Underneath the flourishing of the LGBTQ movement is a worldview that is shared by almost everyone in our culture. This way of looking at life is often called “expressive individualism.” You may not have heard of it before, but as Trevin Wax points out, you have heard it in comments like, “you do you,” “be true to yourself,” “follow your heart,” “find yourself,” “be yourself.” That’s what expressive individualism sounds like in daily life. Can you imagine someone saying to you, “Now it’s really important that you don’t be yourself!” The reason that feels wrong is because expressive individualism is the water we swim in every day.
Furthermore, if you want to help your church know what to make of the LGBTQ movement, as well as their own personal temptations, you’ll want to understand the soil out of which it grows. You will want to make sure your people understand this soil as well.
WHAT IS EXPRESSIVE INDIVIDUALISM?
Let’s stop for a minute and think about what is behind the “you do you” philosophy of expressive individualism. There are several features. I’ll mention three.
First, a person’s true self is located in their feelings. I’ll give an example. If someone
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