I’m not a fan of snakes. Not at all. You?
About 20 years ago, I was running down a desolate, dirt road a good distance, then turned around and headed back. To my dismay, stretched all the way across the road was a black snake, basking in the summer sun. Ugh. Probably the biggest snake I’d ever seen. And I had to get past it in order to get home!
Yes, I stood there telling myself, “Black snakes are harmless. They eat rodents, not people. You can simply stay to the one side and hop over its tail.”
But reason did not prevail. So I began to throw rocks at it until it slowly slithered into the brush, greatly annoyed. Yuck.
Vipers
Jesus was not a fan of Pharisees, especially the legalistic snakes who set traps for him. When railing at them in Matthew 23, he stated: “You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?”
In his great book Healing Spiritual Abuse: How to Break Free from Bad Church Experiences, Ken Blue refers to Jesus’ use of vipers as a metaphor. Known for hiding in tall grass near pools of water, they pounce upon unsuspecting prey as they come for refreshment. So too, those who abuse their parishioners strike the very weary ones who have come to slake their thirst on Living Water. Are they not like the Pharisees who stalked among the pillars of the Temple?
We can be vipers without realizing it, actually. Well-meaning Christians can harm LGBTQ people who come to their churches to meet Jesus. Rolling eyes, raising eyebrows, and somehow communicating that they are less than can be a stumbling block for those with gender dysphoria. If we decide to be their prophet, don’t expect them to return.
Last week I ended the post “Teen Trans Ministry” with the remark . . .
Will she ever detransition back to a man? I don’t know. Much more important to me is seeing her find healing and wholeness in Christ. And we’ve made progress in that direction.
A friend and paid subscriber emailed that he absolutely agreed with that sentiment, stating, “It is why I always choose first to build bridges.” He then went on to say how he has heard others criticize him for not “warning them of their sin”.
Such critics betray a mindset shaped more by past culture wars than by the current heartbeat of Jesus. Despite their good intentions, they end up being the very vipers who wound the weary.
Serpents
As he was sending his disciples on a mission trip in Matthew 10, he warned them about these very vipers, stating that the Pharisees would drag them before councils and governors, and flog them on account of their testimony. They were therefore to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves”.
Could there be a more stark contrast than that between serpents and doves?
Serpents, in their stillness, appear to have a cautious wisdom, knowing their strength to strike and timing it well. Similarly, we as Christians need to have a firm, informed, and reasoned grip on the truth, but the wisdom to hold back. If God leads us to speak out, then may it be done in the manner that is innocent as a harmless dove.
Someone with gender dysphoria already feels the pain of ostracism. They do not feel they belong anywhere. And so for them to hear friends say “Amen!” as the pastor speak of abominations just deepens that sense of alienation. Church becomes hostile territory, and certainly not a safe place to reveal their deepest longings.
No wonder those who struggle with dysphoria or same-sex attraction are ecstatic to find the local or online presence of the LGBTQ community. Their thirst to belong at long last seems quenched.
Lifting Up Jesus
Probably all this talk of biblical snakes reminds you of the conversation between Jesus and Nick at night. Referring to the bronze serpent raised by Moses for the wounded to gaze upon, he announced, “so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
On another evening, in the upper room with his disciples, he foretold, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). And so it was and continues to be. He was lifted up, and people from every corner of the globe have been drawn to him, even from the the LGBTQ community.
As they make their return trip home to the church, will they find a snake across the road, daring them to enter? Or will they see his people lifting up Jesus, the One who holds all healing in his hands?
Yes, know the truth. Hang on to it without equivocation. There is no healing without truth. But at the same time, be very wise and innocent in how you speak.
Like my friend, let’s be building bridges instead of burning them.
I agree completely. The reason the church has lost their appeal for young people is primarily due to their attitude toward the LGBTQ community. If you ask young people what the church feels about gay people, they will overwhelmingly say that the church "hates them." Many people say, "Hate the sin and love the sinner," but it is almost impossible for people to really sense that they are loved when they feel they are not accepted. I think we would be wise to speak less and listen more, not only in the area of the LGBTQ community but also in the area of race. The majority of Christians don't have much of an idea of what the lived experience is like for people in the LGBTQ community. I feel like Jesus would have positioned Himself where the hurting people were, which would necessitate showing up and listening to the stories of all kinds of people. I wish more Christians were willing to reach out a hand to pull people up instead of slapping them in the face.