TIM KELLER'S LGBTQI+ INCLUSION
"AUDIT" FOR YOUR CHURCH
Tim Keller and “Living Out” LGBTQI+ London Conference Produces Inclusion Audit for Churches. Does Your Church Measure Up?
Rev Thomas Littleton
Aug 15, 2018In light of the controversial Revoice Conference in July 2018 and the trouble sparked by Tim Keller’s speaking at the Living Out Conference in the UK where it promoted Revoice, one might expect those involved in the controversy to lay low and avoid further attention. This is not the case. During the Keller conference for LGBTQI+ Christians an “Inclusion Audit for Churches” was planned and presented. This litmus test is touted to be a self-imposed audit for determining where our churches stand on Keller/ Living Out's version of “Biblical Inclusion.” That audit was made public on the August 15 tweet seen below.
Pinned Tweet
Living Out @LivingOutOrg
August 15
We’ve recently developed this LO Church Audit to help church families work out whether they are biblically inclusive. How will your church do?
http://www.livingout.org/resources/the-living-out-church-audit … #BiblicalInclusion
How biblically inclusive is your Church?
“At our Identity in Christ conference with Tim & Kathy Keller in June 2018 we launched our Living Out Church Audit – a tool to help church leadership teams answer this key question: how biblically inclusive is your church? Unsurprisingly our focus is on those who might identify as LGBTQ+/ same-sex attracted: Jesus included all in a counter-cultural way and we hope this audit will help our churches follow his lead.”
Complete with Video in which Living Out and The Gospel Coalition (of Tim Keller) spokesperson, Ed Shaw, a same-sex attracted priest, informs you that your church should immediately adopt this Biblically baseless examination of 10 statements of inclusion as the starting point for testing your church culture regarding LGBTQI+ inclusion. The implications and objections to each are listed following each statement, under the heading “PROBLEM.”
1. Your church family meetings include people who could be labelled LGBTQI+/ are same-sex attracted. (True / False / Not Sure)
PROBLEM: Up front this is a type of quota for a broad range of self-identified activist / sexual minorities who must be welcomed in your church or it is not “inclusive.” Given that this is an activist culture, future demands of even more inclusion will be made with obligations to include them as well. One example already on the discussion table would be “Child / Minor Attracted Christians.”
Biblical response: 1 Peter 2:9. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
2. Derogatory language or stereo-typing attitudes towards sexual minority groups would not be tolerated either up-front or in conversation between church family members. (True / False / Not Sure)
PROBLEM: This is classic policing of language to fit a politically correct narrative. It implies that both the pulpit and even private conversations in the church and among family members will be subject to censorship. Example: the latest sexual minority identity visitor could accuse your pastor or you of violating this language ban and having stereotypical attitudes.
Biblical Response: God calls all to repentance.
Acts 17 :29-30.“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.”
3, All in your church know that we all experience sexual brokenness and all are being encouraged to confess their own sexual sins. (True / False / Not Sure)
PROBLEM: All sin is forced to be seen as the same even though Scripture says homosexuality is depraved, unnatural, rooted in idolatry and detestable to God. All sin is not the same nor is all sexual sin the same. Sexual sin is against our own bodies while homosexual sin goes beyond this as a sin against nature.
Biblical Response: God is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, not leave us “sin identified.”
1st John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
4. Same-sex sexual relationships are never mentioned in isolation from other sinful patterns of behavior, or from the forgiveness offered to all through faith in Christ crucified. (True / False / Not Sure)
PROBLEM: The pastor or a teacher of home Bible group would never be allowed to speak to homosexuality specifically without including all sexual sin.
Biblical Response: Paul followed no such rule.
Romans 1:24-26 “Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature.”
5. All in your church are hearing the same call to radical self-sacrifice of themselves in response to God’s giving of himself in Jesus. (True / False / Not Sure)
PROBLEM: In a unified effort to assert that “SSA Christians” are the believers who are living out costly obedience, homosexual desires harbored in the heart of professed Christians are no longer to be seen as sin but as obedience and the church is compelled to see it as a crown or gift from God. The desired migration of gay activist to saint is then complete. Homosexuality was once viewed as a curse – now as a cross – and one day it will be a crown to be celebrated.
Biblical Response: Those who confess and forsake sin find true mercy. Self identifying by sinful desires is not forsaking sin.
Proverbs 28:13. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
6. All in your church are encouraged to develop an identity founded first and foremost on their union with Christ. (True / False / Not Sure)
PROBLEM: Given the close association of The Gospel Coalition, Tim Keller and Living Out with the psychological community – which affirms that a Homosexual Sexual Orientation exists and that the Orientation assertion equates to a Sexual Identity – then the answer which has been “negotiated” for those with “Christian beliefs” is “Gay Christian Identity” i.e. a “Christ Centered Homosexual Identity.” This fallacy is cleverly masked in Tim Keller's topics at Living Out and in the LO Church Audit.
