This mini profile was made as part of our look at the “2024 Exiles in Babylon Conference” and Max Lucado’s involvement in that conference. Click here for the main article on that story.
Unlike other mini profiles, where we provide four to five bullet points, this one will focus mostly on two clips originally attained by Woke Preacher Clips that demonstrate the questionable teachings of Art Pereira. But who is Art Pereira? Art is a “celibate gay man” and Director of Events and Partnerships for Revoice.
- First, it is important to know what Revoice is, which is an “organization whose mission is to support and encourage gay, lesbian, bisexual, and other same-sex attracted Christians… so that all in the Church might be empowered to live in gospel unity while observing the historic Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality.” It promotes the idea that one can be “LGBT,” yet not surrender that to Christ. AKA: your identity as an “LBGT” person is superior to your identity in Christ (or Christ’s power to overcome sin)
- Art longs for a normal marital relationship, and thus a normal sexual relationship. He is unwilling to pursue that, instead inventing a surrogate “chosen brother” (sometimes called a “covenant friendship”) relationship to fill a role it cannot possibly fill. How could it? The marriage covenant is a different type of relationship, one that cannot be substituted for another. It is more than friendship, or brother-sister familial relationships in Christ. What’s more, the Bible does not separate marriage from sexuality. Sex is a part of that relationship, so to seek a surrogate relationship necessitates that you find a surrogate for the sexual aspects as well.
- Keep in mind Art’s words as you watch the below clips: “As I realized I’d be pursuing celibacy, my dreams of my own ‘family,’ the household I’d imagined for myself, evaporated. I found myself asking ‘will I have no family?’ ”
As should be evident, Art has a warped view of sexuality, marriage, friendship, and family. (both physical and spiritual) This is a highly confused man, and prayer should be made for him.
