My analysis of “The speech that shocked the world,’ on “Christianity, inclusivism, and same-sex acts”

A friend and brother in Christ whom I love dearly emailed the below video to me. The minister gave this speech before the Oxford Union Society on the topic of “Christianity, inclusivism, and same-sex acts.” It has since become popularly known as “The Speech That Shocked the World!”

Though his speech may be conservative according to the worlds standard. But the problem is, this message is mudding the waters of Biblical Doctrine and Theology, as a little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Discernment is seriously lacking in today’s churches. Though discernment is a blessing, it can become a heavy weight to carry, especially when many (perhaps most) professing Christians either do not understand or appreciate it. And it seems that those who are more gifted with discernment are slanderously written off as being either “critical,” “legalistic,” and/or “pharisaical.” Fact is, criticism is a necessary element of the Lord’s discernment.

“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.”- Hosea 14:9

As Charles Spurgeon said, “Discernment is not the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”

The following is my analysis and email response to my beloved friend. Because these things are increasingly creeping into even good churches (Jude 3-4), I believe it is necessary to publicly share my email response here.

---

It sounds great at the beginning and at the end, but it’s mixed with truth and serious err. At the following timestamps, he goes way off the chart. My observations can be applied to any sinful people group, nonetheless.  

At timestamp 2:42 he said the church “should absolutely be inclusive” for homosexuals. No, the church is not “absolutely” inclusive. The Lord’s church must be exclusive. Though a homosexual, a car thief, or a rapist may come and visit a church. But they are not to boast about their sinful lifestyle or exhibit their sins, or sinful affections in the congregation. If an unregenerate person visits a Biblical and healthy church, over a period of visits they will either be a) convicted, b) converted, and/or c) offended and leave.

The church is called to go out and evangelize the lost world (videos here or here), not merely invite the world to join them. The church is not to be emergent as we emerge or acclimate on their behalf, and we’re not to be unequally yoked with the world, as the lightness cannot be shared with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).  

At 3:07 he says, “I know many LGB people, who live lives in Christ. They abstain from sexual gratification to be closer to God, and it’s not easy, it really isn’t….” 

This is dangerously wrong because #1 he implies a homosexual (or any sinful people group) can make himself right with God by “abstaining,” when it is Christ that makes us right with God (if saved). Albeit when they are saved, repentance and new desires of the heart will be evidence of salvation. #2 It’s the false teaching that says you can be a gay Christian, which is an oxymoron. Especially to those that claim to be Christian, 1 Corinthians 5 is very clear that we are not to associate with them, not eat with them, and we’re to purge them out turning them over to Satan. 

At 4:09 he claims the problem is not the sinner, but the sin, that’s also false. Though God hates sin, He also hates the sinner that practices sin.

As A.W. Pink said in his book The attributes of God, “A study of the concordance will show that there are more references in Scripture to the anger, fury, and wrath of God than are to His love and tenderness. Because God is holy, He hates all sin; and because He hates all sin, His anger burns against the sinner.”

God will punish the sinner in hellfire under His wrath. Last year I visited a church where the pastor wrongfully said, “God punishes the sin, not the sinner.” If that was true, then why did the Father punish His only Son, a sinless Son? Scriptures says it even pleased the Father to crush His Son (Isaiah 53).

He then claims “every single person is loved by God.” That’s the false teaching of universalism. God even hates some people groups, for a starter.

• God hates those who “practice evil” (Psalm 5) 
• God hates the wicked (Psalm 11:5)
• God hates the sacrifices of the wicked (Proverbs 15:8)
• God hates the ways of the wicked (Proverbs 15:9)
• God hates the thoughts of the wicked (Proverbs 15:26)
• God hates another six particular people groups (Proverbs 6:16-19)
• God hated Esau (Malachi 1:1-3 & Romans 9:13)
• God hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6)

At 4:10 he claims “every person is loved by God,” and God “forgives all of us of our depravities.” Here I’m not sure if he was referring to all of the elect, or the “all” including the non-elect. Based on the other errs, I suspect the latter. We know that Christ’s atonement is limited to a particular people – the elect. And we can know that God does not love the lost as He loves His chosen people. Yes indeed “God is love” for His church (1 John 4:8).

I will input my response to you as a comment under that video. We’ll see if they let it stay posted there.

Perhaps I will share my response on my blog as well (leaving you out of the blog). We need to practice that hapax legomenon, which is a command to earnestly contend for the faith (epagonizomai).

The aforementioned video can be viewed below.