The issue surrounding gender and sexuality is clear in the Bible. God created humans as male and female and purposed them to reproduce and fill the earth. Ever since we hear of births, male and female, recorded in the Bible. Whenever there was a breach of this created order and purpose, Scripture would condemn it.
In spite of this, humans prefer to follow their own fleshly desires. Take the case of homosexuality. It is certainly nothing new. The Bible speaks in no unclear terms about it. In fact, from a Scriptural point of view, it is condemned. Romans 1 even describes the practice of homosexuality as a punishment against those who unnaturally desire those of the same sex, i.e. the actual sin is now also the method of punishment!
Politically, culturally, and now also ecclesiastically, we are under pressure to accept this previously condemned sinful practice, as by design, i.e. by birth, and not by reason of man’s sinful heart and fleshly desires. Churches are pressured to even accept homosexuals as ministers of God’s Word. Those churches who do not do this, are marginalized and even prosecuted by State because they are violating the “rights” of those who are living “pure, moral” homosexual lives.
We will not see a change to this view and pressure on churches anytime soon. In fact, the demands are only going to get tougher on God’s people. In May 2013, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) drew a very distinct line between pedophilia and pedophilic disorder. Pedophilia refers to a sexual orientation or profession of sexual preference devoid of consummation, whereas pedophilic disorder is defined as a compulsion and is used in reference to individuals who act on their sexuality.1 Subsequently, the APA changed2 the wording from “sexual orientation” to “sexual interest” on the basis that “sexual orientation” is not a term used in the diagnostic criteria for pedophilic disorder.3
This distinction has profound implications for the way sexuality will be defined in future. This distinction paves the road for the acceptance of “moral” pedophilic behaviour. Although it is indicated as “devoid of consummation,” we all know by experience what that means and what the future implications are. It is built on the premises that it is a sexual “interest”.
Homosexuality had an upward battle to get to the “acceptance” that it is not a sin and contrary to human nature, but an actual sexual orientation. Pedophilia is probably going to have a much easier road than homosexuality to be accepted as normal behaviour. After all, it is already indicated as normal sexual interest if there is no consummation. Who knows how much pressure will be put on societies to allow the practice of pedophilia!
Christians should take note of this classification. We are to see where this will move in future. Sexual sin – like pedophilia (following in the footsteps of homosexuality) – will be made more acceptable in future, only because sin is being redefined by politics, culture, and sadly, the church of our day. Church leaders will definitely have to combat a morally depraved society with the truth of God’s Gospel of “repentance and forgiveness of sins”.
But this battle is aimed at households. Parents will have to make sure their children are spiritually, emotionally, and physically able to withstand the sexual onslaught that we as Christians are facing. If ever we need to teach them that God created humans as male and female and that His purpose was that man should leave his parents and cling to his wife, it is now. The truth of the matter is that we can not rely on society, and our schools, and in many cases, not even our local churches, to do this for us. Parents will have to take on this enemy and be prepared to battle him with all their might and power, through a living faith in our God and Savior, Christ our Lord.
Footnotes
1. http://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx; http://www.neontommy.com/news/2013/10/pedophilia-sexual-orientation; http://spectator.org/blog/2013/10/28/pedophilia-orientation-or-crim
2. http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/13-67-DSM-Correction-103113.pdf.
3. http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/Paraphilias_103113.pdf See also http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/apa-classifying-pedophilia-as-a-sexual-orientation-was-an-error.