Erwin Lutzer, Moody, 2010, 140 pages

This book left me feeling short sheeted, as did Israel after putting false hope in the Egyptians (Isa. 28:20). Erwin Lutzer said some good things, as when he laid out the three-step game plan of the homosexual movement: speak of gays loudly, portray gays as victims, and solicit funds from big corporations. His quote of leading gay activists is frightening: “Almost any behavior begins to look normal if you are exposed to it enough” (21). I only wondered why they included the word “almost”.

And there were several helpful takeaway points for parents as well. Some of the quotations will move me to teach my children: “My daughter, protect your purity, for not only does the sexual union physically unite, but emotionally unite as well. Mistakes in the back seat lead to mistakes at the altar.”

When the first sexual experience occurs outside the marriage covenant, the sexual bond can be so powerful that it can even determine the direction of the person’s sexual orientation. A boy recruited by an older homosexual may initially hate the experience, but because sex binds two people together, he may begin to feel a sense of security and fulfillment in the relationship. This also explains why a young woman may marry a man with whom she has slept even though he may be abusive. His soul is indelibly imprinted on her mind and heart, and she feels an obligation to become his wife. (64)

“My son, don’t buy the propaganda the world is selling. Gays are not as happy as they seem.”

Thus [in relation to Rom. 1:26-27], a homosexual is actually fighting against his own nature. This could be a part of the reason why homosexuals have a much higher rate of suicide than that of the population as a whole. (71)

“Children, look past the faulty logic when the world tells you Christians don’t have the right to dictate to the government their religious beliefs about who has access to civil marriage.”

That argument denies the church its rightful role as a contributor to and shaper of culture and as a moral compass to society. The church has every right to inform and influence laws and governmental policies. Also, we must ask: “Who is dictating what to whom?” The homosexual movement, with its stringent insistence that all opposition be silenced, has been ‘imposing” its agenda on society with a vengeance. (94)

Overall, Lutzer’s arguments were less than winsome. There were too many stats and surveys and not enough Scripture and verve. Someone has said that the besetting sin of Evangelicals is niceness. This book was nice.

Lutzer implies all sins are the same in God’s sight.

I cannot stress too strongly that we must not view homosexuality as a sin that is divorced from our own sins within the church—adultery, greed, gossip, and pornography. [Quoting Ed Dobson] If the church gets overrun with homosexuals, that will be terrific. They can take their place in the pews right next to the liars, gossips, materialists, and all the rest of us who entertain sin in our lives. (111)

He continues. “This is no time for self-righteous finger-pointing” (16) and “we must lower our voices in this debate, speaking with respect and dignity” (17). This is partly true; all sins grieve our Lord and break his law (James 2:10). But not all sins are the same. Some will be judged more severely on the final day (Mt. 10:15). If we can say that God was more outraged over child sacrifice to Molech than he was toward gossip (Jer. 32:35), why can’t we say God is more outraged over homosexuality than materialism (Rom. 1)? The reason is because we live in an age of equality, meaning all things—even sins—must be created equal.

This has practical ramifications. If we see all sins as equal, we’ll be less likely to fight any sins at all. And we’ll start to speak like Joe Christian who just voted Democrat. “I deserve God’s judgment just like anyone else, so who am I to say anything about homosexuals when I have sins myself.”

There were other lines that creased my eyebrows. “There is nothing wrong with a boy being effeminate” (109). In contrast, Paul said unmanly men will not get their prayers heard (1 Pt. 3:7). He implies that the “such were some of you” line in 1 Corinthians 6:11 does not mean that unbelieving homosexuals will be transformed into believing heterosexuals but instead into chaste homosexuals (90-92), as though leaving the act of homosexuality is the only goal. I wonder if he would agree that even homosexual lusts are sinful as well (Matt. 5:28)?