We live in a time in which your generation has grown up in a totally different environment from those of us who are older, who sought to remain knowledgeable of and true to over two thousand years of biblical understanding of the need to maintain the moral purity of the church by its shepherds and leadership.

As most know, church members are considered flocks—flocks made up of shepherds and sheep, also called lambs.  Shepherds are males who are teaching and ruling elders.  They are called elders, as historically they were older rams.  Today, they can be both, that is, younger and older men.  The lambs are rams and ewes, that is, male and female; and they too can be young or old.  Where does that put me?  For many years, I was simply an ewe in the flock; but today, I am definitely an elder or old ewe.  I share this descriptive makeup of the local church wishing—as an elderly ewe—to address the young shepherds in the flock, that is, young male leaders.  They are composed of pastors, ruling elders, and seminarians. They are all, for the most part, figuratively rams.

Dear young pastors, elders, and seminarians, we live in a time in which your generation has grown up in a totally different environment from those of us who are older, who sought to remain knowledgeable of and true to over two thousand years of biblical understanding of the need to maintain the moral purity of the church by its shepherds and leadership.  One of those requirements relate to sexual morality.  They had to be married and faithful to one woman only.  If they were single, they had to be chaste, that is, celibate.  Men sexually attracted to other men—that is, homosexual—were not ordained nor called as pastors.  That sin, including its desires and passions, was normally considered to be grossly grave and egregious. They were such as God through the Holy Spirit defined them to be so.  There is a hierarchy of sins, and among sexual sins, it stands out as among the most abhorrent to God. The harshest and strongest language is conveyed to express God’s horror of the sins. It’s a reality that cannot be ignored.

Something has changed that has allowed clerics to be either active homosexuals or what is called Side B, same sex sexually attracted but celibate.  This has been a serious departure from God’s divine revelation and church history. It is quite evident in the Catholic Church’s priesthood and also in most mainline Protestant churches. This raises an important question, “Why has this happened today?”  This elderly ewe in Christ’s flock believes it has occurred because our culture and society have been forced to accept and approve the normalization of homosexuality using euphemistic wording.  These euphemistic words hide the actual sin involved, such as “gay” and “same-sex attracted.”  Your generation has been consistently indoctrinated from a very young age that it has become commonly applied and approved and accepted as normal.

Today, figurative language is used so prominently, that church shepherds must be reminded they are called to promote God’s truth as opposed to the world’s normalization of sin.  The older shepherds understood this eternal principle; however, it appears that many young shepherds are naive thinking they are simply being loving. Godly love is always based on godly truth as commanded by Almighty God through the Holy Spirit, as he inspired the writers of God’s revelation. God has not changed His mind nor relaxed His principles related to homosexuality; the same truth is found in the Old Covenant as well as the New Covenant.  In fact, in the New Covenant God strongly condemns not only overt homosexual relations, but also homosexual desires and passions (Romans 1:18-32; James 1:13-15).

Thus, as an elderly ewe of the flock—yes, an older female Christian woman—to the younger shepherds and rams— please do not dismiss my voice.  Remain true to God’s Word just as shepherds over two millennia of the Church have lead and taught on remaining pure sexually.  Do not ordain or receive male or female candidates or pastors who claim to be Side B Christians. God clearly speaks against these: “degrading passions,” “unnatural,” and “burned in their desire for one another.”

You younger shepherds, rams, men, leaders, you will be held accountable regarding your obedience to God’s commands.  No new revelation has been given to the Church that allows you to depart from His clear commands on this issue.  Nowhere in the Bible or church history is same-sex sexual attraction promoted or given an exemption from condemnation.

“. . . let God be found true, though every man be found a liar . . .”   (Romans 3:4)

Helen Louise Herndon is a member of Central Presbyterian Church (EPC) in St. Louis, Missouri. She is freelance writer and served as a missionary to the Arab/Muslim world in France and North Africa.