I believe that we will soon see the more radical left attacked churches and religious institutions as purveyors of hate or at least hate speech. Already former presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke called for removing the 501C3 non-profit status of all religious bodies who do not profess support for the LGBTQ agenda. Another called for Christian Colleges to lose their accreditation. This movement against Christianity, and we could add Orthodox Judaism and Islam (though the last is given a pass due to more anti-Christian orientations of the radical left) requires changing the definition of words. Hate is now defined as disagreeing with a behavior. Phobia as well is defined as disagreeing with a behavior, not as really being afraid of. Maybe some are afraid of what the LGBTQ agenda will do to society, but most Christians are compassionate toward LGBTQ people.
The central problem with the Gospel for the folks who will reject it as hate is that the Gospel requires repentance from sin. Only when a person realizes that he or she has violated God’s Law which defines sin and are thus in danger of eternal Hell, do they realize that they are in need of the atonement of Yeshua. Classical preaching of the Gospel brilliantly put forth the Law of God, described sin, the danger of Hell, and then called for people to repent and receive the atonement of Yeshua and submit to the Lordship of Yeshua. This is fully in accord with the teaching of Yeshua in John 15 where He said that the Spirit would convict the world of sin, righteousness and Judgment. Only when such conviction comes, does the person submit to the righteousness of Yeshua and have a sound conversion.
Sin is defined by the Torah (I John 3:4). The presentation of the Gospel includes the call to repent of sexual sin. The teaching of Yeshua on lust in the heart (Matthew 5) and on the inviolability of monogamous heterosexual marriage as the only now God-ordained order for sexual relationships, sets the Gospel squarely against the libertine views of sexuality in our culture. When one says that all unbiblical sexual relationships are sin, must be repented of, and then avoided by the power of new life in Yeshua, this places the one submitted to the Bible’s teaching squarely against the politically correct acceptance of all alternative sexual lifestyles including pre-marital sex. This is the center of battle right now. Of course, Scripture says much about greed, hardness of heart to the poor, lying, taking God’s name in vain, and idolatry of every kind.
The question is, will Yeshua/believers shrink back against presenting the Gospel due to their being subject to much rejection in today’s culture. We cannot but to declare what constitutes sin according to the Bible. We declare from Romans, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” and “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Yeshua HaMashiach our Lord.” Romans 3:23, 6:23. We have to reveal both what God declares as sin leading to death and the remedy in the atonement of Yeshua.