The discerning reader may have noticed that between Lovelace’s first point and second point, there is an ellipsis (…). Some form of this ellipsis has been present every time Johnson has publicly referenced Lovelace—in the report from Missouri Presbytery’s examination in 2020, the three times Johnson mentions Lovelace in Still Time to Care, and in a promotional video for Still Time to Care that discusses “double repentance.”
This ellipsis was added by Greg Johnson in order to conceal a recurring theme in Lovelace’s Homosexuality and the Church: the need for repentant homosexuals to pursue heterosexual reorientation. Here is the full quotation from Lovelace (p. 125), with emphasis added to the revealed portion:
There is another approach to homosexuality which would be healthier both for the church and for gay believers, and which could be a very significant witness to the world. This approach requires a double repentance, a repentance both for the church and for its gay membership. First, it would require professing Christians who are gay to have the courage both to avow their orientation openly and to obey the Bible’s clear injunction to turn away from the active homosexual life-style, seeking a heterosexual reorientation when this is possible and adopting a celibate life-style when it is not. Second, it would require the church to accept, honor, and nurture non-practicing gay believers in its membership, and ordain these to positions of leadership for ministry. The church’s sponsorship of openly avowed but repentant homosexuals in leadership positions would be a profound witness to the world concerning the power of the Gospel to free the church from homophobia and the homosexual from guilt and bondage.
It should be obvious why the full quote would be embarrassing for Greg Johnson. The major thrust of his message is that homosexuality cannot be cured. If change happens at all, Johnson assures us, it is a miniscule shift and an anomaly at that. But really, reorientation is a false hope perpetuated by homophobic fundamentalists who refuse to listen to gay people. This is the formal position of Side B proponents, also known as the Revoice movement.
Because of his other ideological commitments, Johnson cannot alert us to the fact that his beloved proponent of “double repentance” was also a proponent of herosexual reorientation. Read more»
M. D. PERKINS | “What Greg Johnson Won’t Tell You About ‘Double Repentance’” | Feb 23, 2022
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- Actually, We Do Care (part 1): A Response To Greg Johnson’s Still Time To Care
- Actually, We Do Care (part 2): A Response To Greg Johnson’s Still Time To Care
M.D. Perkins gives a well-written response and helpful, historical insight. It occurred to me that the Side B position strips the hope away from repentant sinners that they may be truly unshackled from besetting sins, sexual or otherwise. Many of us know the joy of living a life we never would have thought possible, gaining much victory over the bondage of our worst temptations. We may or may not be totally free from them until Glory, but we have begun to taste it in this life and it is the taste of true freedom. And it is that very experience that adds to our yearning for that day. It is what enables us to joyfully proclaim to others, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36.