{"id":2267032,"date":"2024-06-13T15:08:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T19:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/5-ways-christians-can-be-salt-and-light-during-pride-month\/"},"modified":"2024-06-13T15:12:49","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T19:12:49","slug":"5-ways-christians-can-be-salt-and-light-during-pride-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/5-ways-christians-can-be-salt-and-light-during-pride-month\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways Christians Can Shine as Salt and Light During Pride Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F5-ways-christians-can-be-salt-and-light-during-pride-month%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2267032&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses how Christians\u2062 should engage with the LGBT community during Pride\u200b Month, emphasizing a more compassionate and understanding approach. Suzanne Bowdey, reporting for The Washington Stand, outlines\u2064 several key points presented by Rosaria Butterfield and Walt Heyer, both of whom are former members \u200cof the LGBT community. They share \u2064personal experiences and insights on the deeper issues beneath the public expressions \u200dof gay pride, \u200dsuggesting that many individuals in the LGBT community suffer from past traumas, such as\u200d sexual abuse.<\/p>\n<p>Butterfield and \u200cHeyer advocate for an approach that recognizes\u200d the pain behind the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/juneteenth-gay-pride-celebrations-allowed-in-city-that-canceled-independence-day-parade\/\" title=\"Juneteenth, Gay Pride Celebrations Allowed In City That Canceled Independence Day Parade\">pride celebrations<\/a> and argues against participating in what they describe as the &#8220;barbarism&#8221;\u200d of merely\u2064 affirming such expressions without addressing underlying emotional and spiritual wounds. They call for Christian engagement\u200c that is rooted in true compassion, offering a relationship with Jesus as the path to healing and redemption.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200barticle also stresses the importance of living out\u200d Christian values genuinely and joyfully as a testament to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-wonder-years-star-opens-up-about-transformation-and-finding-faith-two-years-ago\/\" title=\"Two years ago, 'The Wonder Years' star shares journey of transformation and discovery of faith\">life-changing power<\/a> of faith. Butterfield \u200band Heyer encourage \u2064personal outreach, suggesting that building genuine, caring relationships can open doors to meaningful conversations about faith and healing. They recognize that such efforts may \u200doften be met with \u200brejection or\u2064 hostility but insist on the\u2064 importance of \u2062perseverance and love in the face\u2063 of opposition.<\/p>\n<p>the message is one\u200b of moving\u200c beyond confrontation and towards a deeper, Christ-centered engagement\u2064 with individuals in the LGBT community, emphasizing understanding, compassion, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/governor-cuomo-on-the-issue-of-where-coronavirus-patients-died-who-cares-they-died\/\" title=\"Governor Cuomo On The Issue Of Where Coronavirus Patients Died: \u2018Who Cares? \u2026 They Died.\u2019\">personal connection<\/a> over cultural or\u200b ideological \u2062battles.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/washingtonstand\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/washingtonstand\/%20\"><span>Suzanne Bowdey, The Washington Stand<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   June 13, 2024 at 11:23am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>As gratifying as it is to see big corporations and sports leagues back off \u2018pride month,\u2019 there are plenty of other ways Christians can \u2014 and should \u2014 be engaging with the world this June. Pushing back on the tidal wave of rainbows, parades, and retail activism is important, but it\u2019s just a piece of our broader calling.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also a very real human component to this debate that we need to navigate together if we\u2019re ever going to see the deep cultural change that so many of us hope for.<\/p>\n<p>On the \u201cOutstanding\u201d podcast, Family Research Council\u2019s Joseph Backholm talked to two incredibly courageous people who\u2019ve walked away from the lifestyles society wants us to celebrate. Theirs is a story of redemption, of freedom from the grip of horrible bondage. But it\u2019s also a roadmap for how the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/african-church-elder-stands-firm-denominations-rewrite-marriage-holds-bible-high-declares-word-god\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">church<\/a> can engage a hurting and defiant community from a position of understanding, compassion, and love.<\/p>\n<p>Now a happily married mom, <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonstand.com\/podcast\/ep-105-pride-goeth-before-the-fall-month--rosaria-butterfield-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rosaria Butterfield<\/a> spent 10 years as a practicing lesbian and 20 as an LGBT activist. <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonstand.com\/podcast\/ep-104-the-long-term-effects-of-pride-with-walt-heyer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Walt Heyer<\/a> surgically transitioned to live as a woman for eight years before embracing his true identity and marrying his longtime wife. Together, they offer important wisdom on how Christians should approach \u2018pride month\u2019 on a more personal level.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Recognize that \u2018pride\u2019 masks much deeper pain.<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s important to know that most people who identify as gay or transgender have been traumatized in one way or another, according to Butterfield. A large percentage of these men and women have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/abused-child-actors-dad-called-homophobic-trying-report-touchy-nickelodeon-producer-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sexually abused<\/a> and are operating out of a place of deep wounding.<\/p>\n<p>Heyer remembers falling for the lie that changing his body would help him after he was molested, \u201cbecause I didn\u2019t have a good trauma therapist. I didn\u2019t know I was supposed to go to trauma therapy. I didn\u2019t know that being sexually abused was going to harm me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He estimates that 70-80 percent of the people who reach out to him about changing their sex have somehow been sexually abused like he was.