Gospel Clarity in an Age of Gender Confusion

The gospel is the best response to people living confused realities and alternative lifestyles related to gender and sexuality.

By Jeff Iorg

Gender confusion and alphabetic descriptions of sexual identity describing behavioral categories make gospel conversations more complicated for many pastors and church leaders. While these issues deserve appropriate attention, they do not define the content or goal of gospel conversations.

The content of a gospel presentation is the gospel. The desired outcome is a conversion. Keeping those goals in mind simplifies evangelism and clarifies how to engage anyone—including gender-confused or sexually-dysfunctional lost people—with the gospel.

Gospel conversations are about the gospel—not peripheral issues which dilute the core message we are communicating. In a previous generation, distracting issues to sharing the gospel might have included obscure doctrinal debates or diversionary questions about behavior among believers. Even the woman at the well tried to derail her conversation with Jesus by asking about worship practices and hiding her marital past. Like Jesus, pastors and other leaders learn to deflect those attempts to sidetrack a conversation and keep the focus on the gospel.

A similar skillset is needed in sharing the gospel among people who define reality in categories of gender identity or sexual expression. While these are important issues to acknowledge and discuss in the right context, they are not the most pressing issue in a gospel conversation. The main topic of a gospel conversation is the gospel.

Making disciples

Jesus commissioned the church to make disciples. Making disciples begins by evangelizing unbelievers. He did not send us to turn homosexuals into heterosexuals or gender-confused into gender-straight. Our conversion message is about turning lost people into saved people, enslaved people into redeemed people, and broken people into whole people. We are not identity-correction or culture-change evangelists. We are gospel-tellers with a story of salvation that is universally applicable—no matter the presenting behavior or perspective of the lost person we are engaging.

“We are not identity-correction or culture-change evangelists. We are gospel-tellers with a story of salvation that is universally applicable.” — @Jeff_Iorg Share on X

Gender confusion and sexual dysfunction are expressions of lostness, not its cause. When we focus on the symptoms rather than the source, we find ourselves wandering in a hall of mirrors reflecting the culture and trying in vain to argue, explain, or debate the issues it claims are essential to human flourishing. We must also be careful not to expect discipled behavior from unconverted people. In short, lost people will act out their lostness. We have the true message of abundant life and must stay on point with the gospel message.

Managing emotions

The way some leaders engage emotionally on gender and sexuality issues contributes to the difficulty of staying on point with the gospel message. These are emotional issues, but we must learn to manage our emotions to have meaningful gospel conversations. We must not allow anger to control us. We must not demean or disparage people—no matter how irrational their opinions or unseemly their behavior—remembering every person is made in the image of God. Every single person.

“We must not demean or disparage people—no matter how irrational their opinions or unseemly their behavior—remembering every person is made in the image of God.” — @Jeff_Iorg Share on X

Some years ago, a sex abuser came to me for spiritual help. He was repulsive, and learning about his past actions turned my stomach. It took every spiritual resource I could muster to offer him the gospel, despite the bile in my gut. On another occasion, an adulterer told me about his newfound love with his mistress. He audaciously asked, “Why would God allow this person in my life and give me these feelings if He didn’t want me to love her?” For two hours, I shared the gospel with him—confronting his sinful adultery, yes—but mostly trying to get him to see his need for Jesus. These were both difficult conversations—the first because of disgust with perverted behavior and the second because of frustration with ridiculous delusions.

Learning to control our emotional responses to sinners is part and parcel of pastoral ministry. It’s a skill we must apply when we are deeply wounded by the ideas and actions of a person we are trying to reach with the gospel. This includes people in same-sex marriages, promiscuous gays and lesbians, and other immoral lifestyles. It also includes men and women masquerading with opposite gender identities. It even includes sex abusers and harassers. These situations are particularly difficult when we know the person well or when they are our family members.

Confronting the deepest need

Staying focused on sharing the gospel is also liberating. We may be reluctant to initiate gospel conversations with some people because of concern we will not be able to answer their objections, handle their questions, or otherwise refute their arguments. When your focus is the gospel—not the peculiarities of the other person—you are ready to share its message at any time.

“When your focus is the gospel—not the peculiarities of the other person—you are ready to share its message at any time.” — @Jeff_Iorg Share on X

My wife Ann shared a seat with a young woman on a city bus in San Francisco. Early in their conversation, she told my wife she was a lesbian, gothic witch. Ann later told me, “I didn’t know much about any of that, but I knew her main need was Jesus. So, I just shared the gospel with her and then gave her my testimony.” Ann was right. Rather than stress about her lack of knowledge of “how to witness” to a lesbian, gothic witch—she just shared the gospel.

That’s the best response to people you encounter living confused realities and alternative lifestyles related to gender and sexuality. Resist the temptation to fix their outward behavior before you address their deepest need. Once a person—any person—comes to faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit will immediately begin working to conform their behavior in alignment with their confession of Christian faith and identity. His inner empowering will make a supernatural difference. Without it, there’s no hope for real change. With it, there’s no denying it can happen.

Stay on point with the gospel.

For permission to republish this article, contact Marissa Postell Sullivan.