A recent opinion piece in The New York Times claims, “Americans are turning against gay people.” A host of similar articles—with perhaps less provocative titles—appeared in other news outlets highlighting the findings of two research psychologists who claim that since 2020, “support for gay people [has begun] to ‘sharply reverse’”—especially among young people.
According to the research, “anti-gay bias trends ‘were distinctly robust among the youngest American adults — those under 25. This group increased its animus against marginalized groups in general and gay people in particular at a faster rate than older Americans did.’”
Overall, 71% of Americans said homosexuality is “morally acceptable” in 2022, but that number dropped to 64% by the next year. Apparently, it was among young people that the drop was most noticeable. Why? Well, the researchers don’t know, but they speculate, “Gay and lesbian people, newly woven into the fabric of mainstream society, may have been collateral damage in a broader revolt against a system that felt broken, especially among younger generations grappling most intensely with uncertainty about their future.”
Whatever the reasons, it seems the tide of public opinion might be changing, especially within the younger generations (and several articles highlighted this change specifically among young men). But think about who has been discipling the younger generations for the past few years—popular online influencers.
With the advent of the smartphone, many (probably most) from the younger generations have spent countless hours online, listening to podcasts and online influencers—many of whom preach a worldview that may align with some “conservative” values (such as heterosexual marriage) but that are anti-biblical in many ways. It’s likely these younger generations aren’t rejecting homosexuality because they understand the biblical sexual ethic but for other reasons. These younger generations desperately need to be discipled by Christians so they can think properly, with a biblical worldview, and know the gospel message and understand the truth about gender based on God’s Word.
It’s not enough that support for homosexuality is dropping. We need generations raised to think biblically about all aspects of sexuality and marriage—and that means parents, churches, and Christians whom God has given a platform online need to be boldly sharing the biblical truth about sexuality. Are you equipping your kids and young people, not to be “anti-gay” as our culture defines it, but to be biblical in all areas—including every area of sexuality?
I challenge you to really think about this in regard to the young people God has given you influence over! And remember, having a biblical worldview based on God’s Word will conflict with the secular worldview based on man’s word—but that’s not “hate speech.”
