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Every June, Canada is covered in rainbow flags. Corporations rebrand, parades are organized, and moral slogans are shouted. And in the middle of it all, Christians often feel stuck, unsure whether to speak, what to say, or how to say it without being dismissed as hateful or bigoted. That's why I wrote the following reflections.

"No Pride" is not a reactionary rant, nor is it a political campaign. It's a pastoral and theological reflection on what happens when a culture celebrates what God calls sin and when the Church loses the clarity and courage to speak the truth in love.

The title is deliberately bold. Biblically speaking, as Augustine once said, "Pride is the beginning of all sin." It is the rejection of God's authority, the exaltation of self; it is Satan's religion. That's what makes the name "Pride" for this movement tragically fitting. The rainbow, once a symbol of God's mercy after judgment, has been repurposed as a banner of rebellion.

But this article is not simply about critique. It's about clarity, compassion, and the power of the gospel. I write as someone who believes in truth, yes, but also in mercy and love. I believe no one is beyond redemption. I believe the gospel can transform identities, restore brokenness, and bring people into the joy of life in Christ. And I believe there is no other way forward for the Church in Canada apart from speaking boldly about these issues.

These reflections cover a variety of issues, including sexuality and gender, the redefinition of love, the weaponization of emotions, the misuse of symbols, and the spiritual confusion caused by the idol of niceness. Each one is rooted in Scripture and written with a desire to help believers remain faithful in confusing times and equip them to speak about these issues with confidence.

My hope is that this collection of thoughts will embolden Christians to speak without fear, to love without compromise, and to hold fast to the truth that sets people free.

There is no pride in heaven. There should be none in us.

1. The Problem With Pride

It's June again, and everywhere we look, the (Western) world is celebrating Pride. Flags wave, slogans echo, and companies adjust their logos to reflect the season. And I've always found it interesting—telling, even—how the very name of this celebration is overtly anti-Christian.

The Bible speaks about the sin of pride. James 4:6 says, "God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble." Pride is not a virtue; it's a vice. Pride is the very posture that led Satan to fall and humanity to rebel. And when you really think about it, "Pride" is actually a fitting title for this movement. It is, at its core, a movement of self-exaltation—a rejection of God and His design; a desire to be our own god in a tragic attempt to manipulate reality and pretend to be what we are not.

We need to be clear about this: Pride Month is not simply about supporting certain groups. It is a cultural catechism. It teaches a worldview. It promotes a moral framework—or the rejection of one. It celebrates sin and demands that others not only tolerate it but affirm it, as Paul describes in Romans 1:28–32.

Now, don't misunderstand me. Our goal here is not to mock or isolate those who identify with Pride. Our goal—borrowing their own language—is to raise awareness and educate. To help people see that things are not exactly what they pretend to be. We're not waging a culture war; we're proclaiming a better kingdom. A kingdom where true joy isn't found in flaunting sin but in repenting of it. Where identity isn't built on sexual preference but on union with Christ. Where freedom doesn't mean indulgence but self-denial.

The reality is that, by nature, we are all on the side of Pride. We all want to rule our own lives. We all resist God's design. But the good news is that Jesus Christ came to save prideful people like you and me. The cross of Christ is the death of our pride.

The invitation is open: come to the One who is the opposite of proud. He is meek and lowly in heart. He doesn't trample over the weak—He restores the broken. Pride will leave you restless, burdened, and empty. But Jesus offers rest for your soul and fullness of joy in His presence.

2. What Does the Bible Really Say About Sexuality?

One thing I've learned over the years is not to assume people know the basics. And I don't say that to be disrespectful—actually, quite the opposite. We respect people by allowing them not to know and by walking patiently with them toward the truth. So, let's start with the basics and outline a biblical understanding of sexuality.

