Being a Christian in a World of Gender Options

In the world I grew up in, boys were boys and girls were girls.  I was taught the Biblical principle that there were two sexes and we accepted that.  My first real experience with someone who lived outside those boundaries came during a summer job when I was in college.  I was working in a natural gas testing and research lab on the west side of Detroit.  It was strictly a male world, the only female being a receptionist in the front office.  One particular employee was the target of ongoing teasing and ridicule.   I knew that unlike my other colleagues he was not married but instead lived with his mom even though he was in his mid-forties.  We had a one-hour lunch break and he was the only employee to leave the building during that time.  Rumor was he went home to check on his mom but one day I observed another man dropping him off after the break.  The way they parted shocked me.  I never mentioned it to anyone because, quite frankly, you did not talk about such things.

  

How different is our world today?  Not only has being gay or a lesbian become an acceptable behavior, but now same-sex couples can marry.  A recent article that I read on the dating app Tinder opened my eyes even further.  If you are not familiar with Tinder, it is a popular dating app.  In the contemporary world, it is not just a matter of matching up males and females.  According to the report, those who complete a profile on Tinder can choose up to three of nine options with identifying their sexual orientation.  The choices include: asexual, demisexual, pansexual and questioning.  It seems to me that it gives young folks the option of changing their sexual preference on a daily basis as their needs and mood change.

I recall a time a number of years ago when we had a same-sex couple as next-door neighbors.  During that time, I tried to be a good neighbor.  While we never specifically addressed the issue, she knew I was a Christian and in full-time ministry. That did not stop me from accepting their offer to share a line from their generator when the power was off.  I loaned her my weed-eater when hers stopped functioning in the middle of cutting her lawn. We had many pleasant conversations, the last ending with a word of “thanks for being a good neighbor.” 

During a recent devotional time, I was considering Jesus’ parable on the weeds (Matthew 13).  In the story a farmer plants a field of wheat but while he is sleeping one night his enemy comes and sows’ weeds in the midst of the wheat.  When the weeds begin to appear, the farmer’s servants want to pull up the weeds but the farmer say “no.”  The farmer notes that he will separate them at the time of harvest. 

For me the application is clear.  In this world, wheat and weeds will grow together.  As Christian, we are called to live side-by-side with those who are evil and might be living lifestyles that in our opinion are outside God’s plan.  It only underscores the last thing