A Christian response to Pride month
Dr. Corey Miller
President and CEO of Ratio Christi
June is Pride month. From rainbow images across social media to multicolored decorations adorning your favorite shops and brands, it seems that everyone is celebrating. But how should a Christian respond to Pride month? Can anything be done to present truth in love?
Let’s be honest – Christian treatment of the LBGT+ community has been polarizing. When we speak with truth, we often do it with insensitivity. When we try to speak with love, we often share an impotent Gospel. Is it possible to share the truth with love when it comes to LBGT+ issues?
Throughout Pride month, Ratio Christi will be publishing a series of resources related to LGBT+ concerns and how to communicate truth in love.
It is our hope that this series of blog articles helps to heal the rift between the Christian and LBGT+ community. We plan to address some of the most important issues facing these communities with some of the biggest voices in the apologetics space. Finally, we hope to prepare Christians to share the truth in love. We want to build bridges to share the Gospel, not win arguments.
What is Pride month?
Pride Month is a time allotted for everyone to celebrate the LGBT+ (for short) community and their quest for equality. 2019 is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, violent demonstrations in reaction to police raids on gay bars. These spontaneous demonstrations by supporters of the gay community brought national attention to the LBGT+ community. Christians have been struggling to respond ever since.
Pride month on college campuses
Pride Month has grown far beyond the boundaries of its beginnings in NYC. College campuses have become bastions of LGBT+ support (you can check your favorite school’s Campus Pride Index here). Liberal professors outnumber conservative professors 12-1. College campuses even have their own – yes, a second – pride month in April. Campus Pride events urge students to, “Take action against religion-based bigotry.”
For too long, Christians have abandoned the university to this thinking. 77% of university campuses do not have a group sharing the Gospel. Universities – the centers of training the future leaders of the world – lack effective evangelism. How can Christians break through with the Gospel on college campuses in this environment?
The Christian Response
Christians are commanded to communicate truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). We hope that through doing so we will see Christ, who is Truth (John 14:6) and Love (John 4:8). The Gospel message has the power to transform the lives of students and faculty on campuses and subsequently change the world. As goes the university, so goes the culture. As goes the US university, so goes the world.