First, we need to be clear: human sexuality is a good thing. Actually, it's a very good thing. In Genesis 1 and 2, as God creates man, we see something surprising—something not good: man's aloneness. God's solution was not another man or a general community, but a woman. He created Eve and joined her to Adam in marriage. Then, He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. Their union, and the fruit of their sexual intimacy—children—was not just tolerated, but celebrated by God. He called it "very good." That's important to remember, especially because many, even within the church, treat sex as something inherently impure or shameful. But biblically speaking, sex within the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman is good, beautiful, and pleasing to God.

Second, we must understand that sin has corrupted our sexuality. And that's why our sexual impulses are often disordered—directed toward the wrong person, the wrong context, or the wrong purpose. From the very beginning, sin distorted God's design. Scripture shows how this corruption plays out across a spectrum—from the subtle to the grotesque. Lustful glances, pornography, sex outside marriage, withholding sex from a spouse, same-sex acts, orgies, bestiality, incest, pedophilia—all of these, though not equal in gravity, spring from the same root: the distortion of what God made good. And let's be honest: we're all guilty of this in some way. None of us is sexually whole in ourselves. We all struggle with some form of brokenness in this part of our lives.

That leads to the third—and most important—truth: all sexual sin is just that—sin. It places us under judgment. But God, being rich in mercy, sent Jesus to die for the sexual sins of His people. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, He can restore us to a healthy, redeemed sexuality that aligns with His will and design. It doesn't matter how deep your sin runs; His mercy runs deeper. It doesn't matter how many times you've fallen; His grace is greater still.

So, instead of taking pride in our flaws or being crushed by shame, we can turn to Christ and be forgiven, cleansed, and made new. There is no need to boast in our sin, and no need to hide in fear. There is only one way forward: repentance and faith in the One who makes all things new.

3. Love Is Not Affirmation

Part of the cultural catechesis of the Pride movement is a redefinition of love. In today's world, love has become synonymous with affirmation. In that worldview, you cannot say you truly love someone unless you affirm them in all their choices and desires. It's considered unloving to say that someone is wrong, that their beliefs are misguided, or that their lifestyle leads not to fulfillment but to futility. And at the apex of perceived unloveliness is this: to tell someone their way of life is not pleasing to God.

It's embracing this concept of love that we saw the appearance of the so-called "affirming churches" that not only welcome people but also celebrate and affirm their "identities" and choices, regardless of whether they align with God's Word. And all in the name of love. But what kind of love causes people to despise God and His Word—the very source of love itself?

True Christians should not be surprised, or even offended, when the world accuses us of being unloving. If they define love as affirmation, then by their standards, we are guilty as charged. But we're not operating by that definition. We must hold fast to God's definition of love, not Pride's.

God's love is inseparable from truth. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13, love rejoices with the truth. Love that lies to you is not love; it's cruelty wrapped in sentimentality.

God's love is also transformational. The cross—God's ultimate expression of love—was not a cosmic gesture of affirmation. Jesus didn't die to celebrate us. He died to save us, to sanctify us, to change us. That's the love we're called to imitate: a love that confronts, redeems, and restores.

So, the world doesn't need more affirmation. It doesn't need people cheering them on as they walk comfortably toward death. It needs the loving intervention of people who care enough to say, "This isn't the way. Turn back. Come to Christ." Our children, our spouses, our churches, and our neighbours need that kind of love, the kind that dares to correct, confront, and call people home.

Love is not affirmation. Love is Jesus hanging on a cross, not celebrating sinners, but pleading with them: Turn. Trust Me. Be saved.

4. Identity Confusion

One of the core claims of the Pride movement is the concept of gender identity—a person’s internal and subjective sense of their own gender. According to this view, gender may or may not correspond to the biological sex assigned at birth. But we must ask: is this truly the best foundation for building identity?

The issue isn’t whether someone can feel a deep internal inconsistency between body and mind. That experience is real for some, and we should approach it with compassion. But we must also recognize that identity cannot be rooted in a feeling of misalignment. Internal conflict and inconsistency are not a safe place to build a self. When we define who we are based on a disconnection between mind and body, or between reality and desire, we’re setting ourselves up for greater confusion, not greater wholeness. That can only lead to frustration, distress, and emotional instability, not fulfillment.