Biblical Response: We are no longer “sin identified” but Christ lives in us.
Galatians 2:20. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
7. A godly Christian’s sexual orientation would never prevent them from exercising their spiritual gifts or serving in leadership in your church. (True / False / Not Sure)
PROBLEM: Revoice and now Living Out and Tim Keller are calling for Sexual Minorities in Ministry. The time will likely come soon when churches, like municipal agencies / major city Police Departments, are required to have full time LGBTQI+ liaisons at public expense.
Biblical Response: Sin orientation is Biblically a result of the fall, but sexual orientation is the unsupported claim of the psychological community. Holiness becomes God’s house; ministers must not disqualify themselves through sin.
1 Corinthians 6:11. “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
2 Cor 5:7 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
1 Cor 9:27. “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”
8. God’s gifts of either singleness or marriage are equally promoted, valued and practically supported in your church family’s life together. (True / False / Not Sure)
PROBLEM: Homosexuality is being empowered by a narrative that celibacy is a superior level of commitment to God and that “SSA celibates are the real heroes of the faith.” This is false. Christian Marriage reflects the relationship of Christ to the Church.
Biblical Response: Singleness imposed as a restraint to same sexual desires is not biblical and same-sex relationships can never mirror Christ and the Church.
Hebrews 13 :4. “ťMarriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
Ephesians 5:32. “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
9. Church family members instinctively share meals, homes, holidays, festivals, money, children with others from different backgrounds and life situations to them. (True / False / Not Sure)
PROBLEM – This narrative would assert that “It Takes a Village” is accurate. It promotes a collectivism as compulsory to expressing Christian Faith and even implies that parents are compelled to “share their children” with those espousing homosexuality or LGBTQI+ identity. Tim Keller, you are endorsing this? Stay away from our children, Mr. Keller.
Biblical Response: Children are a heritage from the Lord to their parents. Children are the responsibility of their parents and are under their parents' authority. It does not “Take a gay inclusive church village...”
Psalm 127:3-5. “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”
Ephesians 6:1-4 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
10. No-one would be pressured into expecting or seeking any “healing” or change that God has not promised any of us until the renewal of all things. (True / False / Not Sure)
PROBLEM: This statement is clearly aimed at Reparative Therapy or Conversion Therapy and is rooted in the work of Mark Yarhouse and APA compliant collaboration of Christian and Gay Counselors. After only 200 people in the APA studies and 98 people in the Yarhouse studies, it was concluded that sexual orientation exists and seldom, if ever, changes, thereby concluding that the Gospel does not promise change this side of Eternity. In the end, this is asserting that the Bible is a lie and modern psychology, based on studies of 298 people with unwanted homosexual desires, is correct.”
Biblical Response Hebrews 7:24-26 “But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.”
A stateside effort very similar to Living Out and Tim Keller’s Church Audit can be found at Church Clarity Advocates. This “test” survey is administered to the church by an activist organization advised by two activists who are no strangers to controversy at Wheaton College. One of these activists is Julie Rodgers who is a personal friend to Revoice founder, Nate Collins, and others in the Revoice camp. Julie jumped from the Celibate Side B to the fully Gay-affirming Side A in 2015 after the Obergefell decision legalizing gay marriage. Julie is also a good friend and works /appears in conferences with Mark Yarhouse, whose work heavily influences The Gospel Coalition, Revoice, Living Out, Nate Collins, Sam Allberry, Tim Keller, J.D. Greear, Russell Moore, Albert Mohler, and the list goes on and on.
If the Christian Church institutionally embraces “LGBTQI+ Christianity” then its days are numbered. It will be weighed in the balances and found wanting as will these leaders who brought us here.
Watch Unto Prayer Note to the Reader: The preceding information from Living Out, a Gay Christian organization launched by The Gospel Coalition, strongly insinuates that in the near future Evangelical churches will be "audited" to determine if they are LGBTQI+ (all sexual minorities) inclusive. This 10 point test will be the spiritual ruin of churches that comply with its demands and will eventually destroy the Christian testimony of the institutional Church by forcing compliance through the White House Faith Based Partnership Program which still retains the LGBT non-discrimination order that was signed by former Pres. Obama in 2014, which was never rescinded by President Trump.
Lest we believe that the "gay Christians" wanting membership in Evangelical churches are celibate as they claim, a lesbian speaker at the Revoice Conference confirmed they are "not particularly good at it," as the LGBTQ+ attendees laughed...
"Most of us, the large majority of us are here because we are trying to live in obedience to the 'Christian sexual ethic.' This is such a dumb phrase. I apologize but you guys kind of know what I mean. What for us is the basis for that obedience? It's not that typically that we're particularly good at it. (laughter) For those of us who aspire to the fidelity of David (Eve winces / audience laughs), what is the basis of our obedience?" (Revoice 2018, Eve Tushnet)
