In June 1970 the first Pride marches took place in three cities across the US. The movement spread to the UK – London had its first Pride event in June 1972. Since then, there has been huge growth. June will see Pride flags all over schools, supermarkets and city centres.

How does the church respond? It’s easy to feel afraid. It can seem as though an alternative religion is taking over all our public spaces, forcing us to join in the worship. For many, that will lead to anger. For others, perhaps particularly those working or having children in the public sector, there’s confusion. How do I respond when my children or I am invited or instructed to participate in a Pride event?

I want us to think clearly. But don’t be surprised if thinking clearly also leaves you feeling conflicted because, as we wrestle with the question of responding to Pride, we should end up having two streams of thought going through our mind. Let me explain as we consider three key Christian truths.

Creation

‘So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them’ (Genesis 1:27).

Here we see the basis for human dignity and equality – we are all made in the image of God. It’s why Christians will want to stand against homophobic or transphobic abuse. That’s why understanding the origins of Pride is important. Initially, it was a response to prejudice in the late 1960s. Basic human decency means that we need to acknowledge how many older gay people will have lost friends to the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. This should factor in our response to Pride.

At the same time, being made in the image of God means that we are at our best when our ultimate identity is determined by our creator. Part of that involves the bodies he has given us in making us male and female. According to Jesus, this becomes the basis for our sexual ethics (Matthew 19:4-5). So I should feel deep sadness about Pride, because it is encouraging people to pursue a life pattern different to that which is best for them and honouring to God.

The Fall

As human beings, we are not what we should be. Not every desire I see within myself is good and to be encouraged. That’s the Bible’s teaching (e.g. Mark 7:20-23) and human experience.

Sadly, much of what Pride represents is an obvious expression of that. Even the title is deeply problematic given the right posture for a human being is humility, recognising that everything we have is from God and that we are accountable to him. And Pride celebrates a way of living that runs opposite to God’s story – the marriage of a man and woman being his plan to illustrate the romance between him and his people that is at the heart of the universe.

But the Fall will impact how I respond to Pride in another way, for I am fallen as well. Having critiqued same-sex sexual desire in Romans 1, Paul quickly goes on to tackle judgementalism – ‘At whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself’ (Romans 2:1). There is no unbroken place for me to stand.

That doesn’t mean I approve of all that happens under the label of Pride. But it will impact my tone.

Jesus

There is no way around this – Jesus has a very clear sexual ethic. In Matthew 19, he clearly defines the marriage of a man and a woman as the right context for sexual union, and that’s before you get to gouging your eye out in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:29).

And yet you also see him going towards those who are outside those sexual ethics, such as when he offers living water to a woman who has been married five times and is now with a man who is not her husband (John 4). Furthermore, when he sees the crowds, he is full of compassion because they are sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). That feels profoundly relevant to Pride. On many marches there will be those who have grown up with some of the pain of feeling different and yet tragically have been led to believe that life is found away from their creator.

An appeal for nuance

Essentially, I’ve been encouraging you to think two things at once. To have compassion for, humility towards, and a desire for the dignity and fair treatment of LGBT people. And to see the way in which much of the Pride movement is ultimately harmful to people and displeasing to God.

That will certainly impact the tone of any engagement about Pride. And it may be a basis for conversations around events in schools or places of work. ‘What are you asking me to say be being part of this?’, is a useful question to ask. If you are asking me to say that nobody should be subject to bullying, then I’m happy. But if you are encouraging me to say that all ways of living in relation to sexuality and gender should be celebrated then, with all humility, I’m afraid I can’t agree.

Inevitably, Pride month brings deep emotion with it, both for those involved and those fearful of it. But I wonder whether one of the gifts that the church can bring to this is careful and humble thinking, that honours all those made in the image of God and points people to the life that can only be found as we acknowledge our creator.

For more resources related to Pride, check out this blog post.