I had a seminary professor who introduced me to the idea of society's ploy to desensitize the common audience to the moral ailment of homosexuality. He compared it to the way in which I was raised, as an asian, to eat every meal with rice. My initial inclination was to have rice as the main portion regardless of my side choice; runny eggs, BDubb's, KFC, Thanksgiving dinner, the list goes on. He, my professor, was raised to eat corn mixed with mashed potatoes. His premise was that in order for my taste buds to become acquainted with the taste of corn and mashed potatoes, I would need to take in small portions in consecutive days in order to see this dish as normative. Like corn mixed with mashed potatoes, society, via the media, has sought to propagate the agenda of the LGBT lifestyle in a way that will become normal and regulative for the next generation.
As Christians how are we to engage with this ever growing realization that the LGBT lifestyle will become normative in our lifetime? How are we to walk in society in light of the Gospel lens? How are we to disciple and raise our children who will be bombarded with these images? How are we to love and serve our LGBT brothers and sisters while disagreeing with their lifestyle? What are practical ways we can engage in dialogue with our LGBT brothers and sisters in order to communicate love and affection for them as people? How does the church create space to interact with those who are struggling with same sex attraction?
Media Day:
These are all difficult questions and I, honestly, do not have any real concrete answers. What I do want to accomplish with this blog is to bring an awareness to the movement that is taking course and that is rampant in the media world. Our churches, Hmong in particular, need to be awakened to this reality and begin to engage in ways that would further the Gospel and bring forth healing to the hurting. Our Hmong churches need to stop busying themselves with programmatic events and realize that these issues touch base with every member in our congregation one way or another. These are real life issues that must be dealt with through a Gospel lens!
Super Bowl Sunday:
I was excited to hear that Coldplay would be apart of the haft-time show at Super Bowl 50. It only added to my emotional hysteria that Peyton Manning was playing, maybe, in his final game! To be honest I didn't think much of the half-time performance. I was too busy enjoying the music to even notice that the screen was filled with rainbow colors - a sign symbolizing the LGBT community. It finally struck me when the rainbow clothe was placed on the forehead of Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, via a fan in the crowd. Only then did I begin to notice that everything from the drum set to the stadium was filled with rainbows. Media propaganda?
iPhone App:
I must admit that I love playing solitary! To be honest I spend more time on my phone playing solitary than surfing FaceBook or checking my email. Like any free app, solitary has ads that pop up prior to the game starting. One of those ads was promoting Valentine's Day cards with couples. Lo and behold there was an add of two males kissing and one giving the other a Valentines Day card. I was, frankly, shocked at the advertisement and thought about my 7 year old son who could have stumbled upon this commercial? Media propaganda?
Biblical Worldview:
I realize that I shouldn't be as surprised as I was (or am), but I also realize that I have the responsibility of raising four young children in my home. A home that is filled with electronics and televisions in an ever growing society of social media. Not only that, but I am connected to a district that serves local churches with a plethora of young people. How can I help serve them to see the biblical design of marriage and the biblical standard of living through the power of Christ?
This blog has posed more questions than answers, but my hope is that the church begins to see the ploy of the media to desensitize our youth to the lifestyle of the LGBT. And if we are going to be a church that disciples and fosters an environment for Christ followers, we must tackles these tough issues in order to be faithful to the God of the bible. Not by spreading hate, malice, or ill will; but by formulating a Gospel lens on how to love and serve in the midst of disagreement. How to embody grace and truth (John 1:14) in a world that has delineated from His light (John 1:5). How to uphold biblical truth in a hostile and perverse world. Through it all we must be aware of the Scriptural warning which says: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20).
Through it all, may the Lord Jesus empower us and sustain us for the work that He has ahead of us.
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McYoung Yang is the husband to Debbie Yang and the father to McCayden (7), McCoy (6), McColsen (4), and DeYoung (6 months). He graduated from Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, MN with a Youth Ministry degree and has served as a Youth Pastor in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota for over 8 years. He is currently studying at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY for his Masters of Divinity. He hopes to use his training to serve the local church in living life through the Gospel lens.
What is the LGBT lifestyle and why are you against it?
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