Perry Noble Apologizes to Gay Community, Says Nashville Statement Did More Harm Than Good

Sandwiched in between Hurricane Harvey and Labor Day Weekend, Desiring God founder and teacher John Piper released his commentary on the Nashville Statement, authored and approved recently by many leading evangelicals “in the hope of providing a biblically faithful standard in our day” in regards to the “new ethical landscape” of sexual ethics.TogetherLA.net published some of Piper’s piece, including links to the full commentary and statement, not necessarily as a point of editorial agreement, but to provide a platform for conversation. As stated in that post, we strive to be a platform that encourages unity, especially within the Church.In tracking the subsequent wave of reaction I found a Facebook Live post, "My Thoughts on the Nashville Statement," by Perry Noble, founder of The Growth Company and author of Unleash! Noble said he views the Nashville Statement as a wall builder, not representative of the Christian faith, and delivered an apology to the gay community as someone from the evangelical community.“Let me say just for the record and right up front that I am a solid believer in Christian marriage, a man and a woman,” he said. “I believe that with all my heart, however, I believe that the Nashville Statement actually did more harm in regards to Christianity. I believe it did more harm than good because it was a demonstration of how Christians are interested in building walls and not bridges.”After describing how a gay friend said to him after the Nashville Statement was released that he appreciated Noble’s stance on the issue of sexual ethics, but also appreciates that Noble speaks out “on behalf of people like me.”“And he went on to say, ‘I’m thankful for guys like you who are way [more] interested in preserving a relationship over winning the argument,’” Noble explained. “I think that’s one of the problems in Christianity today is that we are way too obsessed with being right and in our obsession with being right we have isolated ourselves from a group of people that we were not called to condemn but rather have a conversation with.“I believe we will reach way more people today if we enter into a conversation rather than condemnation.”Noble said the subject is one that definitely should be talked about in the Church, but it should be preached in compassion, grace, and love “rather than condemning people and saying, ‘You’re evil and shouldn’t be doing that.’”“Why in the world should we be drawing a line in the sand when we should be having a conversation,” he said. “Because, guess what, if someone is gay or someone is transgender they have a story and instead of trying to tell them our story, what if we actually sat down at a table and were willing to listen to theirs?”Addressing people that are gay or transgender, he said, “I want to offer you an apology on behalf of an evangelical Christian (points to himself), who does not believe what those people… I do not adhere to what they said for the most part. I do adhere to Christian marriage, marriage between a man and a woman, but you know what, if you don’t agree with that I can still be your friend. I can still see eye-to-eye with you … I can still sit down and have a conversation with you. You know why? Because Jesus said, ‘Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone’ and I don’t have any rocks in my pocket.“I want to tell you that I am sorry for the way you were treated, but I wanted to tell you that I truly do believe that the gospel is Jesus Christ, crucified on a cross, buried, [and] rose from the dead. That’s the gospel. Period.”

John Piper: Precious Clarity on Human Sexuality - The Nashville Statement

It is with the strongest conviction that I want people to know that TogetherLA.net is about providing a platform that encourages unity, especially within the church. We are to learn from each other and when it comes to today's hot button topics we want to have a civil conversation about them. This is the place for that.The subject of sexual ethics today has already divided our country, but most alarmingly, our churches and fellowships. It is not without a bit of trepidation that I share John Piper's post published at desiringGod.org below today. However, Piper is one of the most respected Christian leaders and theologians of our time.That said, yes, the truth found in the gospel is about love, but the Bible can be a sharp sword and it can cut and divide quickly and precisely.The first paragraph of the Preamble in the Nashville Statement reads:

Evangelical Christians at the dawn of the twenty-first century find themselves living in a period of historic transition. As Western culture has become increasingly post-Christian, it has embarked upon a massive revision of what it means to be a human being. By and large the spirit of our age no longer discerns or delights in the beauty of God’s design for human life. Many deny that God created human beings for his glory, and that his good purposes for us include our personal and physical design as male and female. It is common to think that human identity as male and female is not part of God’s beautiful plan, but is, rather, an expression of an individual’s autonomous preferences. The pathway to full and lasting joy through God’s good design for his creatures is thus replaced by the path of shortsighted alternatives that, sooner or later, ruin human life and dishonor God.

I pray that you seek Jesus as you navigate in and outside your community. Please feel free to comment below. Let's keep the conversation going... together!

Precious Clarity on Human Sexuality - Introducing the Nashville Statement

By John Piper

In recent years, the celebration of attempts to transform oneself from male to female, or female to male, and the normalization of same-sex attraction, including so-called “same-sex marriage,” have reconfigured the global landscape of sexual ethics. It is timely and hopeful, therefore, that the Nashville Statement has appeared at this time. With a focus on this new ethical landscape, the statement aims to help clarify Christian convictions.

Compassionate Conviction

Last Friday, August 25, the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) jointly hosted a gathering of Christian leaders in Nashville. The purpose of the meeting was to finalize and approve the Nashville Statement in the hope of providing a biblically faithful standard in our day on these particular issues of human sexuality. I read the statement with a kind of sorrowful joy, which seems inevitable when beautiful light is spoken into tragic darkness. I wrote the following endorsement when I received a copy of the final draft:

The Nashville Statement is a Christian manifesto concerning issues of human sexuality. It speaks with forthright clarity, biblical conviction, gospel compassion, cultural relevance, and practical helpfulness. There is no effort to equivocate for the sake of wider, but muddled, acceptance.It is built on the persuasion that the Christian Scriptures speak with clarity and authority for the good of humankind. It is permeated by the awareness that we are all sinners in need of divine grace through Jesus Christ. It affirms with joy that no form of sexual sin is beyond forgiveness and healing. It touches the most fundamental and urgent questions of the hour, without presuming to be a blueprint for political action. And it will prove to be, I believe, enormously helpful for thousands of pastors and leaders hoping to give wise, biblical, and gracious guidance to their people.

To read Piper's full post and the Nashville Statement go to desiringGod.org.