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Pastor Alistair Begg on Sunday defended his much-debated advice to a grandmother about attending an LGBT wedding, saying his comments were not meant to be blanket advice for all Christians but instead were aimed at helping a grandmother find a balance between reviling and affirming her grandchild.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy response to one grandmother whom I have never met was not in any way a blanket recommendation to all Christians to attend LGBTQ weddings,\u201d said Begg, the senior pastor at Parkside Church near Cleveland, Ohio, and a well-known voice who is heard daily on his radio program, Truth For Life<\/em>.<\/p>\n Begg addressed the controversy during his Sunday evening sermon<\/a> as he preached from Luke 15<\/a> and discussed the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin and the Parable of the Prodigal Son.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, a social media debate broke out over comments<\/a> Begg made in a September interview in which he advised a grandmother to attend the wedding of her grandchild who was involved in a transgender relationship. The grandchild knew that the grandmother was a Christian who opposed homosexuality, Begg said. Begg encouraged the grandmother to take a gift, noting she was worried about losing the relationship with the grandchild.<\/p>\n \u201cIn that conversation with that grandmother, I was concerned about the wellbeing of their relationship more than anything else — hence, my counsel,\u201d Begg said. \u201cDon’t misunderstand that in any way at all. If I was on the receiving end of another question about another situation from another person and another time, I may answer absolutely differently. But in that case, I answered in that way, and I would not answer in any other way no matter what anybody says on the Internet as of the last 10 days.\u201d<\/p>\n Begg noted that the older son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son rejected the grace and forgiveness that was shown to the younger son. Begg said his natural inclination on the subject of LGBT issues is to be like the older son.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve lived here for 40 years,\u201d said Begg, who was born in Scotland, \u201cand those who know me best know that when we talk theology, when we talk stuff, I’ve always said [that] I am a little bit out of sync with the American evangelical world. [That’s] for this reason: that I am the product of British evangelicalism, represented by John Stott, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Eric Alexander, Sinclair Ferguson and Derek Prime. I am a product of that. I have never been a product of American fundamentalism. I come from a world in which it is possible for people to actually grasp the fact that there are nuances in things. Everything is not so categorically clear that if you put one foot out of this box, you\u2019ve got to be removed from the box forever.\u201d<\/p>\n Begg recently preached on Romans 1<\/a> and affirmed the Bible\u2019s teaching that homosexuality is sinful, he said. The challenge, he said, is this: \u201cHow do you express the love of Jesus and do so in a way that doesn’t just compromise everything?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you honor God, obey His Word, and treat your neighbors and your friends and your family members who have decided to go down this wrong path? Some people have decided the way to handle it is by admonition. So you just simply stand up and keep telling them, \u2018This is terrible. This is terrible. This is terrible.\u2019 Some people have decided, \u2018Well, we just won\u2019t say anything at all. Just let it go. Who cares? You know, it’s a big world. People do different things.\u2019 Neither [position] is a possibility for a Bible-believing Christian. We are to treat with honor those who view us with hatred.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNow, understand that this grandchild was an enemy of the gospel, an enemy really in the family circle by dint of her lifestyle, an enemy. And Jesus says: You’re supposed to love your enemies. Now, we can disagree over whether I give that grandmother good advice or not. Not everybody on the pastoral team thinks I gave very good advice. And as I said, you know, on another occasion with a different person in a different context, the advice may be very different.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut at least let’s acknowledge the fact that what we’re doing is we’re wrestling with biblical principles.\u201d<\/p>\n Begg then asked: What if the grandmother\u2019s gift was a Bible?<\/p>\n RELATED<\/strong>:
Alistair Begg Stirs Debate for Encouraging Grandma to Attend Transgender Wedding<\/a>
American Family Radio Drops Alistair Begg over LGBTQ Wedding Comments<\/a><\/p>\n