Yesterday, I ran across a post by a Twitter user who alleged that The Gospel Coalition (TGC) is now endorsing same-sex marriage. My first reaction was “there’s no way.” I mean, I’ve been following TGC for years, I’ve seen all of the unbiblical worldly stuff they publish. But that seemed a little too far—even for TGC.

To my surprise, I was wrong. I shouldn’t be shocked by anything I see at this organization anymore. I mean, after all, they’re pushing “safe, legal, and rare”-like arguments on abortion, platforming homosexuals to lecture the church on sexual morality, defending their contributors who praise Louis Farrakhan, pushing gun control, and publishing music videos with transgender artwork in the background. Why should I be surprised that The Gospel Coalition is now endorsing same-sex marriage?

And more importantly, how did I not already know about this article?

Apparently, this article slipped under the radars—it was over a year old, and somehow, I never saw it. And neither did anyone else until recently. But when I went and checked out the article that was posted on Twitter, I saw it. Right there. There it was—a TGC article calling on Christians to endorse the legalization of same-sex marriage.

In the article titled How Should I Respond to a Colleague’s Same-Sex Wedding? by Charlie Self, it reads:

Every culture and nation must find common consent in public ethics, specifically on what is prohibited, permitted, and promoted for the common good. True toleration must include living peaceably with deep differences. Most Western nations have extended marital status to arrangements other than heterosexual monogamy. The wise Christian will affirm the legal right of consenting adults to order their lives without fear; yet that right doesn’t entail affirming the goodness of these arrangements. Believers can be good neighbors to all while diverging on some moral issues. This is the heart of a peaceful and pluralistic society.

Wow, did you catch all that? Self states unabashedly that “wise Christians” will affirm the legality of same-sex marriage based on the notion that it is practiced by consenting adults. Thankfully, at least he said we don’t have to affirm the “goodness” of it. But what Bible is Self reading that he draws the notion that “wise” Christians must affirm something destructive to society in order to live peaceably among others? How, exactly, is that being a “good neighbor”? And further, who knew that it was a Christian duty to support a pluralistic society?

If we order our nation’s morality based on the consent of adults participating in an activity, then where do we draw the line? What about adults who consent to kill each other? Why can’t adults consent to use illicit drugs? Consent to give each other infectious diseases?

Self is asking Christians to deny the objective morality we find in a Holy, righteous, and moral Creator and exchange it for the world’s design for morality. See a problem with that? Paul sure did.

²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²² Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. —Romans 1:21-23

and Romans 1:28

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

It seems like ignoring God’s design for morality isn’t being a “good neighbor” after all. It looks like, instead, ignoring God’s moral law is actually destructive to a society rather than, as Self puts it, “peaceful and pluralistic.”

Sure, Paul lived in arguably the most socially destructive society in history during the Roman empire. And sure, Paul was not on mission to turn Rome into a Christian theocracy. However, we never once see Paul “affirm” the legality of sinful and destructive behavior—he always condemned it and called those practicing it to repent.

Yet, this is where we are with our modern Evangelical Church. Good pastors, teachers, and leaders who are willing to speak up and confront the issues of today facing the Church and the world are silenced while our progressive thought leaders are feeding this unbiblical garbage to the sheep without a second thought. It’s more offensive to our church leaders today to ruffle feathers with biblical truth than it is to confront sin and error.

That should tell you all you need to know about how wide the gate is for many of our leaders.