To bless or not to bless
by Campbell Campbell-Jack, A Grain of Sand:
WHEREVER we look, the church continues to get itself tied in knots over same-sex weddings. We have seen the Pope get the entire Roman Catholic hierarchy at odds with itself over whether or not they should bless same sex-couples. Pope Francis issued a Vatican document, Fiducia Supplicans, which authorises priests to give spontaneous, non-liturgical blessings to couples in irregular situations, which includes same-sex couples.
WHEREVER we look, the church continues to get itself tied in knots over same-sex weddings. We have seen the Pope get the entire Roman Catholic hierarchy at odds with itself over whether or not they should bless same sex-couples. Pope Francis issued a Vatican document, Fiducia Supplicans, which authorises priests to give spontaneous, non-liturgical blessings to couples in irregular situations, which includes same-sex couples.
But just in case evangelical Protestants heave a sigh of relief and shake their heads at the fankle Rome has got itself into, up pops the highly respected Alistair Begg. Originally a Scot, Begg is now a US citizen and senior pastor of a Baptist church in Cleveland. He is a frequent speaker at the Keswick Convention, and his sermons on YouTube are widely followed and appreciated for their biblical content as well as his preaching style.
Last month Begg’s answer to a request for advice from a godly grandmother emerged. She wanted to know whether she should attend the wedding of her grandson to a transgender person. Begg told her to attend and to buy them a wedding gift. His reasons were concerned with the impact non-attendance would have. ‘Well, here’s the thing: your love for them may catch them off guard, but your absence will simply reinforce the fact that they said, “These people are what I always thought: judgemental, critical, unprepared to countenance anything”.’
The desire to ‘build bridges’ with the LGBTQ community may be motivated by goodwill but it is flawed. Jesus did not instruct us to build bridges by denying Scripture. He told us to be salt and light, and sometimes salt stings. We are instructed to live a life of contrast with the world, not conformity with it. Holiness is our aim in life, not worldly acceptance. Yes, we may be hated for it, but ‘keep in mind that it hated me [Jesus] first’ (John 15:18).
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