild's gay / trans wedding. This has been a question that I've received many times in the comment section and have answered in videos as well as hundreds of times in the comments. I pray that this video proves helpful. Be sure to share it with someone that is in this kind of situation right now.
Title:
Albert Mohler Weighs in on the Alistair Begg Controversy and Joel Osteen's Wedding Statements | CNN
Description:
Albert Mohler weighed in on the Alistair Begg Controversy by answering a question about whether Christians Should attend an LGBT Wedding. He said that he had a flood of questions on the topic due to the recent Alistair Begg Controversy. He doesn't name Alistair Begg in his podcast but was clearly referencing the recent outcry regarding Begg's public announcement about a change in his beliefs regarding sexual ethics as it relates to the sanctity of wedding ceremonies. Begg went on to make a defense of such beliefs after being dropped from a major radio network (American Family Radio). John MacArthur's Shepherd's Conference as well as the late RC Sproul's Ligonier have also distanced themselves from Alistair Begg. Begg withdrew from the Shepherd's Conference after a discussion with John MacArthur. It was reported as a mutual decision. Also, Alistair Begg's radio program, Truth for Life, was removed from Ligonier's RefNet. Albert Mohler discussed his thoughts on the issue and explained that he has been very consistent in answering questions related to the topic for a long time. He responded to public statement made by Joel Osteen in 2011. He believes that Joel Osteen answered poorly when interviewed on CNN by Peers Morgan about same-sex marriage. Joel Osteen was on the program with his wife Victoria. The Joel Osteen interview is included in this episode. I pray that this episode is a blessing to you. You'll want to watch it in it's entirety.
Video 10
Title:
Voddie Baucham on the Christian Response to LGBT Wedding Invitations | Alistair Begg Controversy
Description:
Due to the recent Alistair Begg Controversy, the question as to whether a Christian should attend a gay / transgender wedding has been brought to the forefront. This is a topic that all believers are discussing now (with very strong feelings). Despite what Alistair Begg and other pastors have said regarding this topic, the biblical view is that we cannot celebrate these so-called weddings and that has been consistent throughout history. Voddie Baucham actually states in his sermon, that when you receive an invitation to a homosexual or transgender wedding, it is a theological test. You'll want to make sure you watch the entire episode, and if you have a proper belief about this topic, then you'll be agreeing with a hearty "Amen" an awful lot!
Video 11
Title:
John MacArthur FINALLY COMMENTS about the Alistair Begg Controversy During Recent Q and A!
Description:
John MacArthur has finally weighed in on the Alistair Begg Controversy with his first public statements. He was asked about it during a Question and Answer session at Grace Community Church. MacArthur was gracious in what he said regarding Alistair Begg and his ministry but made his position known boldly and clearly. John MacArthur differs strongly with Alistair Begg regarding this issue. MacArthur made many statements about the Alistair Begg situation, attendance of weddings in question and what he doesn't understand in the whole Alistair Begg debacle. I provide commentary and teaching on the topic as well and point to other videos that I have made about this issue. They can be found below and in the pinned comment. There is a playlist regarding the Alistair Begg / John MacArthur Controversy on Youtube and you can find descriptions of each video on the website. You won't want to miss a moment of this video of John MacArthur adressing the wedding issue with Alistair Begg.
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What is HAPPENING with Alistair Begg?!!! | Truth for Life, John MacArthur, Shepherd's Conference
I highly recommend that you watch the video in its entirety but feel free to reference the notes to enhance retention. This is such shocking and disheartening news. The purpose of this video is to help others process what has happened. I was processing it myself. How does such a faithful expositor of God’s Word for decades begin to promote something so unbiblical? I walk through the that in the video and provide my explanation. You’ll only be able to receive that from watch the video, along with the clips that I play and the commentary that I provide. The notes should be a helpful reference though and allow you to jump around if you feel the need to do so.
Notes from my preperation are available below. There are some repeated portions and the full commentary along with my clips are only available in the video. I highly recommend that you watch the video in its entirety but feel free to reference the notes to enhance retention. This is such shocking and dishearenting news. The purpose of this video is to help others process what has happened. I was processing it myself. How does such a faithful expositor of God’s Word for decades begin to promote something so unbiblical? I walk through that in the video and provide my explanation. You’ll only be able to receive that from watching the video, along with the clips that I play and the commentary that I provide. The notes should be a helpful reference though and allow you to jump around if you feel the need to do so.
I pray that it’s a blessing.
God bless!
