When being relevant isn't enough

From Carl Trueman at Reformation21. This is in response to the huge stir- up Barrack Obama has caused by inviting Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inaguration.

What is becoming increasingly clear is that the day is probably not far off when those who regard homosexual practice as wrong will be consistently presented as the moral, cultural and intellectual equivalents of white supremacists.  Al Mohler (who seems to have spent the whole week writing or speaking on the issues of Lisa Miller and Rick Warren) has pointed out that this issue is set to shatter any possibility of traditional, biblical Christians being considered cool.   You can have the hippest soul patch in town, and quote Coldplay lyrics till the cows come home; but oppose homosexuality and the only television program interested in having you appear will soon be The Jerry Springer Show when the audience has become bored of baiting the Klan crazies.  Indeed, evangelicals will be the new freaks.

 I have been thinking over the last year on Christianity and culture. D.A. Carson poses a very interesting question in his book on the subject. Paraphrasing it, the question is this: would C.S. Lewis have been the way he was had he been raised in the killing fields of Cambodia instead of England? Why that matters to this issue is that no matter how comfortable we are in this culture, it's changing. A changing culture will require us move differently. Trueman believes we have  a few options.
1. We could give into the cultural impetus to accept a lifestyle that is un-biblical (which some have done). I should add, that just because we don't accept said lifestyle does not  mean we can't be friends, nice or have to ignore those who are gay (If we did how would we witness to them?).
2. Completely demonize people who are gay and reduce them to a concept, a label or their orientation alone-like these people do (I might add, this is horrible). As Trueman says, people are more complex than that. 

So what do we do? I would suggest we pray and love our neighbors. In tough times, Peter had these words:

13Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
 --1 Peter3:15-17