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re dealing with people who\u2019ve suffered crimes, [and] nobody ever gets punished for these crimes, because a lot of times, it\u2019s their family members or their friends or somebody they know. But nobody\u2019s getting treatment for being sexually abused either \u2014 and they end up taking hormones and [having] surgery because they want to get rid of the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Have Christians behaved cowardly toward LGBT activism?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cMy heart goes out to them,\u201d Heyer said. \u201cI see their lives as really broken,\u201d because he himself has walked that path. \u201cI was an alcoholic [too] \u2026 but I was trying to kill pain. And everybody that I knew was trying to kill the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even the flagrant, openly rebellious, in-your-face crowds at these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/historic-church-embraces-deadly-sin-blasting-pride-anthem-bell-tower\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2018pride\u2019 celebrations<\/a> are operating out of fear that \u201cif they don\u2019t keep reinforcing this idea that they\u2019re fine just the way they are, they\u2019ll probably crumble,\u201d Heyer said. They\u2019re living \u201cin spiritual darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some may be at war with God, and others are genuinely struggling with their identity, but by and large, they\u2019ve all been hurt.<\/p>\n<p>What should we do about that, Butterfield asked? \u201cShould we pretend that people who have been traumatized just need stickers and parades? [Should they] simply be encouraged to re-enact the scene of their trauma out in the public square for the rest of us \u2014 or should we try to get them some help?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Think about how we handle other physical and emotional problems in society. \u201cYou would never take an anorexic girl and say, \u2018Well, I just think you need a sticker and a parade and maybe some liposuction, and you\u2019ll feel better.\u2019 That would be considered barbaric. And yet we do the very same thing with the [LGBT community]. \u2026 And so the question is, why are \u2026 Christians participating in the barbarism of Rome? It makes no sense. It is cowardly. It is spineless, and it is sinful. And it will be a sin that will be on the ledger of the Christian church as this literal parade marches forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As everyone of us should know by now, Butterfield pointed out, this is \u201cnot just a recognition of \u2018sexual diversity.\u2019\u201d LGBT \u2018pride\u2019 \u201cis the reigning idol of our day,\u201d she argued, \u201cand idols demand religious worship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At some point, we have to answer the question: Should Christians <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/christian-mom-warns-idolatry-wickedness-seen-new-taylor-swift-album-cover\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">worship idols<\/a>? \u201cAnd the answer is no. In fact, what you actually have to do is destroy idols,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Accept that you can\u2019t fix someone, only Jesus can.<\/h3>\n<p>Over the past several decades, thousands of people have reached out to Heyer after trying \u2014 and failing \u2014 to find happiness and fulfillment in another identity. Those are the \u201cstrugglers,\u201d he said. \u201cThey struggled because of something that happened to them. And in all fairness, I don\u2019t think they were deliberately living in defiance of God. They just didn\u2019t know how to be embraced by God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These are ones who didn\u2019t start out life saying, \u201cI\u2019m going to hate God.\u201d They had horrible things happen to them, and they need to understand that \u201cevery single life out there can be redeemed.\u201d But at the end of the day, \u201cthey themselves have to come to that place where they say, \u2018I was broken by what happened to me.\u2019 Every one of those people that is celebrating \u2018pride\u2019 \u2026 has a story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Backholm pointed out, the church should know better than anyone that this is ultimately a spiritual war. \u201cAnd ultimately, we\u2019re dealing with Satan, who is at war with God and His created order,\u201d Backholm said.\u00a0So it\u2019s not coincidental that \u201cthe end result of all of these various paths of rebellion leads to no more babies, no more children, because that\u2019s one thing that God created us to do and wants [because] it glorifies Him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/popular-childrens-entertainer-ms-rachel-attempts-use-jesus-justify-pro-lgbt-stance-gets-debunked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jesus<\/a> is the solution to that, he urged, \u201cnot the embrace of the ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the biggest thing Heyer has learned working with people. \u201cYou can\u2019t fix anybody. But your voice and your life can show other people how they can be redeemed and restored through Jesus. Because Jesus does it. He\u2019s just using my life to help people.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>3. Live your own life joyfully and purposefully.<\/h3>\n<p>Speaking the truth in love is important, but our lives also need to reflect the evidence of it, Backholm emphasized. \u201cIf we\u2019re proposing a better path \u2014 yet we live joyless, purposeless lives \u2014 people are not going to see that as something desirable,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut if the life that we allow God to create in us and for us through submission to Him really does reflect the fruit of the spirit \u2014 love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, long-suffering \u2014 \u2026 that will be its own kind of argument that will lend credibility to the words that we speak when we try to tell somebody, \u2018Hey, that\u2019s not God\u2019s plan for your life.\u2019 And if you\u2019re not living something that\u2019s obviously better, they\u2019re going to be like, \u2018Yeah, whatever.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Christians, we need to show an abiding joy in our own identity in Christ. That\u2019s what attracts the outside world.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Reach out one-on-one.<\/h3>\n<p>If the church is supposed to be upholders of virtue, Butterfield said, \u201cbeing hospitable to your neighbors is a virtue.\u201d But how do you apply that virtue \u201cin a post-Obergefell world when your neighbor might not want to get to know you?\u201d That\u2019s definitely a challenge, she admitted.