Adam Markley
Support the Ministry
Notes Prepared for Video
Alistair Begg has been a faithful preacher of God’s Word for decades. He has been the Senior Pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio since 1983. His media ministry “Truth for Life” is broadcast daily to over 1800 radio outlets and distributed to over 1 million followers online each day (between Youtube, FB, Twitter/X, Pinterest, Tiktok, LinkedIn and IG as well as platforms that don’t publicly share follower statistics such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and others). Truth for Life ministries receives over 20 million dollars in donations each year, according to the ECFA (The Evangelical Counsel for Financial Accountability) which are used for the purpose of advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations! Begg is the author of 18 books and a world renown conference speaker in conservative circles of evangelicalism. So, it comes as a great shock to hear him give the advice that he did about whether one should go to a gay / trans wedding or not.
We’ll be diving into that topic today and I’ll be giving you my thoughts on the matter. I’ve seen a lot of content created as soon as this was released by heresy hunter blogs. It was shocking to see that it was true and you could go and hear what was said on the recording for yourself. And I’ll be playing that for you in a moment, in case you haven’t heard it (and I don’t want to assume that you have). Many of you may have heard it already but I know that many of you have not. And it’s big news now. It moved past heresy hunter blogs to known Christian news sources so it’s definitely making waves in Christian news.
Things that I want to share up front:
- Relatives that have gone to Parkside Church
- I’ve been to Parkside Church more than once and heard Alistair and others preach
- Alistair Begg has been on my list of pastors that I recommend as faithful expositors of the Word.
o I have clips of his that I planned to use in future episodes and I’ve used clips of his in previous episodes. In fact, I plan to refresh some older episodes (and some of them do include Alistair in them). I plan to still do that because those episodes are created but I’ll be hesitant to highlight him, momentarily, until we hear something from Truth for Life Ministries about this.
Goals of this video:
- Help you process this very disappointing news
- Provide a thoughtful response that I haven’t heard anyone else provide
- Make this shareable so that you it can be shared with those who attend Parkside Church and sent to leaders within the Church
Video Outline:
o Contact info for Truth for Life
Website: https://www.truthforlife.org/
Phone: 888-588-7884 (M-F 8:00am to 5:00pm ET)
Email: letters@truthforlife.org
Postal Mail:
Truth For Life
P.O. Box 398000
Cleveland, Ohio 44123
o Do you attend Parkside or have any additional information about what’s happening at the church?
· If so, I want to hear from you:
o Email Adam Markley at Preaching for God’s Glory with more information:
· preachingforgodsglory@proton.me
- 5 Reasons why Christians Should NEVER attend LGBT Weddings
- Provide prayer points for things we want to see
What happened?
Alistair made some shocking remarks on a podcast from 4 months ago. The issue is far deeper than the statements that he made on the podcast though. The issue is about advice that he gave a grandmother.
We’ll be listening to that interview but before we do, I want to play a few short clips of some things that Alistair has said on the topic of homosexuality and LGBT issues in recent years.
First, this is what he said very recently (within the last few years) regarding the only two responses that many see to the LGBT agenda.
Clip2: Alistair Begg on Homosexuality
2 categories culture puts Christians in: Hate or Affirm
File: Clip2.mp4
Duration: 1:01
Alistair also said the following at a conference in the U.K. in 2022:
Clip 3: Alistair Begg on Homosexuality
File: Clip3.mp4
Duration: 0:41
Keswick Convention 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NoJ97dGLhI
Begg was also asked about LGBT issues just 10 months ago by the Christian Institute. Let’s watch this 2 minute clip and then we’ll get to his interview remarks.
Clip4: Alistair Begg asked about LGBT issues
File: Clip4.mp4
Duration: 2:10
Alistair Begg talks to the CI on LGBT issues and 'conversion therapy'
YT: https://youtu.be/r77LFlpPAm4?si=AM3fpwsu6KZLxiAJ
1:39 – 2:48
So, he sure seems clear about his stance on homosexuality. He sees it as a great threat to the Church. There is language that makes me uncomfortable as to how deep the conviction is to stand against the tide of culture. Language like, “we’re going to have to figure this out.” I’m not sure what he means by, “Pastors are going to have to figure this out.” I hope he simply means, “we’re going to have to figure out how to evangelize to these people.” I understand that. We should be reaching out. We should be preaching the gospel to them We should be seeking to win souls for Christ amongst them. But that never comes at the cost of truth. Our witness is hurt when there is compromise. We need to remain faithful and stand firm in the truth of God’s Word while loving those that don’t know the Lord and preaching the gospel to them.
Well, let’s go to the interview now. The infamous interview that got everyone talking to hear what Alistair said. I have an extended addition with more context than others have. This is about 8 minutes.
Here is the clip of Alistair Begg being interviewed:
Clip1: The Christian Manifesto Interview – 9/17/23
File: Clip1_The Christian Manifesto Interfiew_09-17-23.mp4
Duration: 8:06
https://youtu.be/rXDYYPLwgYE?si=yxC58fsfrro4cTTn
~23min – 30:56
What did Alistair say?
