I think this lie holds its basis in the Matthew Shepard deception and then further carried by the Fred Phelps/Westboro church actions. Again, lies used to smear the true church.
I have seen within churches so many who have chastised congregations for calling out homosexual activity as sin and morally equating this natural revulsion of sin as equal to the treatment of those with leprosy in Jesus’ day. This is a completely false comparison in my opinion.
Further, the squelching of congregational dissent over of the practice of homosexuality, I believe, led to the rise and the emboldenment of the gay mafia and the place where we are now in cultural acceptance of the practice of homosexuality and the acceptance of marginalizing anyone who disagrees. The Church stood silent or even condemned those who rose to speak up and now we see the consequences of the pervasiveness of this practice of sin.
Perhaps some Evangelical leaders are now at their moment of choosing between fame and fortune and the Word of God, but those who truly seek to follow Christ are at no such crossroad.
I think the “fame and fortune vs. the Word of God” argument is valid, but I think there’s another. The decision that not only preachers and teachers have, but also everyday people in the church as a whole have is...do I want to go along with accepting this, or do I stand firm in scriptural truth and face the possibility of real persecution?
I know that there are many who claim they wouldn’t care what happens to them because they are “firm in their stance” on the truth of the Word of God. They figure persecution is ‘part of the package’ of being a Christian...which it is.
People face losing friends (Facebook and/or real-time), getting called names, facing boycotts (which haven’t really worked), and face protests from people who support homosexual marriage...or homosexual inclusion into the church.
What I wonder is...how many of them who say that would stand firm will fold when real pressure is applied? What would happen when ‘bigotry’ of any sort against homosexuals is codified as law? Some say it is now...but what if it was made MUCH easier for someone to take your livelihood, your property, or to put you in prison for taking a Biblical stand?
What I am saying is that the time is fast approaching where the stand you take may mean that you really are leaving everything on the table and you will face actual persecution.