The Tragedy of Michael Sam

On May 8th (or May 9th or 10th pending on how the draft plays out), Michael Sam will become the first openly gay NFL player. He joins a growing list of openly gay athletes. A list that now includes Derrick Gordon, a guard for UMass, who came out last week.

I grieve for these young men.

As a Bible believing pastor it should come as no surprise that I grieve their sinful lifestyle choices. And I must note that I grieve their broken sexuality in the same way I grieve the young men I counsel that are addicted to pornography. But what I really grieve is the lie that our culture is feeding them.

Michael Sam will now be known primarily as the first openly gay NFL player. He will no longer be known simply for his defensive skills. Every sack will now be a sack by the first openly gay NFL player and not a sack by Michael Sam.

And our culture will celebrate. And at the same time they’ll mock and chasten believers that stand upon biblical truth. They’ll continue to blame Christians for every suicide by a gay teen. And they’ll point to Michael Sam and others and encourage us to celebrate homosexuality to prevent such terrible tragedies.

The Greater Tragedy Unnoticed

But all the while the greater tragedy will go unnoticed–the tragedy of degraded humanity. Michael Sam is so much more than a gay man. He is a man that is made in the image of Almighty God. His sexuality was never meant to hold the weight of his identity. Every time that he is referred to as the first openly gay NFL player what is happening is that his humanity is being robbed.

The greatest tragedy here is not that our culture celebrates homosexuality. The greatest tragedy is that as our culture celebrates homosexuality these men and women are being decimated and their identities are being minimized to their sexuality. It is not the church—at least it should not be the church—who is raising the bar so high.

We believe that Michael Sam and other men are so much more than their sexuality. Yes, we’ll call them to fight and battle and pursue holiness in the Lord. In the same way that we call straight men and women to fight and battle and pursue holiness in the Lord. If we do not accept into our membership an openly gay man, it is not merely because he is gay and we cannot tolerate this sin. No, if we are healthy, we refuse him membership in the same way that we would refuse the membership of a man that was living in adultery or cheating on his taxes. We believe that sin is sin. And it is all deadly.

It is not we that have made homosexuality the issue. It is our culture that has raised the bar so high. It is our world that is attempting to make our sexuality bear the entire weight of our identity. It cannot hold.

It will break.

It will come crashing down.

It will leave empty, broken, and desolate men and women.

Church, may we be there when it all falls apart. When the weight of a God-given identity causes the flimsy legs of a fallen sexuality collapse. Let us be there to encourage these men and women to build their house upon the only Rock which can bear the weight of our identity.