Richard Dawkins once wrote, “Although atheism might have been logically tenable before Darwin, Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.” That’s because prior to Darwin, naturalists didn’t have a credible alternative to the biblical creation model. Along comes Charles Darwin and proposes an explanation of how life emerged on earth without appealing to God. Naturalists eagerly accepted Darwin’s account, making their worldview more complete and justified.
This reminds me of a similar phenomenon occurring with many believers who have friends or family who identify as gay. Up until the last 30 years, Christians believed they only had two options. One, they could agree with Scripture that homosexual behavior was sin. This meant, in their mind, they were not loving towards their gay friends or family. Two, they could dismiss or downplay the biblical prohibition of homosexuality. This approach, however, didn’t feel like they were being faithful to Scripture. Neither option was ideal.
Along comes pro-gay theology and offers them a third way to maintain fidelity to their faith and their gay friend or family. Rather than accepting Scripture’s straightforward (and exegetically sound) teaching on homosexuality, some believers embraced a new interpretation. It requires hermeneutical gymnastics to try to make it work, which is one reason why I reject it. Nevertheless, many Christians are looking for a way to harmonize their Christian faith with their desire to condone homosexual behavior. While Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist, pro-gay theology has made it possible to be gay-affirming Christian.