Christianity isn’t anti-body or anti-sex. In fact, it offers a more respectful and integrated view of the human person. Scripture teaches that our bodies matter and that they are part of our created identity. To embrace our biological sex as a guiding part of who we are isn’t oppression; it’s sanity. It’s not religious traditionalism; it’s living in step with the truth. We can try to fight reality, but in the end, reality always wins. When our internal feelings clash with truth, the path to healing is not self-assertion but surrender and realignment.

Even more than realism, Christianity offers redemption. The secular worldview that undergirds Pride often assumes that life is an accident and that identity must be invented. But Scripture teaches that we are created in the image of God—with meaning, dignity, and purpose. Your identity isn’t something you have to create. It’s something you’ve received. 

And if you’re in Christ, you’ve received even more: adoption into God’s family, a new heart, a new name, and the promise of full restoration at the resurrection. That is the solid ground of true identity.

God’s design is not only true, it’s better. Come to Him.

5. The Rainbow and the Wrath

The rainbow is probably one of the most recognizable symbols of the Pride movement today. It's everywhere—from storefronts to clothing—and it has become a central piece in the cultural catechism of this movement. Symbols matter. They play a crucial role in the creation, transmission, and reinforcement of worldviews.

Symbols are mental shortcuts to greater realities. They are the quickest and most powerful way to evoke meaning, emotion, and allegiance—often in just a glance. Whether it's a flag, a logo, or a gesture, symbols condense complex ideas into immediate, visceral responses.

We are naive if we think the rainbows we see everywhere are meaningless or harmless. Symbols are not neutral. They carry power. And that's why we need to take a closer look at this one in particular.

The rainbow first appears in Scripture in Genesis 9, after the flood. God had just judged the earth for its widespread wickedness. Then, in mercy, He made a covenant with Noah never to flood the earth again, and gave the rainbow as a sign of that promise. The rainbow, then, is not a symbol of man's pride, but of God's patience.

That's what makes its use today by the Pride movement so deeply ironic and sad. A symbol meant to remind us of God's rightful wrath and undeserved mercy has become a flag under which the very sins that provoke His wrath are celebrated. It seems to be an attempt to hijack one of God's symbols and redefine its meaning. But even so, the rainbow still points to hope, not because of what it means to the world, but because of what it means to God.

The rainbow not only points to the story of Noah and the flood but, above all, points to Jesus, the Saviour who bore wrath so that we could receive mercy. His mercy is real. His promises are sure. The rainbow doesn't belong to Pride—it belongs to God. And Christians shouldn't give up on it.

Revelation 4:3 tells us that a rainbow surrounds God's throne. And the day is coming when every creature in heaven and on earth will bow before Him, confessing the true meaning of this powerful symbol: the King of the Universe is just and gracious.

6. Weaponized Emotions

We live in times when emotions have been weaponized, becoming a powerful tool to silence truth. This isn't unique to the Pride movement, but it has embraced this strategy and mastered it. The core technique is simple: get offended—play the victim—whenever the truth doesn’t align with your narrative.

In this ideology, disagreement is considered hate. Why? Because once someone fuses their identity with an ideology, opposing that ideology is seen as opposing the person, even denying their existence. To question the belief is to deny their rights, their choices, their experiences, and to overlook their pain, trauma, and suffering.

Operating on these terms, truth becomes secondary because truth can hurt. In this worldview, compassion means accepting and affirming someone’s experience as truth. That, they argue, is the only way to acknowledge a person’s value and existence.

But here lies the problem: this worldview treats truth as harmful. Truth is relativized, moulded to comfort and convenience. The Bible sees it differently. Scripture reveals truth as objective and as the only path to true freedom and flourishing. In God’s Word, truth is never the enemy; it is our greatest ally.

