One of the nation’s most notoriously woke pastors, Rich Villodas, recently spewed his hatred for Christianity and God while blaspheming God and accusing him of being behind the LGBTQ movement. His fundamental question—how do we free ourselves from the culture wars—begs another question in response: Should we seek to extricate ourselves from these struggles, or rather, should we seek to navigate them through the lens of God’s truth?

Here’s the clip:

Villodas suggests that believing “God is with us, but not with them” is a dangerous presumption. Here, we need to clarify what we mean when we say “God is with us.” From a biblical perspective, God is omnipresent. And He is everywhere and with everyone in the sense that His presence permeates the universe. But being “with God” in a spiritual sense—having a personal, redeeming relationship with Him—is contingent upon His grace given to us and reflected in our obedience to His will as expressed in the His Word.

Not that this needs to be spelled out for my readers, but to clearly clarify God’s view of the LGBTQ movement specifically, it is essential to engage with the Scriptures directly. When we consider a passage like Leviticus 18:22, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination,” or 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, which states that those who practice homosexuality will not inherit the Kingdom of God, the Bible’s stance is distinct and clear. There is no ambiguity.

In light of such passages, the claim that God supports the LGBTQ movement or is with LGBTQ people, ostensibly overlooking their unrepentant sin, is more than problematic. It’s not about judging people personally, but rather discerning behaviors and lifestyles in light of what God has revealed in His Word. This process of discernment is what Jesus referred to in John 7:24 when He commanded, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

This passage provides a clear imperative for Christians to use God’s Word as the standard for judgment. Righteous judgment involves discerning God’s truth, not forming opinions based on our preferences or cultural trends.

Christians can indeed find themselves embroiled in the culture wars, as Villodas suggests. But instead of seeking escape, perhaps the better course of action is to stand strong in God’s truth, using it to navigate these contentious waters. As Ephesians 6:13-14 reminds us, we should put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, we may stand our ground, and after we have done everything, to stand. This includes engaging in the culture wars with wisdom, compassion for the eternal state of the lost (as we once were), and a steadfast commitment to biblical truth.