I recently wrote an article about DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), focusing on our modern-day workplaces, but this seductive and destructive philosophy is gaining footholds among some modern-day churches who seek to identify with this world’s culture. They seem to think God commanded them to ride the cultural waves, but they are reading from a bad version of the Bible. What God says is that we “no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, but human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes” (Eph. 4.14).
The Methodist Church of Great Britain[1], having gone completely woke, just published their Inclusive Language Guide[2] to help their members know what kind of language to use and what to avoid.
The only scripture I saw in the document is at the top, quoted from the NRSV Galatians 3.26: “For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” I wish they had forgotten to put any scripture in the document, as that places God’s perfect word alongside nonsensical rubbish. (Did I give my position away too soon?)
Not everything in the document is trash, to be honest. The aim to use language in a way which is graceful, tactful, and winsome is not a terrible aim, in and of itself. However, if our efforts at being winsome result in accepting and celebrating grievous sexual sins, that is terrible.
Down in page 6, the guide tackles the concept of gender and gender identity, using all the current psychobabble talking points and misnomers. They would have us use gender-neutral language, use pronouns “to create a safe space for people to be themselves,” and to refer to each person using whatever terms he (uh-oh, I’m in trouble now) uses of himself. For example, if he calls himself non-binary, don’t call him “he” or “she” because he doesn’t want to be kept down by the binary man. Call him “they/them.” Not only is he non-binary, but they are also linguistically nonsensical and confusing.
Whoever wrote this guide is fully on board with the concepts of being non-binary or transgender (neither of which exists in reality). Anyone holds to God’s word easily understands that God created mankind male and female in the very beginning, thus and forever defining His creation. This world is quite binary, and there is no such thing as changing from one thing to another. If a leopard cannot change its spots and an Ethiopian cannot change his skin (Jer. 13.23), then a man cannot change into a woman. Jesus said we do not have the power to change the color (colour, for the Brits) of one hair (and dying it doesn’t count: Matt. 5.36).
Take warning, friends of Christ! A whole chunk of so-called Christianity has decided to part ways with the authority of the Word of God. They have cut off the branch upon which they were sitting, and that branch used to be connected to Christ somewhere in the past.
How can this happen? How can people progress (regress) and wander so far from the old paths (Jer. 6.16)? It happens in stages, but it happens when Christians wish to be in the good graces of the world around them more than they wish to be in God’s good graces. They fear man more than they fear God. “Many even of the authorities believed in Jesus, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12.42–43).
What is the remedy? How can we guard against this kind of flagrant apostasy?
“Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
1 John 2.15
“Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Matt. 10.27–28
Simply obey the first and greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. He must be the driving force of your life.
Someone said to me recently that we need to quit trying to live like the culture around us, and we need to live God’s culture. That is correct: God has a righteous culture for us to live in. He created us for good works that we should walk in them (Eph. 2.10). His grace teaches us “that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Tit. 2.12–14). How do you know what works are good and which are evil? Know God’s word. Walk by the Spirit; He will guide you into all truth.
His word is truth.
And you can expect the truth to most likely be counter cultural.
[1] https://www.methodist.org.uk/
[2] https://www.methodist.org.uk/media/31380/ilg-designed-update-december-2023.pdf