Alistair Begg recently gave advice to a grandmother in the congregation who asked about whether she should attend a gay wedding.
(The assumption is that she was a part of the congregation. That is not known for sure but it seems that this was either a face-to-face conversation or conducted over the phone).
He explained how he encouraged a grandmother in the congregation to go a grandson’s gay / trans wedding. Her grandson was getting married to a transgender individual.
Context of the Podcast:
Notes from podcast interview:
- Bob Lepine said something to Alistair about the last chapter in his book and shifted the conversation to culture. He asked Alistair a general question about culture.
- Alistair answered and brought up the example of the grandmother who asked about attending a gay wedding.
o This was an intentional insertion of this example. It wasn’t necessary. It was brought into the conversation to make a specific point. LGBT issues in the culture are certainly the number one issue right now so it makes sense for the example to be about that but it was still something that he chose to say on a public podcast that would have likely been edited after the fact before going live. There was an outro placed on it at the end which indicates that it was either added in post-production or recorded as a live production. Either way, there was plenty of opportunity to cut those words out of the broadcast.
o The video was published in September. There have been 4 months to scrub it if someone on the board of Truth for Life or leaders at Parkside Church did not agree with the contents of the podcast.
o I don’t imagine that leaders listen to every podcast but it seems almost certain that someone in the church would have complained about this and that it would have come to their attention.
Why did he say it?
We don’t know why he said it but we can observe:
- The statements that he made were intentional and well thought out
o He didn’t slip up. He specifically brought up that incident and used it as an example of demonstrating love. He didn’t hesitate in telling the grandmother to go to the wedding. He shocked her by stating that, not only should she go to the wedding but she should bring a gift.
o He gave reasoning as to why she should go to the wedding. He said that if she went, then they would be surprised by her love but that if she didn’t go, it would only confirm their beliefs about Christians – that they are critical and judgmental
o It’s not about what he said on the podcast. It’s about what he encouraged a grandmother to do that he exposed on the podcast.
Other concerns:
- TGC Connection
o Some people have said that he’s connected with TGC but he’s not listed anywhere on their website. He’s not a board member. He’s not a council member. And he’s not even listed as a council Emeritus. He’s written for TGC but is not connected to them in any official way.
- Shepherd’s Conference
o People are calling for the cancellation of him speaking at Shepherd’s Conference. The heresy hunters that immediately call for this don’t even allow 24 hours to go by before they start acting like everyone should have responded to this already. They all give the impression that they don’t want the man to repent. They don’t express any desire that they want him to see the err of his advice and publicly repent by releasing a statement and making his stance clear on the fact the Christians should NEVER attend a Gay Wedding.
- Broadcast Networks reaching out for response from Truth for Life
o American Family Association awaiting a response from Alistair Begg to get clarity on his beliefs
Why did he say it?
We don’t know why he said it but we can observe:
- The statements that he made were intentional and well thought out
o He didn’t slip up. He specifically brought up that incident and used it as an example of demonstrating love. He didn’t hesitate in telling the grandmother to go to the wedding. He shocked her by stating that, not only should she go to the wedding but she should bring a gift.
o He gave reasoning as to why she should go to the wedding. He said that if she went, then they would be surprised by her love but that if she didn’t go, it would only confirm their beliefs about Christians – that they are critical and judgmental
o It’s not about what he said on the podcast. It’s about what he encouraged a grandmother to do that he exposed on the podcast.
We can only guess as to his motivation but I think the following clips might give some insight into what his motivation behind such a decision was. This doesn’t justify it at all but it can help us understand why such a faithful expositor would come to such a position. It can be a warning also to all pastors and leaders as to what happens when good motivations cause one to compromise on standing for the truth of God’s Word and being a witness for Christ (by living by the truth of God’s Word!)
First, let’s watch this clip of Alistair being interviewed on a radio program about his book. He’s asked about what some of his goals are with this book and his ministry.
Clip5: Interview about the book – What does he want to see happen
File: Clip5.mp4
Duration: 2:30
Ep 1 | Alistair Begg on "The Christian Manifesto"
Faith Talk Today Radio Program 9/6/23
https://youtu.be/-S2YR_hcc7M?si=DAZ77JuZRwo8GXWp
9:24 – 12:32
So, he wants to see revival. He wants to see this country turnaround from the destruction that is upon it. I’m sure he would agree that it is under the judgment of God but he wants to see a wide-scale repentance in like Nineveh. What he needs to remember though is that Jonah preached repentance. Jonah preached judgment. And it was through the threat of judgment upon that wicked nation, that a revival occurred. The bad news can never be tampered with or lightened. Well, let’s get more insight into this with one last clip. This clip comes from a sermon Begg preached in 1999. I looked up The Christian Manifesto and found a playlist of a sermon series that his new book is based on. I jumped to the 2nd to last sermon that seemed like it was possible that he could have addressed this issue, and sure enough, it was right there toward the beginning of the sermon. Begg has been thinking about this issue for long time. Here’s the clip.