<\/p>\n<p>But our job as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/40-percent-british-christians-prefer-not-share-faith-believers-reminded-call-boldness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">believers<\/a> is \u201cto go into the darkness with light,\u201d and yet these days, too many Christians seem to have a \u201clet\u2019s-get-in-the-bunker-now approach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s time for the grown-ups to enter the room and remind everyone: Christians aren\u2019t supposed to be in the bunker. \u201cWe need to get out. And how do we get out? Well, we take the gospel literally to the streets,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Have a cup of coffee with someone, Heyer said. \u201cI think you have to break them out and sit them down one-on-one and begin to reflect. And that\u2019s what I\u2019ve done when I have that opportunity. \u2026 [It\u2019s a] good practice [to] sit down and listen to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Or get even more radical, Butterfield suggested. \u201cYou can invite them over to dinner \u2014 and you want to know something? They might just come. And that\u2019s where you get to say, \u2018Friend, the gospel promises you grace on earth and glory for eternity.\u2019 And sometimes with the folks who have mutilated themselves through transgender activism, they really need to hear that glory is even better than grace. And they need to hear that in the New Jerusalem there is no mocking of God or mutilating of the body which God does love. He gave you a body for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s about having relationships with people, she said. And the thing about neighborly friendships, Butterfield explained, is this: \u201cIf I have a strong relationship with someone, I can have strong words. I\u2019m not disappearing. They\u2019re not disappearing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But remember, she continued, this isn\u2019t about a debate on social media or in public. \u201cThese are private [conversations].\u201d When it comes to unbelievers, \u201cgo into the darkness and bring people into the light.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>5. Be prepared to be rejected.<\/h3>\n<p>This is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trans-drivers-leaving-florida-case-state-deals-massive-blow-trans-movement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movement<\/a> that, by and large, is at \u201cwar with God,\u201d Heyer said. \u201cThis is a group that lives in defiance of God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The whole point of June is \u201cshowing their distaste for everything the church is about. \u2026 We\u2019ve got people who live in sexual darkness [who] don\u2019t want anybody interfering. \u2026 Certainly they don\u2019t want the church saying that it\u2019s sinful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In other words, this is a tough crowd. \u201cAnd we need to endure being spit on and being sworn at and being yelled at,\u201d Butterfield added.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/exclusive-trans-survivor-rips-planned-parenthood-encouraging-psychological-child-abuse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Heyer<\/a> gets plenty of hate mail. But he always responds, even to really challenging messages. He\u2019ll say something like, \u201cI understand that you don\u2019t agree with me, and that\u2019s perfectly fine. Someday you probably will agree with me, and then we can have a conversation. But for now, you don\u2019t.\u201d He added, \u201cI don\u2019t buy into all of the agitation that they\u2019re trying to throw my way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He persists in telling people that God loves them. Honestly, he thinks, \u201cThey\u2019re afraid, they\u2019re actually going to find Jesus and their life is going to be redeemed and restored.\u201d Yet even in some of the more heated exchanges, people will eventually write, \u201cWe got off on the wrong foot, man. I think you\u2019re a pretty cool dude. Do you think we can be friends?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Other times, it doesn\u2019t end so neatly. But, as Butterfield tells people, \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to be mocked. Do you not think your Lord was mocked?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, she laments, some evangelicals have \u201cbought the paradigm that gay rights activists gave to them, and they\u2019re playing out that role. And this is where actual, real Christians \u2014 like the kind who want to go to heaven and the kind who want to actually [help and] save people from corruption and sin and hell \u2014 [need] to say, \u2018We\u2019re not in this play. We have a gospel message.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The surest way to make a difference is to be different. \u201cChristians have to stop being cowards,\u201d Butterfield said. \u201c[And] it\u2019s cowardly to support things you know are just so wrong. So find your backbone, find your Bible, and get out there in the public sphere. The Great Commission \u2026 is to proclaim the gospel to the nations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>This article appeared originally on <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonstand.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Washington Stand<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"author-info-45743\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/washingtonstand\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-45743\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-45743\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-45743\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>  The Washington Stand is Family Research Council\u2019s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In her June 13, 2024, commentary for The Washington Stand, Suzanne Bowdey discusses the retreat of major corporations and sports leagues from &#8216;pride month&#8217; celebrations. She emphasizes that Christians have numerous opportunities to interact with the world in June, advocating for a stance against the overwhelming surge of rainbow-themed promotions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2267033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Pride-parade.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2267032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Pride-parade.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267032","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2267032"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267032\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2267033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2267032"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2267032"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2267032"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}