Deviant

There's a word. Try that on for size. "Deviant." Just makes you shiver a little, doesn't it? "Ewww, deviant." Not a positive thing. Funny how some words produce a gut response like that. So when I say that homosexual behavior or transgender stuff is "sexually deviant," I manage to produce just such a response, right? For one side, it's "Hey! Who are you calling 'sexually deviant'?" For the other it's "Oh, yeah, that is seriously deviant." And it's a little bit funny because all I actually said was that homosexual behavior or transgender behavior are things that are "differing from a norm." If "norm" is the general level or average and less than 5% of the population are homosexual or transgender, it is an unavoidable conclusion that 5% falls outside of "average" and must be said to be differing from the norm. And since both are sexual in nature, they should be understood as "sexually deviant." So it's only that gut response of ours that makes it a point of contention.

Of course, whether or not LGBT(etc) is regarded as "sexually deviant" is not my point. My point is that "deviant," while almost universally regarded as "evil," is not, by definition, the case. If "deviant" simply means "outside the norm," I would argue that in some cases it would actually be good. I believe it would even commanded by God.

"Uh, oh," I can hear some saying, "Stan has gone around the bend. God commands us to be sexually deviant?" Well, no, that's not what I said. And, yes, He commands us to be deviant. Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matt 7:13-14). Do you see that word "few"? That equates to "not average; not normal." "Many" means that a large number go one way while "few" says that a small number go the other. That is a deviation from the norm. Be deviant. Paul, quoting God in the Old Testament, told the Corinthians, "Go out from their midst, and be separate from them" (2 Cor 6:17). That's not the norm; that's a deviation from the norm. Be deviant. Jesus said, "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" (Matt 16:24). That is definitely not normal. Be deviant. John warned, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). That is definitely not mainstream. Be deviant. We are commanded, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves" (Php 2:3). That's barely even human. Humans are by nature all about "looking out for #1." Well, don't. Be deviant.

There is so much of this in Scripture that it's impossible to avoid. We who follow Christ are not supposed to be like everyone else. We're supposed to be distinct, different. We're supposed to be deviant ... in a good way. We're supposed to not be like the world that hates God (Rom 8:7). We're supposed to deviate from those norms of sin and depravity. So, it doesn't always hold true that "deviant" means "evil." Christians, if they follow Christ, must be deviant. If you're not, you're not following Christ.