Real compassion acknowledges pain, but doesn’t stop there—it gently applies the truth as healing. Leaving someone to live in falsehood is not love. It's abandonment.

Yes, it’s true: Christians—and more broadly, conservatives—are not always the most gentle people. Sometimes truth is delivered harshly, like a bad nurse with a life-saving injection. And while an unkind doctor may still save a life, it’s no wonder some people fear hospitals.

So let’s strive to apply truth like a balm, not a blade. Not everyone will receive it well, but we are commanded to speak the truth in love. Just don’t be manipulated by feelings. Sharing the gospel is more serious than any healthcare work—it’s a matter of eternal destiny.

May God protect our minds from deceit and fill our hearts with His truth and compassion.

7. No One Beyond Redemption 

One of the greatest issues with the Pride movement is how it makes imagined gender and sexuality central to a person's identity. In other words, sin becomes a core part of who someone believes they are. And for this reason, many within the Pride movement see themselves as beyond redemption. Even if they acknowledge that their sexuality or gender expression conflicts with God's design, they believe there's nothing they can do—they're condemned from birth because this is who they are. 

Some branches of Christianity have tried to address this by either affirming people in their confusion or by encouraging celibacy while still affirming LGBTQ identity. This has led to categories like "gay Christians," where the desire is unacted upon but still claimed as part of one's identity. 

But this is where the Apostle Paul's warning to Timothy is deeply relevant. In 2 Timothy 3:5, he describes people who have "the appearance of godliness, but deny its power." They profess faith and keep religious traditions, but their lives are untouched by the transforming power of the gospel. Their version of Christianity manages sin—it doesn't conquer it. 

But the true gospel doesn't just clean up the outside—it makes us new from the inside out. It doesn't just offer new ideas—it creates new people. True Christianity isn't a man with better behaviour. It's a new man with a new heart. 

Without Christ, we are all sexually immoral—whether heterosexual or homosexual. We all carry false, broken identities—whether straight or LGBTQ. But no one is beyond redemption. No sin is too deep. No identity is too ingrained. The gospel is powerful enough to save and transform anyone. 

The whole idea of "I was born this way, I'll die this way" is a satanic lie. God is mighty to forgive, redeem, and transform sinners like you and me.

8. When Niceness Replaces Holiness 

We live in a time where "being nice" has become an unofficial 11th commandment—if not the commandment that trumps all others. Niceness is seen by many as the ultimate sign of holiness. The more spiritual, the more Christian, the more filled with the Spirit you are—the nicer you must be. And this has become a major loophole that the Pride movement exploits, either to influence churches or render them silent and ineffective. 

Whenever a Christian exposes the lies of the Pride movement or raises biblical concerns, someone inevitably pushes back—not with Scripture, but with the accusation that we're "not being nice"—as if that's the ultimate failure. Even some conservative Christians fall into this trap, believing we should do whatever it takes to be liked by society and that the lack of niceness is harming our witness. 

Now, of course, Christians should not make it their aim to be rude or harsh—that's just another form of misplaced focus. Our calling is not to be liked or disliked but to be holy, faithful, and loving. Whether we're perceived as nice or abrasive is ultimately irrelevant. 

Niceness—being pleasant, polite, and agreeable—is subjective. It changes with the culture. What was once considered kind may now be labelled offensive. If we anchor our conduct in public opinion, we'll drift with every cultural current. But God's Word calls us to stand firm. 

Conclusion

So, how should Christians live and speak during Pride Month—and the rest of the year? We must be a faithful presence wherever God has placed us. We are to speak the truth of Scripture without shame, be courageous in the face of opposition, and show compassion to those in darkness. We extend love and mercy not because it's deserved but because Christ extended it to us. 

This is not an ideological war; it's a spiritual rescue. We're not trying to make people conservative. We're pleading with them to come out of darkness into the kingdom of Christ. And rescues, by nature, aren't always nice. 

May God grant us clarity in this confused age and help us be truly faithful to Him.