Christians are told to love their neighbors and to show compassion just as God showed compassion to them. However, should they sit idly by and allow other people to commit sin in the name of love and understanding?
This was the question raised by Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis after a Christian group called Faithfully LGBTQ started the Tithe Trans Campaign to raise money to pay for gender reassignment surgeries for transgender people. The surgeries cost around $10,000 to $90,000, and the group is urging people to "put your tithe money where your beliefs are."
The group wrote on its website that they want to "share the stories of LBGTQ people of faith" and to "help alleviate the discrimination trans people have faced in the Christian community."
Faithfully LGBTQ said that many Christians have imposed "a culture of violence" against transgender people, but Ham would beg to differ. He said that very, very few Christians argue for violence against transgender people - or anyone else, for that matter.
"We love them, as we love all people, and want to see them come to repentance and put their faith and trust in Christ as we have and accept God's created order for human life, for he created male and female," he clarified.
Society may be becoming more accepting and accommodating of the LGBTQ lifestyle but he believes it is sinful ideology and it would be worse if Christians encouraged people to do something they didn't believe to be God's will.
"There's nothing violent about telling someone they are a sinner in need of a Savior. This is biblical truth and it is dishonest not to proclaim this vital truth. In fact, as Christians, if we truly love transgender people, we will warn them about what God has stated clearly concerning sin," said Ham.
However, Ham said there are indeed some professing Christians who are "unnecessarily harsh and condemning," so they fail to obey God's command to "speak the truth in love." But Ham said they will be the ones who will stand in judgment before God.
For true Christians, Ham said they should take the difficult stand and tell the truth to transgender people - even if it means they will face a backlash.
"[They] don't need Christians to surround them and praise their sinful decisions. They need people who love them enough to gently speak the truth and point them toward the only One who gives true freedom from all sin: Jesus Christ," he said.
