I’ve written before about Russell Brand. I honestly think he’s great. He still has a potty mouth, and I wouldn’t go to him for spiritual advice, but he’s hilarious and spot on for a lot of what he talks about. However, I heard him recently say that we should never allow truth to outrun compassion. So that’s why he refers to confused individuals who think they are the opposite gender from their birth, as the gender of their choosing.
Wait, what?
At first, this sounds reasonable. Compassion is the word of the year. Or the word of the last decade, really. It’s not as if compassion is a bad thing. Of course, we should be compassionate towards others. But at the expense of truth?
I know some people would argue that actually, they should both be considered. You can have loads of compassion ALONG with loads of truth. One doesn’t have to be more than the other, technically.
But after thinking and chewing on this for a while, I realized something. One or the other is going to win out. I think that many will try to ride the fence, but the problem is the devil owns the fence. We will either promote confusion and foolish “kindness,” or clarity and truth.
Marriage
This reminds me of marriage. Men and women are both made in God’s image. However, we have different roles in marriage. There are not two leaders in a family, because it just can’t work that way. Does that mean the wife gets zero say? Of course not. But when it comes down to making a decision where there may be differences of opinion, someone must make the decision. In those situations, since the man is the head of the woman (Ephesians 5:22 – 33), husbands are mandated to both lead and take responsibility.
The two greatest commandments
I’m also reminded of how we are to: FIRST love the LORD our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And SECOND love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30 – 31; emphasis mine). We can show love to our neighbor and honor God through it. But never at the expense of disobeying God’s Word. So if we’re confronted with a situation that causes us to have to choose which one takes priority (God or neighbor), we choose to love God and obey His Word.
John the Baptist
I’ve often wondered why in the world John opened his mouth against King Herod (Mark 6:14 – 29). He could have just sort of ignored the issue that I’d assume was being spoken about in hushed whispers all around Israel. King Herod wasn’t even a practicing Jew, so why did he hold him to the same standard??
Further, John could have had “compassion” on King Herod. Who knows why the king decided to take his brother’s wife as his own. You know, love is love, right? They probably just innocently fell in love. I’ll bet they would have said that they married the wrong person in that first marriage. But now, they found the love of their life! So why not?
There’s literally nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
So what would make John play with fire like that? John would definitely have known he could be arrested and possibly killed for saying something against the king. However, I think his rationalization is pretty obvious, no? John knew he needed to call out the sin, because it was an affront to God. And John prioritized his love of God over pandering to man.
Sexual sin
Sexual sin, in all of its forms, is deceptive and destructive. It was back in John the Baptist’s day, just as much as it is today. And as the church, we can not sit and watch people destroy themselves or worse, their children, in the name of compassion. Again, not then and not now.
Abigail Shrier isn’t even a Christian, but thankfully, she is a truth seeker. She has taken on the alphabet mafia to defend our girls with her book, Irreversible Damage. If you’d rather read about a former transgender who has come to Christ, you need to read Laura Perry’s incredible book, Transgender to Transformed. And there’s also Natasha Crain’s latest book, When Culture Hates You, which equips “Christians to unashamedly pursue righteousness in society out of our love for others.”
We have even more incredible books on the gender issue here at Mud Hen Mama. These books will equip you to bring clarity into the culturally, sexually, morally, and spiritually confused world we live in. I can’t urge you enough to get some of these books.
Why these books? They don’t just inform—they inspire action. They’re tools to help you lead your family with truth and compassion, just as John the Baptist boldly called out sin in obedience to God’s Word.
Colorado
Luckily, this is a topic that is slowly being defeated in the culture at large, but not quickly enough. Especially considering what is happening in Colorado. The body of Christ must vocally and courageously stand against the madness. Of course, we should always be as compassionate and as kind as possible. But always, always lead with truth.
To God be the glory.
