Despite his opposition to same-sex marriage, Begg’s “grandfatherly” pastoral counsel cost him his place on American Family Radio and at the Shepherds Conference.
For the past few weeks, Alistair Begg, pastor of Parkside Church in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and host of the Truth for Life radio program, has been caught in what he calls “a storm in a teacup” over advice he gave about attending an LGBTQ wedding.
That advice, he said in a sermon this past weekend, was based on Jesus’ command for Christians to love even those they disagree with or disapprove of.
“Jesus said you are supposed to love your enemies,” said Begg, drawing on a series of Bible texts to claim that Christians should show compassion—and not condemnation—for those who have gone astray.
The sermon was a response to a controversy over comments Begg made during a promotional interview for a book last fall, which recently went viral on social media. During the interview, Begg recounted talking to a woman whose grandchild was getting married to someone who was transgender. Begg, who opposes same-sex weddings, suggested she go to the wedding and bring a gift. By doing so, she would show her love for her grandchild—even though she did not approve of the wedding.
“Your love for them may catch them off guard, but your absence will simply reinforce the fact that they said, ‘These people are what I always thought: judgmental, critical, unprepared to countenance anything,’” the evangelical pastor said. He added that Christians would have to take risks in order to show love to those around them.
Begg’s comments set off a firestorm among some of his fans and supporters—in particular those in conservative Calvinist and other evangelical communities. White evangelicals remain one of the least likely of all US religious groups to support same-sex marriage, according …
