By Lauren Eberspacher 
I woke up earlier this week, and I did what most of us do in the mornings; I rolled over and grabbed my phone. As I aimlessly wandered into the kitchen and sat down, I began scrolling through my Facebook news feed, my eyes growing wider as I saw the same Religion News Service interview with Jen Hatmaker pop up over and over again. It broke my heart, not only as I read through the post, but as I scrolled through the comments; most were harsh and ugly, on both sides of the argument. I cringed as I read them, until finally I had to put my phone down. The condemning, the name calling, the hatred… there is just so much division in the body right now, am I right, friends?
The thing about this article and others who share in Jen’s like-mindedness is that they are ultimately pointing in the wrong direction… they are all pointing to the beliefs of Jen and not to the Truth, which is the word of God. And for those of us who aren’t standing behind the teachings and ideas of Jen Hatmaker, this thought should drastically change the way we are proclaiming God’s Truth; because truth and love can and must be shared at the same time (Ephesians 4:15). And it’s something that we can’t be divided on any longer, friends.
Here is the thing, I’m not sure where you stand reading this post. You could be at a place in your faith where you are trying to figure this whole God thing out. You may be Biblically educated up to your eyeballs. Maybe you see God as a big man with a booming voice, full of acceptance and welcoming anyone who leads a “good and loving” lifestyle. The point is I don’t know your heart and there is no possible way that I could convey mine, except maybe over a cup of coffee around my kitchen table (pie would obviously be included in this conversation). But today that’s not going to do any good for either of us unless we are eating that pie together.
What I want to share with you today is this: God’s Word never changes and neither does His view of any sin. And with that knowledge, we can’t teach love and forget truth. When the Bible was written over 2,000 years ago, it wasn’t written with the idea that generational interpretation was an option. Its truth wasn’t written for us to cherry-pick verses to back up sin when it was convenient and comfortable. When the inspired word of God was written, it was meant to speak in cohesive direction and protection. And like any loving parent would do, He has given us rules and truths to live by to keep us safe, both physically and spiritually. Because when He first created us, He knew that we would need leading.
That’s why He gave us the Bible. There are many things in this day and age that are permissible, but not all of them are beneficial (1 Corinthians 10:23). And no, I’m not just talking about living a homosexual lifestyle and abortion here. I’m talking about lying, gossiping, judging, cheating on your spouse and having a bad attitude. Because whether you agree with it or not, God looks at all of these sins the exact same. (James 2:10-11). And He doesn’t just look at the sin friends, He looks at the whole person, you; the child who He loves so deeply. And I’m not sure if you’ve realized this or not, but we are all dirty, messy sinners. Not one of us is less of a disaster than the other. And we all need the same grace.
That’s where Jesus comes in. Because when God sent Jesus and he died on that cross for all of our sins and when he rose from the dead…. everything changed. That’s when the veil was torn and death was defeated. And ultimately that is where the wrath of God was justified with the sacrifice of His own son; the true picture of truth and love together. And that is why I am standing firm in God’s word, knowing that the two were ordained to be together, because they are both who He is. There cannot be truth without love and there cannot be love without truth. So today I’m choosing loving truth.
For an opposing view on this subject, read For The Love: Why I Support Jen Hatmaker
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