On July 1, my colleague Brittany Sheehan did an excellent write-up on how an ad by Ron DeSantis supporters targeting Donald Trump for his open support of the LGB&T community was, putting it mildly, not a good idea. Aside from the political aspects, it brings to mind a larger question of a proper Christian and, of lesser importance, retail (my chosen profession) response to “pride” month now that furled rainbow flags are the norm.
Those who follow Christ as both Savior and Lord recognize certain truths. For example, the wisdom of acknowledging that God is true; all of us, not so much. Also, we take God at His Word, for even as He has made it clear He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy, and compassion on whom He will have compassion, He also has plainly defined right and wrong. Don’t like it? Go argue with Him, not the messenger. For the record, prepare to lose the argument. Badly.
My experience has been that as most believers gain life experience, while the evangelistic fire and refusal to compromise regarding God’s expressed truths remain unshakable fundamentals, there is a growing tendency to prioritize dealing with your own sins before slagging on others regarding theirs. You still take action when you see someone standing on railroad tracks oblivious to an oncoming train because they have their Air Pods cranked up to 11. Whether what they are wearing that day is, in your opinion, overly revealing? No big.
Even as it is a direct disservice to someone when we see self-destructive behavior yet make no effort to help the afflicted person see how they are actively facilitating their ruination, harping on someone’s sin while neglecting to emphasize the unmatchable power of Jesus’ love to transform and complete life as only knowing Him can is actively selling the Almighty God short. Christ’s message is one of love and repentance, salvation and servitude. He saved the woman caught in adultery from being stoned to death, and He instructed her to change her ways.
The world, being blind to its massive shortcomings, cannot see the complete picture. It believes that “live and let live” is a viable option, trusting the fallacy that since doing so presents a facade of all things being permissible, this shield of spun sugar dissolving in reality’s rain somehow protects them as well. It doesn’t, of course.
An offshoot of this is retailers trying to cash in on the latest fad with “pride” merchandise … that no one buys. The textbook illustrations Anheuser-Busch and Target have provided this year of what happens when you pander to any given sliver of the fringe minority, then utterly botch your response when mainstream blowback heads your way, should be a signpost for all service or goods-providing businesses wishing to remain in business. Cheap marketing ploys in the name of even cheaper virtue signaling are doomed efforts in a country increasingly weary and wary of having self-aggrandizing sensationalism passed off as liberty. The most significant problem the Dylan Mulvaneys of this world face isn’t bigotry. It’s boredom induced by their one-trick shtick. Most — not all, but most — retailers are catching on. They’ve seen the piles of rainbows plastered everywhere on everything imaginable during June fade away in the July heat. They’ve also tallied up the sales figures. It didn’t take long. That is why the clearance section at your local retailer is now bursting with more color than a Skittles factory. Except in this case, no one cares to taste the rainbow. “Pride” month’s greatest opposition isn’t supposed homophobia. It is how increasingly bored the rest of society has grown with a population segment believing who or what it sleeps with is deserving of public attention and acclaim.