Tales From the Crypt

We can’t pretend that homosexuality doesn’t exist in the church. It is time to clean house!
We are living in an era when all kinds of people are “coming out of the closet” to unmask their homosexual identity. Yet, one group of gay men has chosen to remain undercover. In the African American community we call them “down-low brothers.”

Men who live “on the DL,” as we say, appear to be macho on the outside, but they have sex with men in secret. Ironically, these men do not consider themselves gay.

A lot of these men are married–and their wives have no idea their husbands are involved in this behavior. We might be tempted to categorize these men as bisexuals, but I beg to differ. Bisexuality is as much a myth as purgatory is. It does not exist! People who are on the fence regarding this type of sin need to know it’s rooted in perversion.

In the book On the Down Low, a candid look at this phenomenon, author J.L. King says black churches are prime spots for down-low brothers to pick up dates. This sin is occurring in God’s house! You may not believe it, but the evidence is increasing.

I recently traveled with a friend to minister at what we later discovered was a gay-affirming church, pastored by a man I’ll refer to as Rev. X. My friend preached against homosexuality in this church, and Rev. X was highly offended. He told my friend that he does, in fact, celebrate homosexual relationships.

A few weeks later, a young man who used to smoke crack with my husband contacted us. We had not heard from him in years, but he knew that both Ardell and I had become born-again Christians. He called to tell us that he had joined a church. Guess which one? The one led by Rev. X!

Our friend confessed to us that he was still struggling with a cocaine addiction. He also told us that at 4 a.m. that day, while he was standing at a bus stop, a man drove up and asked him for a date. Guess who it was? Rev. X! A pastor was cruising the streets of a city looking for sex with men!

Saints of God, we can no longer pretend that this type of behavior does not exist in the church. Rev. X preaches that homosexuals will not go to hell. After he leaves the pulpit he commits adultery with men. Maybe he believes adulterers have a place in heaven, too?

He claims he is being sensitive to the spiritual needs of homosexuals, but in reality he is a down-low brother. And he has a large following that professes Jesus Christ as Lord.

About a year ago I learned that the pastor of one of the largest churches in the southeastern United States was caught in a homosexual affair. This pastor had sex with another man right in the basement of his church. In the end, the pastor did not lose any members as a result of his actions. In fact, his membership grew!

I believe the heartbreaking reality about these down-low brothers is the trauma they inflict on their wives and families. Because of the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, these women play Russian roulette every time they sleep with their husbands.

Mark 4:22 is the only hope these women have. It says there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, or manifested. The Greek word for “manifested” is kruptos. It refers to things concealed in a crypt.

Down-low brothers live in a crypt intended for dead things. Wherever there are dead things, there is a foul odor–and a foul spirit! And these foul spirits have no place in the house of God. If we tolerate this kind of sexual immorality the stench will spread and affect us all.

It is time to clean the house. There is hope for the down-low brothers, but they first must get out of the crypt. If they refuse, the Bible assures us that their actions will be revealed.

If you are living life on the down low, repent and ask God to deliver you from your perversion. Jesus has the power to take you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.