Clip6: 1999 Sermon
File: Clip6.mp4
Duration: 3:54
Commentary about that clip.
5 Reasons why a Christian Should NEVER attend a so-called Gay or LGBT Wedding
1. It’s an endorsement of the so-called marriage
“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.” (Eph 5:11-12)
2. It’s a bad Christian witness
“ Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thess 5:22)
3. The Holy Spirit will be grieved when you attend and witness the celebration of the union
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Eph 5:30)
4. It demonstrates that you are okay with this sinful lifestyle choice
“24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”” (Rom 1:24-27)
“Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Rom 1:32)
5. It’s different than attending a heterosexual wedding of unbelievers who are living together
b/c the “Gay Wedding” is a reversal of God’s created order
“So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.” (Gen 1:27)
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Eph 5:31-33)
Prayer Points:
- Pray for Alistair to truly repent of his position
- Pray that he would make a public statement to affirm his position on whether Christians should attend Gay Weddings
- Pray that he would make a bold declaration that pastors never encourage congregation members to attend ceremonies that are a celebration of what God abhors
- Pray that he would not only clarify his statements and the advice that he gave but that he would make statements that demonstrate that he is in serious error and has compromised his stance on the issue of Gay Weddings. This is a position of the ethical implications of interaction with LGBT individuals. Attending a Gay Wedding is a celebration of their union.
- Pray for the grandmother that is being discussed publicly. She had the right impulse. If she chose to go to the wedding, she can certainly be forgiven for that. She was just doing what her pastor told her to do.
- Pray that she would have the courage to share the gospel with her grandson. He needs to understand more than just her faith in Christ and why she is against the marriage; he needs to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He needs to understand the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He needs to understand what Christ did for sinners. He needs to understand that homosexuality and transgenderism are perversions of God’s created order and can never be affirmed in any way.
Goals of this video:
- Help you process this very disappointing news
- Provide a thoughtful response that I haven’t heard anyone else provide
- Make this shareable so that you it can be shared with those who attend Parkside Church and sent to leaders within the Church
o Contact info for Truth for Life
§ Website: https://www.truthforlife.org/
§ Phone: 888-588-7884 (M-F 8:00am to 5:00pm ET)
§ Email: letters@truthforlife.org
§ Postal Mail:
Truth For Life
P.O. Box 398000
Cleveland, Ohio 44123
§ Do you attend Parkside or have any additional information about what’s happening at the church?
· If so, I want to hear from you:
§ Email Adam Markley at Preaching for God’s Glory with more information:
· preachingforgodsglory@proton.me
§
- 5 Reasons why Christians Should NEVER attend LGBT Weddings
- Provide prayer points for things we want to see
Reasons Why a Christian Should NEVER attend a Gay Wedding
1. It’s an endorsement of the so-called marriage
“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.” (Eph 5:11-12)
2. It’s a bad Christian witness
“ Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thess 5:22)
3. The Holy Spirit will be grieved when you attend and witness the celebration of the union
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Eph 5:30)
4. It demonstrates that you are okay with this sinful lifestyle choice
“24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.”” (Rom 1:24-27)
“Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Rom 1:32)
5. It’s different than attending a heterosexual wedding of unbelievers who are living together
because the “Gay Wedding” is a reversal of God’s created order
“So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.” (Gen 1:27)
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Eph 5:31-33)
Prayer Points:
- Pray for Alistair to truly repent of his position (his ethical postion flowing out of his doctrine of marriage)
- Pray that he would make a public statement to affirm his position on whether Christians should attend LGBT Weddings
- Pray that he would make a bold declaration that pastors never encourage congregation members to attend ceremonies that are a celebration of what God abhors
- Pray that he would not only clarify his statements and the advice that he gave but that he would make statements that demonstrate that he is in serious error and has compromised his stance on the issue of Gay Weddings. This is a position of the ethical implications of interaction with LGBT individuals. Attending a Gay Wedding is a celebration of their union.
- Pray for the grandmother that is being discussed publicly. She had the right impulse. If she chose to go to the wedding, she can certainly be forgiven for that. She was just doing what her pastor told her to do.
- Pray that she would have the courage to share the gospel with her grandson. He needs to understand more than just her faith in Christ and why she is against the marriage; he needs to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He needs to understand the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He needs to understand what Christ did for sinners. He needs to understand that homosexuality and transgenderism are perversions of God’s created order and can never be affirmed in any way.
I pray that you found this a blessing. If you feel led to provide a one-time donation of any amount, you can do so at the link below. You will see how I prioritize funds that are received.
God bless you in the Lord today!
Adam Markley
Preaching for God’s Glory