Ephesians 5:11 reads, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
The Bible commands us to “take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness,” which, in context, include sexual immorality—and yet many in the church are bending over backward to find creative ways to accommodate sexual immorality to “lower the entry bar” for unbelievers or the discipleship hardships for professing believers, especially those who identity as LGBTQ. And one of those “creative” methods for skirting biblical teaching is what’s known as “Side B Christianity, which may at first glance seem compassionate and just another way to encourage sinners to “come as you are,” but remember that Jesus invites all to come as they are—but he never calls them to stay as they are.
A recent op-ed [from Daren Mehl, President of Voice of the Voiceless], uses a definition of “Side B” from late pastor Dr. Tim Keller—who certainly didn’t take Genesis 1 literally as AiG does—in a refutation of this ideology:
People attracted to the same sex, though remaining celibate in obedience to the Bible, still can call themselves “gay Christians” and see their attraction as part of their identity which should be acknowledged like one’s race or nationality.
Dr. Rosaria Butterfield (a former lesbian activist, now Christian, who is speaking at AIG’s 2026 Answers for Women conference) has described it this way:
Celibate gay theology [Side B]—which claims to uphold a traditional biblical view of sexuality—has become the default compromise in churches and parachurch ministries. It embraces homosexual orientation and identity but disallows gay sex. It categorizes homosexual desire as a morally neutral temptation.
So instead of fully embracing LGBTQ lifestyles (as “Side A” does), “Side B” proponents acknowledge that homosexual acts are sinful but claim the identity is not. What nonsense! How can any Christian identify themselves by a temptation that the Lord hates and that their regenerate hearts should equally hate? As Dr. Butterfield put it:
How can any of us fight a sin that we don’t hate? Hating our own sin is a key component to doing battle with it. At the same time, we need to separate ourselves from the sin we hate. This can be a very challenging issue for a Christian who experiences SSA [same-sex attraction], an issue that becomes exceedingly more challenging if one assumes the social identity of “gay Christian.”
We must maintain that we who repent and believe stand in robes of righteousness as beloved sons and daughters of God, even as we do daily battle with any [and] all sexual lust and unbiblical desire that claims our affections. We are not our sin, and we ought never to let it define us.
To that I say, “Amen!”
Now, going back to Keller’s definition, consider the comparison he makes: Sexual “orientation” is the same as “race” or nationality. Now, there’s no such thing as “race”—we’re all one biological race—so I’ll use the term ethnicity here. Ethnicity is a set thing, given to you by the God who “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” (Acts 17:26). Nationality is either something you are born with or something you adopt when you immigrate. There is no morality attached to ethnicity or nationality.
But homosexual desire is a temptation that must be put to death by the power of the Holy Spirit as believers fight their sin. It isn’t an identity like the God-given identities of male or female (Genesis 1:27). It’s a temptation that we’re to pray to be delivered from (Matthew 6:13), that is not given by God but comes from our own desire and leads to death (James 1:13–15), and that God gives us the power to overcome (1 Corinthians 10:13).
As the op-ed states, “Side B offers a truncated Gospel” that denies the power of the cross. The cross doesn’t just free those who are in Christ from sinful acts—it frees us from our sinful identities, from our sinful desires, and from succumbing to our temptations (in thought as well as action) because we are no longer slaves of sin but slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18). It redeems us and calls us to be holy as the Father is holy (1 Peter 1:15–16) and declares that our previous identity in sin is what we once were (1 Corinthians 6:11): “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (Emphasis added).
“Side B” is not compassionate. It is evil because it waters down the cross and calls people to celibacy as the answer to their struggles rather than to the freedom that Christ has called us to. Christ offers so much more than a placating sentiment that says, “That sin is who you are—just don’t do it!” Such a position is just one step away from fully embracing homosexuality, which I predict “Side B” will soon complete the slide into. When Christ sets you free, you are free indeed (John 8:36), a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17), created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10) and to walk in holiness (1 Peter 1:15–16) in word, deed, and thought.
Just another version of “Did God actually say?” (Genesis 3:1), “Side B” is another insidious attack on the authority of Scripture, and it’s likely coming to a church near you. I encourage you to read the read the full op-ed from [Daren Mehl] as it did a good job highlighting how this theology shows up in even conservative churches, why it’s unbiblical, and how we can stand against it.
I also encourage you (if you are a woman) to come to AIG’s 2026 Answers for Women conference, where Dr. Rosaria Butterfield will be addressing this very topic. Other speakers, such as myself, AiG’s Dr. Georgia Purdom and Avery Foley, Heidi St. John, Dr. Voddie Baucham, Megan Basham, Dr. Christopher Yuan, and others, will be addressing a range of other topics related to sexuality. I encourage you to make plans to attend with your teenage daughters and granddaughters, as everyone, especially young people, needs to be equipped to think biblically on this topic!
I’ll end this article with the ending of the op-ed:
To the confused believer who may be struggling, know this: you are not alone in your anguish. Your temptations do not define you. Your sexual desires are not your identity. You can be free. You can be transformed. You are not beyond redemption. Christ died to make you holy, not just celibate. You do not have to live as a spiritual orphan, fighting for scraps of healing and transformation. You are a child of God, and He will not withhold good from those who seek Him.
Side B Gay Christianity is regression, and it should be wholly rejected. It has a form of godliness but denies the power of God unto salvation. It’s the wisdom of men dressed up in religious clothing. Pastors should not patronize those who are crying out for freedom with Side B’s muted, lifeless promises and therapeutic slogans.
Sexual strugglers of every kind need the Gospel—the real, full Gospel—which sanctifies and sets captives (of all types of sin) free.
