Josh Waller (@JoshWaller)

The great lie of men like Sam Allberry and other proponents of "Side B Christianitty" is that homosexual desires are rooted in the desire for deep friendship. They have been teaching for years now that homosexual desires are not rooted in inverted natural sexual desires, but rather in an exaggerated desire for friendship that becomes over-emphasized or somehow corrupted from another direction. This error leads to the second great lie,, that homosexual desires cannot be crucified, but rather controlled. The Bible teaches that we must crucify the flesh along with its desires. The Bible teaches that unnatural lusts after ones own sex are not a result of misplaced desire for friendship, but of the unnatural desire replacing the natural desire--man for woman and woman for man (Rm. 1). The first error gives way to the second and creates an inescapable trap for those at war with their homosexual desires. Rather than destroying these desires root and branch by identifying, naming, and confessing them by name, they create an ideological shield through which the root of the sin cannot be discerned. If you cannot find the sin, then you are left with putting out fires, trying to tamp down symptoms with no hope of victory. Moreover, who would want to gain victory over the desire for friendship? The desire for deep friendship is a godly desire. King David, for example, said that his love for Jonathan (friendship) surpassed his love of women. In other words, it is possible to have a deep desire for same sex companionship--indeed, it is good and right--without this desire to morph into sin. That is because it is rooted in nature. These lies, particularly the first and source life, make a life of sanctification impossible. They lead to constant failures excused away because they were close to the fine line between friendship and lust. But there is no such fine line. The difference between homosexual lust and a man desiring his wife are a difference in kind. One is in accord with God's design and is godly. The other is a subversion and perversion of what is good and beautiful. It is the upside down version rather than being one data point further down a spectrum. John Owen once said, "Be killing sin or it will be killing you." Side B Christianity creates a scenario in which symptoms are "killed", but the sin remains. The result is that, inevitably, sin kills the sinner. Our sin is not something to be trifled with. Our fleshly desires must be seen for what they are: a death wish. The only escape is confession, repentance, and faith in Christ who forgives our sins and restores us to righteousness by the grace of God. That's it. It's simple, but simple is often difficult because, unfortunately, we desire much that is contrary to God's commands. When we see it, however, when the Spirit convicts us, we must get on our knees and ask forgiveness. "Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts"