Christians across the nation are mounting evangelistic and activist efforts to confront the cultural and political encroachment of “pride month” in their communities.
The annual commemoration of homosexuality and transgenderism has been increasingly recognized by American institutions, from government agencies and large corporations to media outlets and elite universities. Yet local groups of Christians have increasingly been advocating against promotion of sexual degeneracy and instead sharing the gospel while confessing biblical sexual ethics, as many such Christians described via interviews with The Sentinel.
Gabriel Render, a pastor at Stone Mountain Baptist Church in Nampa, Idaho, noted to The Sentinel that the predominantly conservative community will host their first “pride festival” this year. Their mayor said in a statement that the event “does not reflect the personal beliefs and convictions of myself, the Nampa City Council, and many living in Nampa,” but that she believes the community must host the event to uphold the First Amendment liberties of the organizers.
Christians in the area are working to persuade the Nampa City Council to cancel the event, while Render also plans to host an evangelistic outreach and psalm sing at the festival. The minister advocated for laws against public indecency and lewd conduct to be applied against those who would sexually perform in front of children who may be present at the event.
Render described the upcoming “pride festival” as a “ground zero for conservative Idaho” in the culture war. He described in comments to The Sentinel that heralding the gospel and advocating for political change are by no means contradictory for believers.
“Many Christians fear any push for political change is a violation of rather than faithfulness toward a Christian worldview. They have been catechized to think the gospel is spiritual only,” he said. “God has given us the gospel as a means of proclaiming the grace and forgiveness of God toward sinners, but also as a means of being salt and light to a decaying world. When the gospel changes people, those changed people will by necessity change society and culture.”
The minister observed that the law of God both “calls us to repentance by demonstrating our need of a Savior” and “acts as a restraint against evil and serves as a tutor to the rebellious and unrepentant that there is a God to whom they must submit.” American Christians who seek to influence their civil authorities are therefore “showing love for their neighbors and providing an opportunity for the law to prick consciences and open ways for the gospel.”
Clint Yeary, a member of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Elgin, Oklahoma, told The Sentinel that he and several other church members plan to attend several “pride month” events near Oklahoma City, marking the third year in a row they have conducted the evangelistic efforts.
“We as Christians are saddened to see our culture embrace this perversion and madness. ‘Pride’ is not simply adults trying to find comfort and affirmation,” he said. “It’s a sinful and completely destructive expression of man’s carnal lust. ‘Pride’ is a judgment from God and a satanic assault upon people made in the image of God. Almost all of these events directly target children as well. We as a church feel a duty to resist this evil with corporate evangelism.”
Yeary challenged the notion that “these types of events are too dark and that attending is fruitless,” noting that previous evangelism campaigns at “pride month” events have yielded gospel conversations with confused teenagers and even young children. In past years, members of his church have evangelized at events on the day before the official “pride parades,” which are typically hosted on Sundays, because the attendees are less distracted.
“We want to be there to share the gospel with these lost souls,” Yeary continued. “We believe public evangelism is the church’s duty and needs to be more common.”
Luke Griffo, an elder at Redeemer Church of the South Hills in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, remarked to The Sentinel that his congregation likewise plans to have a presence at several “pride month” events together, especially seeking individual conversations with attendees. He said that the church views their ministry at such events “almost as we would a foreign mission,” noting that many adherents to the movement subscribe to false religious doctrine “rooted in the fundamental religious lie that God did not create,” thereby enabling license and autonomy.
“We believe that Christians must engage those lost to this lie on that worldview level, which means in part understanding what individuals believe and how they arrived at those beliefs, and then proclaiming the beautiful truths of true identity in and through Christ as creatures of the living God,” Griffo described. “So we attempt to be as personal as possible in these circumstances, rather than broadly addressing the ideology as a whole before the entire crowd, though we must be prepared to do so if the opportunity arises.”
The church brings several gospel tracts related to identity, sexuality, and creation to the events to assist with engaging attendees. Griffo added that the homosexual and transgender communities “are among the most desperate mission fields in existence, and they are right in our towns,” meaning that ministers should lead their flocks to reach such individuals.
“Pastors are particularly called to equip Christians to reach those deeply lost and to lead them by example. They must take the initiative to courageously engage them with the whole gospel,” Griffo said. “This is a ripe mission field, and it is genuinely shameful if Christians neglect it.”
