I recently saw a comment online that struck me.
It said, in effect: If you want to know what it feels like to be a missionary in a foreign country hostile to the gospel, where being a Christian and publicly expressing your faith puts you at risk, you don’t have to imagine it—you’re already living there.
The image attached was of an LGBTQ pride flag.
The point was clear: for evangelicals in the United States, our culture has, in a real sense, been overtaken by a foreign invader. The pride movement isn’t just another cultural development or moral shift; it represents a distinct, hostile break from America’s Christian legacy, pulling us into a pagan moral context where we must now operate as missionaries, bringing the gospel into a world alien to biblical truth.
Of course, some may push back on this description or feel it doesn’t fully capture the diversity of every city, county, or state. After all, America is far from monolithic; we are a patchwork of regions, people groups, and subcultures. The US still boasts many pockets of faithful Christian presence, yet there are also many places pressing the absolute boundaries of decency and, as Scripture says, “inventing new ways of doing evil” (Romans 1:30).
But whether you agree with the metaphor fully or not, one thing is undeniable: June has become, in the eyes of the broader secular culture, a time of celebrating pride. And for Christians, this is not just culturally troubling—it is spiritually deadly. As Proverbs warns, “pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). The celebration of pride isn’t just an affront to traditional morality; it represents a culture of sexual rebellion, a rejection of nature itself, and a defiance of the law of God.
So, how should believers respond? How should we engage in this moment if we are to think of ourselves as missionaries living on a mission field under foreign, antibiblical occupation? Here are four strategies to guide our engagement this month.
1. Assume the Moral High Ground
By “moral high ground,” I do not mean acting condescending, arrogant, or hypocritically judgmental toward neighbors, friends, coworkers, or family members caught in sin or deceived by today’s cultural lies. I simply mean that, from a biblical standpoint, followers of Christ stand on higher moral ground—not because of anything inherent in us, but because we have been graciously entrusted with God’s revealed Word. We are sinners like anyone else (Romans 3:23). Apart from God’s grace, we would remain under his wrath. Like Paul, we confess, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I am the worst of them” (1 Timothy 1:15).
But we have been given something precious: we are stewards of God’s truth, entrusted with his law and counsel, including what he says about human sexuality. God has commanded that marriage be between one man and one woman for a lifetime (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4–6). No sexual expression is biblical outside that covenant. Maleness and femaleness are not fluid or subject to human reinvention; they reflect deep biological and spiritual realities, integral to human nature as designed by God.
Given these truths, we should never apologize for having God’s authoritative Word but share it openly and boldly. After all, one might accuse Moses of taking the “moral high ground” on Sinai—and indeed, that’s exactly what he did. He ascended the mountain, met with God, received the law, and brought it down to the people. Likewise, we possess God’s Word, not because we are better, but because we have been graciously brought into his family. And though hearing the law alone cannot save anyone, it reveals sin and prepares hearts to receive the gospel. Practically, this means we must speak plainly about what is natural and what God intends for humanity, refusing to self-censor or pretend that sexuality or marriage are more complicated than God has made them. Yes, relationships can be messy, but God’s commands are clear. We should not pretend sexually deviant activities are normal or healthy. We must recognize that they violate God’s created order—and we must not be ashamed to live and speak as if that is true.
2. Don’t Be Afraid
The word “homophobia” is often thrown at Christians, but it is deeply misleading. Christians are often accused of harboring an irrational fear or hatred simply because they believe homosexual behavior is sinful. But a phobia is an irrational fear, and Christians are not afraid of homosexuality or of homosexuals. We believe such acts are unbiblical, unnatural, and immoral, just as we believe all sin is immoral—including the sins we ourselves wrestle with. Yet sadly, many believers live cloistered away in evangelical bubbles, rarely engaging people outside their own circles.
We must not be afraid of unbelievers, even when their lifestyles stand in sharp contrast to our own. That does not mean we become indifferent to the influences entering our homes, especially when it comes to our children’s education, entertainment, and relationships. But if God has placed people in your life who identify as part of the LGBTQ movement, do not shrink back. Show them the love of Christ. Speak the truth in love. Be authentic. Be normal. Be a real person. Be a friend. When we act fearful, we fail to walk in the confidence God has given us. We serve the God who made them, who sent his Son for sinners just like them. We have no reason to fear anyone.
3. Guard Your Own Witness
Before we think about how to witness to others, we must examine ourselves. Is there hypocrisy in your life? Are you addicted to pornography? Tempted to adultery? Are you undermining God’s design in how you live as a man or woman? Have you treated as fluid what God has declared fixed? Take careful inventory of your life. Christians are not expected to be perfect—part of the beauty of the gospel is that we are sinners pointing other sinners to the Savior. But if we are caught in unrepentant sin, especially sexual sin, we are not in a position to call others into the light while we ourselves walk in darkness.
Paul told Timothy, “Pay close attention to your life and your teaching; persevere in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16). Before you can address sin and deception in the culture, ask whether your own life is aligned with the truths you claim to uphold.
4. Preach the Gospel
If you had to explain the gospel in under a minute, could you? The gospel is deep enough to contemplate for eternity, yet simple enough to summarize briefly. Here’s one version:
God made us to know him and find life in him, but we have sought lesser loves. As Augustine wrote, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Because we turned from God, we deserve his judgment. But God loved us so much that he sent his Son, the perfect God-man, to bear our punishment on the cross—the innocent suffering for the guilty.
On the cross, Christ absorbed the full wrath of God, then rose victoriously to give new life to all who trust in him. He now reigns as King of kings, and anyone who turns to him in repentance and faith will find full pardon and eternal life. He places his Spirit in us to sanctify us and keep us from being led astray by sinful desires.
Rehearse the gospel. Preach it to yourself daily. Share it with your family, your church, and the unbelievers God places in your path. Keep it on instant recall, ready to share when the moment comes. And if you fear stumbling over your words, remember: the Holy Spirit will give you what you need in that hour.
Final Thoughts
We live in a unique cultural moment. Cultural forces shift, and in some parts of the United States, the momentum behind pride month may even be waning. That could be welcome news. But ultimately, the true power to overcome sin does not come from cultural shifts—it comes from the gospel, from the power of the Holy Spirit, and from the bold, faithful proclamation of God’s Word.
Cultures rise and fall, but the decisive shift took place 2,000 years ago when Christ rose from the dead and was seated as King of kings. He reigns over every nation, every people, every heart, and he alone has the power to change the hardest heart and rewire the most disordered affections. That is the only cultural shift we truly need to walk boldly and unafraid.
Let’s live like missionaries during this so-called pride month, remembering that pride comes before destruction, and that true life is found only in Christ. The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes—for us, and for those in our own culture who most need to hear it.