Letter to the editor: The new mainstream may not be the right mainstream.

Last week MCP Correspondent Kate Krieger wrote a first person account about her blended family and also about her life of living with a father who is gay and parents who divorced. Reader Eric Jefferies sent this “alternative” perspective. Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the views of this news organization. 

A letter to the editor, by Eric Jefferies, Ludington. 

If you take a computer case off an Apple and put it on a Windows machine, what kind of computer do you have? We have celebrities defying their male DNA, putting on dresses, sewing silicon bags in their chests and having the President of the United States applaud their “courage”. To borrow Dorothy’s line – “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” It will likely take less than a lifetime to discover what happens to a nation that defies natural physiology along with what civilizations have generally considered ethical sexuality for millennia. A few exceptions include ancient Greece, Rome and Sodom; but not wanting anyone to share their fate, I offer the following.

Funny how much can change with time. My convictions were mainstream just a few decades ago; today, it’s illegal in Canada to publish this and a growing populace here hates it so intensely that the tolerance for true freedom of speech may not survive. My heart especially goes out to the young people sorting through influences that we Gen X’ers (think tape players, pagers and no Internet) seldom faced in comparison.

Some people follow every inclination of their heart like they’re chasing a puppy across a rush-hour expressway – marry this woman, divorce, marry that woman, divorce, marry another woman, divorce, become a “woman”. This is a large part of Bruce Jenner’s legacy and I pray his next change will include making up lost time with God as he’s done with Casey, the daughter he had wanted to abort.

There’s an ancient truth that – “The heart is deceitful above all things…” (Jeremiah 17:9). Left unchecked, it’s impossible to stay in harmony with life’s conductor and we’ll invariably be out of tune with His creation. Besides, true womanhood isn’t so shallow a thing that it can be bought with hormone pills, surgery and clothing – can anyone say – counterfeit? Jenner needs compassion, change and peace, but encouraging his current choices is to join arms with an Angel whose power is great and past is dark. How can a mortal know when they’ve been deceived by the ancient father of lies?      

In recorded history there was never any such thing as “same sex marriage” until 2001 in the Netherlands. “Netherland” is translated “low land” for its geography; morally, it’s also a pioneer in legalized abortion, euthanasia, prostitution and recreational drug use. This month our Supreme Court is predicted to join a growing string of countries that have followed Netherland’s leadership in redefining marriage. It’s provided a good time to reflect on arguments that are shifting attitudes about homosexuality across entire nations as a practice even God could accept, such as:

– Homosexuals don’t have a choice, after all, why would someone choose to do things that are often ridiculed?

– People shouldn’t be judged for who they love. 

C.S. Lewis noted that sin is simply an attempt to “get something good in the wrong way.” Whether it’s wealth, pleasure or power, our prisons are exclusively populated by people simply acting on genuine desires based on who they are. Another example would be the betrayal of a marriage vow with your wife in order to fulfill a desire to sleep with another man. Scripture is being taken about as seriously as a comic book: ”…men also abandoned natural relationships with women and were inflamed with lust for one another… since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God he gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done.” (Romans 1:27)

Is it only a coincidence that according to the CDC’s 2010 statistics, homosexually active men make up only 4% of the population yet account for 63% of all new HIV cases? It should go without saying that probing around in a human septic tank is asking for trouble, or that those who faithfully wait until marriage (the original kind) and keep their vows never contract an STD. 

Ideally, food is the only thing that should face the pulverizing effects of a blender. Nowadays, there are an unprecedented number of families that have gone through a similar process with innocent children sharing the impacts. There are exceptions, but it’s widely accepted in social science that children raised to adulthood by their married biological parents do better on every quality of life metric. Focus on the Family is one of many organizations dedicated to helping those already in a blended family overcome the associated challenges.

I knew a single mom whose elementary-aged boys didn’t have much contact with their father; thankfully, another man stepped in to faithfully spend time with her children. After several months this man told me how he’d really grown to love the boys; later, I learned he was “loving” them in the most explicit terms possible. He’s now in prison with others who sought something good, like pleasure, in the wrong way. But who are we to judge? A couple generations ago, sodomy used to be illegal and the thought of same-sex marriage was absurd, who’s to say in 30 years the Supreme Court won’t be considering the right of pedophilia? It’s who they are, it’s who they love; as long as the minor concedes, who are we to judge, discriminate and stigmatize? Some people don’t even believe consent is necessary, there are many shades of grey yet to be fully explored. Is it no longer true that “…if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.” (Jesus, Mark 9:42)

Jesus’ first public message began with the word “repent”, essentially letting God change how you think and live – to the core. Mind and life-changing miracles are far superior and safer for the soul than divorce or a sex-change operation. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

Self-control is one “fruit of the spirit” that pays great dividends and prevents a lot of heart-ache. Saying “I was born this way” doesn’t help when the Creator is saying ‘be born again”. Jesus didn’t just shed his blood to forgive and transform the sexually perverted; everyone needs redemption for falling short of His glory. I’ve felt sin’s overwhelming power on my life but also experienced God’s incredible deliverance when I’ve been humble enough to ask and believe. Perfect people don’t exist, but it’s our calling to have that trajectory. 

Young people tend to have an immortal outlook on life, but pretend it’s short and redeem Christ’s offer of mercy before judgment calls. Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom; faith in God is the beginning of a new life; love for God is the beginning of a fulfilled life. Godspeed, because Christianity is quickly becoming no faith for the faint of heart among the world’s increasingly aggressive ideologies.

Eric Jefferies

Mason Co.