Should Christians attend same-sex weddings to show love to the people they’re trying to reach? According to Alistair Begg, a respected Christian pastor/teacher, the surprising answer is yes. Alistair Begg is a respected pastor whose teaching ministry reaches an international audience. I personally listen it when I can because, like many, I enjoy is articulate style of expounding God’s Word. But many are having second thoughts about his character after a recent interview he did to publicize his new book, The Christian Manifesto.
During the interview Begg explained that a grandmother had asked him how to respond to her grandson’s invitation to his homosexual wedding. Begg’s response has been the subject of controversy ever since. He explained that because she’d already made known her convictions to her grandson, that she disagreed with the marriage itself, it would be okay, and even beneficial to go to his wedding. He even went so far as to say she should buy them a gift. Begg claims that doing this would signify Christ’s compassion to the couple and witness to them about His love.
WHAT BEGG GETS RIGHT
What Begg gets right about his answer, is that homosexuals and people who have wayward lifestyles, are not lepers that need to be kept at a distance. I appreciate this much. Let’s remember that the outcasts of Christ’s time were also the ones he tended to draw near to (the prostitutes, tax collectors, sinners etc.). Didn’t He also say, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). In Christ’s time these demographics were considered the most anti-Christian of all, so forgive me for thinking that today’s LGBT, Antifa, and Woke crowds are the ones that need Christ’s love the most. I’m glad Begg’s heart is aimed at the right direction here.
WHAT BEGG GETS WRONG
Despite Begg’s heart being aimed in the right direction, his recommendation seems off. We know that loving sinners doesn’t equate to participation in sin itself. So, while that poor grandmother is indebted to love her grandson, attending his wedding and buying gifts for the homosexual couple could be considered an endorsement and participation in said wedding. Now, it could be argued that if she went to the reception, with a mission to evangelize the attendees, that could be a radical witness for Christ. I used to go into nightclubs for the express purpose of sharing the gospel and inviting people out to Christian hip hop shows. I was “in” the darkness but not “of” it. But attending the ceremony seems like a different ball game. That could imply participation and approval, even if her grandson knows she disagrees.
THE TAKEAWAY
The takeaway here is not that only that Christians should stand firm in their beliefs about marriage, but that loving our unsaved family and friends takes wisdom. Jude tells us that we are to have mercy to people who are struggling in their faith, but also keep a healthy distance from their sin, “have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh” (Jude 23). I think we can surmise that even though Jesus loved the sinners of His day, He did not participate in their sin. He loved them in their sin, even in the very atmosphere of their sin, but He did not approve or involve Himself in it.
Each situation is different, I’m sure many will scoff at the fact that I used to go into nightclubs to evangelize, but I knew that God had called me there to share the Gospel and my conscience was clean. All this to say, we need God’s wisdom when navigating these kinds of scenarios. We need to err on the side of grace and love, because for too long, our culture has only seen us err on the side of legalism and condemnation. But while we’re acting in love, we also must be about our wits that we don’t endorse people in their harmful behavior as well. Mixed messages do nobody any good.