Oprah, Joel Osteen, T.D Jakes On Homosexuality

I discovered a surprising silver lining to the recent
controversy over Bishop T.D. Jakes “evolved and evolving” comments
about homosexuality, beginning with his unequivocal reiteration of his view
“that marriage is ordained by God as a union between a man and a
woman” and “that all sex outside of that sacred union is sin and that
would include but is not limited to, homosexuality.”

As one who had asked him publicly and privately for
clarification, I want to thank him publicly, just as I thanked his
representative who texted me his statement privately.

But that’s not the surprising part of the story.

Instead, what’s of real interest to me is that Oprah Winfrey
has actually been criticized by gay activists for having Joel Osteen and T.D.
Jakes on her network, since both of them affirmed on her airwaves that
homosexual practice is sinful in God’s sight. Yet she continues to welcome them
to speak for her and does not consider them homophobic bigots.

Some would say, “But the reasons for that are obvious.
They’re both Word of Faith prosperity teachers, they don’t preach repentance
when appearing before secular media, and Bishop Jakes enthusiastically
supported pro-abortion, pro-homosexuality candidate Barack Obama for president.
These men are of the same spirit as the world, therefore the world loves them
(John 15:18-23).”

I certainly understand those criticisms, but that is not the
focus of this article.

What I want to emphasize is that today, there is no subject
more volatile than the subject of same-sex “marriage” and the
normalizing of homosexual practice, and the moment you say something as benign
as, “I believe God designed a man to be with a woman” or “I
believe it’s best for kids to have a mom and a dad” you are labeled a
homophobic bigot.

And if you say those things because you are committed to the
Word of God, you are reviled in even uglier terms. You are just not a hater,
but you are a hypocritical, fundamentalist, extremely dangerous hater, part of
the “Christian Taliban.” (This is just a small sampling of what you
will be called.)

So I find it fascinating that, with all the criticisms that
have come their way, both Pastor Osteen and Bishop Jakes held their ground when
asked about homosexuality. Respectively, they told Oprah on her Next Chapter
show, “I believe that homosexuality is shown as a sin in the
Scripture” and “I think that sex between two people of the same sex
is condemned in the Scriptures, and as long as it is condemned in the Scriptures,
I don’t get to say what I think. I get to say what the Bible says.”

In spite of this, Oprah continues to welcome them.

Now, to be perfectly clear, I believe my appeal to the
Osteens is as relevant today as it was when I wrote it last year, and I do hope
that Bishop Jakes will be more careful when speaking to the secular media about
these issues.

But I also find it significant that, on this significant
moral and cultural issue, neither of these men have changed their viewpoints in
order to appease the spirit of the age and neither of them have been rejected
by Oprah (and, it appears, most of her audience).

Of course, you could make the case that if they rebuked sin
and called for repentance the next time they were on Oprah (just as John the
Baptizer, Jesus, Peter and Paul did; see Luke 3:1-14; Luke 13:1-9; Acts
2:36-40; 17:30; 20:21; 24:24-25; 26:20) that would be their last appearance on
her network, and that could well be the case.

But for the moment, I’m going to use this all redemptively
and, with a wink, tell a non-believing critic, “Hey, if Joel Osteen and
T.D. Jakes believe that God loves all people but that homosexual practice is
sinful and Oprah doesn’t call them homophobes, then you’ve got no right to call
other Christians homophobes because they believe the same things.”

So, the next time someone tells you that you’re homophobic
for speaking the truth in love, tell them to take it up with Oprah :-).

And in all seriousness, regardless of what you think of
Oprah, Bishop Jakes and Pastor Osteen, the lesson here is that if you are a
genuinely caring Christian, the better someone knows you, the harder it will be
for them to reject you as a homophobe.

Michael Brown is the host of the nationally syndicated talk
radio show “The Line of Fire” and is the president of FIRE School of
Ministry. His newest book is Outlasting the Gay Revolution: Where Homosexual
Activism Is Really Going and How to Turn the Tide. Connect with him on Facebook
at AskDrBrown or on Twitter @drmichaellbrown

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