If you follow my social media account on Twitter, you will realize I sometimes will use the serrated edge in my Tweets. As a pastor, it is most certainly my calling to be gentle with the sheep I have been charged to undershepherd and to encourage the Christians I interact with on a daily basis. Sometimes, those Christians will email me with their concerns over the wording I use from time to time. Two areas specifically I feel compelled to give a response.
First, let me address a recent Twitter post I made on May 30, 2023, at 10:33 am.
The issue some had with this post was the last sentence, "Christ is coming for His bride, not a whore." Some felt the language was unbecoming of a pastor to be so direct. Is it wrong for a pastor to use such strong language? What about a man of God in general? The answer, of course, is within Holy Scripture. Let's turn our attention to Hosea for a moment.
The book of Hosea was written during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. These men were Judean kings, and Hosea was a prophet during this time (c. 740 B.C.) and spoke of the unfaithfulness of Isreal. Often he would use the language of the promiscuous woman. The language may have been a bit shocking, and it was to express God's disgust with the nation, and at the same time, the book reminds us that God's love for his people cannot be exhausted.
In Hosea 1:2, we read,
When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry; for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord.
Now the word for harlotry is זְנוּנִים (ZeNunim). There are twelve uses of this word. Five uses express idolatry, while seven uses a reference to the activities of a prostitute. One who exchanges sexual activity for money.
The King James translates this word as whoredom, as does the English Standard. Other translations soften the term with prostitute or adultery (NIV, Amp). The word itself is not hard, Scriptural speaking, but Christian translators have made it appear hard in their desire to soften the text. The Merriam-Webster dictionary classifies the word as old-fashioned and a person who engages in sexual intercourse for money. I.e. a prostitute. Now, the dictionary does deem this word offensive, but as believers, we must ask what is more offensive. Denying to live by the standards God commands as rebellious children or live a life pleasing to God, which is offensive to unsaved people?
Granted, the word hits us in the face, it shakes us, but it needs to. Christians need to be awakened to the reality of what is going on. If I were to use prostitutes, I am sure I would still get complaints. Let's look at some other passages,
What about Hosea 2:3, that God will strip her (Israel) naked, verse 5 regarding the mother playing the harlot or verse 10 about uncovering her lewdness? Again a word to express no covering of any kind. Let us look at another verse,
Revelation 17:5
5 and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Here we are seeing the Greek word for prostitute, πόρνη with the exact translation as before but with added clarity. This time there is a reference to polytheistic cult practices. The imagery of idolatry (BDAG). Older translations like the KJV use the word whore, and often this reference is the whore of Babylon. Again, could I have used other words to convey this? Yes, but this does not mean the wording I chose is unbiblical.
Do we remove the book of Song of Solomon as it may offend? Perhaps we should translate Proverbs 5:18 as "let her chest satisfy you at all times," as the word breast may seem wrong to some. Not at all. We use Scripture, and different translations still mean the same thing. Perhaps we should focus on the severity of the issue of spiritual infidelity and repentance as opposed to playing semantics and getting stuck on a word.
The second issue. My refusal to use the homosexual alphabet letters (LGBTQ and all the additions). I have been accused by some believers of being divisive, offensive and not showing the love of Christ by acknowledging diversity. I have also been called narrow-minded. To which, I say thank you to all accusations, as I do not want to be loved by a world that abhors Christ.
I choose to use the word Lesbian, Gay, Transvestite and Queer, which for the most part, is what these letters represent, except for the now-demanded we use transitioning, or trans person, which I will never do. God's word is explicitly clear (Gen 1-2) on the sexes, which He created, and bound by my conscience of religious expression; I will honour my LORD over this fallen world.
Further, I have been approached for being a man of hate for using the word Sodomite. As this word originates from the practices of Sodom, and is used in the Canadian Criminal Code (S. 159), regardless of the context, the word itself is not wrong. There are many verses I can think of (such as but not limited to Lev 20:13, 18:22; 1 Cor 6:9; Romans 1:18-32; Gen 19).
By using such terms, the mind becomes desensitized. The acts that are an abomination to our King Jesus seem to be acceptable. There is a war on the church. There is a war with language. Anytime a worldly sinner deems Biblical language wrong, they are attacking the author of the Bible, God himself.
This is why I use specific terms. Those at the Mill can speak to my love and character. To those who read my posts, they cannot conclude the heart behind words they deem offensive. Perhaps there are times I need to soften the tone a little, but at the same time, many Christians need a backbone and stop being offended by what God says.
Thank you to those who have taken the time to reach out to me. Each post has the opportunity to state concerns or interact with the material. Please feel free to drop a comment, listen to the podcast or attend a service so that you have a larger scope of ministry perspective.
In His Grace,
Pastor Steve
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