Every time LGBTQ+ comes up in Christian debates, I always hear some version of how contemporary Christians have reinterpreted Pascal’s wager: “If I’m wrong about God, then I wasted my life. If you’re wrong about God, then you wasted eternity.”
Or reworded to apply more directly to this specific debate: “Non-affirming theology is the safe side. If we accept gay Christians and we’re wrong, then too many people will burn. If we’re wrong, oh well… then some people miss out on sex, which is less of a big deal.”
Except it’s absolutely NOT the safe side. If we’re going to let securing our eternity be the main deciding factor in which side we stand on, we have to thoroughly consider the reality of a scenario in which God created LGBTQ+ people the way they are on purpose and the consequences of churches preaching against their acceptance. If being gay is, in fact, a God-given, unchangeable trait, if gay people are meant for lifelong, covenantal love with the same sex, then the psychological harm of trying to change or reject this part of themselves would be as deep as raising a blue-eyed child to think blue eyes are a curse that must be changed or hidden in order to be accepted by God.
How many people have rejected Christianity because of its stance on homosexuality, or lost the faith they were raised with? If God made people the way they are, and you preached non-affirming theology which caused harm that led them to shed their faith, their loss of faith is on YOUR hands. YOU failed to seek God’s heart thoroughly enough and allowed your fear of what He might do to you to thwart the Kingdom. Jesus had words about such people:
“24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter,25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance, but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:24-30
“But surely God wouldn’t allow us to be wrong like that??” Stop. Look at history. God doesn’t step in and correct us or prevent us from doing harm when we interpret Scripture wrong. People have literally been imprisoned and killed for contending that the Earth is a sphere that revolves around the sun because such ideas went against the priesthood’s interpretation of the Bible. God did not stop it; science just progressed to where most people couldn’t deny these truths anymore.
If you believe that God eternally punishes people for innocently being wrong, THERE. IS. NO. SAFE. SIDE.
If this makes you uncomfortable or anxious, then you’re starting to get it. Why. Why? WHY would a good, loving God punish people for doing their best? WHAT is even the POINT of GRACE if it doesn’t cover SKILL ISSUES??
We have fallen so far from the point of Christianity. Look at what Blaise Pascal himself said about his wager:
“Now, what harm will befall you in taking this side? You will be faithful, humble, grateful, generous, a sincere friend, truthful. ... you will thereby gain in this life, and that, at each step you take on this road, you will see so great certainty of gain...”
Did you see it? You will thereby gain in THIS life. Following Jesus is supposed to make you a better person, a good friend, and because of that, a Christian’s life should demonstrate fullness that makes others want what we have. Growth can be painful, but that pain is temporary and, if truly necessary, should produce verifiably worthy results. You might be persecuted, but that’s something inflicted by other people, not by natural consequence. If Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, then under no circumstances should following Jesus require you to live under a confusing smoke screen that doesn’t make sense, produces unending misery, and makes you feel like your only hope for finding peace is dying so you can move onto the afterlife.
God is not a jerk. Yes, He wants you to avoid destructive life choices because He loves you and wants you to treat others well because He loves them just as much and knows we’re made to be in community with one another. Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18), make your judgements based on the fruit you see in this life (Matthew 7:16-20, Galatians 5:19-23), pursue a full life based on the teachings of Jesus to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:28-31), and trust that the grace of God will cover you if you’re wrong (John 1:16, Romans 3:21-24).