Rev. Louie Giglio is one of the most respected and effective ministers in America. I first met him years ago at his rally in the Dallas area that mobilized more than 25,000 college students for the Kingdom. He recently held an event at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta where 60,000 young Christians met to combat human trafficking and gave more than $3.3 million for the cause. Because of his leadership on this critical issue, those planning President Obama’s second inauguration asked Rev. Giglio to deliver the benediction at the event.
However, when the liberal website “ThinkProgress” found a sermon he preached in the mid-1990s labeling homosexuality a “sin,” it launched a crusade against his participation. In response to the firestorm they created, Rev. Giglio decided last week to withdraw from the inauguration.
What does this sad turn of events say about our nation? A recent study indicates that only 37 percent of American adults now agree that homosexuality is a sin; a year ago, 44 percent agreed. Have we come to the place where those who believe God’s word on this issue are no longer welcome in the public square?
Consider a statement made by Rev. Giglio in the sermon that so infuriated the “ThinkProgress” writer: “We must lovingly but firmly respond to the aggressive agenda of not all, but of many in the homosexual community. . . . Underneath this issue is a very powerful and aggressive movement. That movement is not a benevolent movement, it is a movement to seize by any means necessary the feeling and the mood of the day, to the point where the homosexual lifestyle becomes accepted as a norm in our society and is given full standing as any other lifestyle, as it relates to family.” Does the current backlash to this statement prove its point?
The good news is that God redeems all he allows. Could this publicity lead more Christians to join the anti-slavery cause? Rev. Giglio partners with the “EndIt” movement; I encourage you to visit their website and pray about your involvement. And could this controversy show more Christians that we must stand boldly for God’s truth in our decadent day?
At Rev. Giglio’s rally years ago, he made a statement I’ve never forgotten. The day before, horrific thunderstorms attacked the farm where the event was staged. College students’ tents were blown away; many had to sleep in their cars or on gym floors; electricity failed; the field was a mud pit. When Louie began the rally by recounting all the students had endured, I thought he was going to thank them for their perseverance and suffering. Instead, he pointed his finger at the huge crowd and said, “And our God is worth all of that.”
What price will you pay to stand for his truth today?
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