What the apostle Paul warned about nearly 2,000 years ago is not some distant theological concept. The “great falling away” he described is no longer creeping in quietly. It is brazen, public and increasingly wrapped in the language of spirituality.
Each news cycle brings fresh evidence that many who once claimed the name of Jesus have abandoned the authority of Scripture, rejected the lordship of Jesus Christ and replaced repentance with self-worship. What was once unthinkable is now celebrated, often from pulpits that still dare to call themselves churches.
As reported by Fox News, progressive churches in Colorado and Washington are hosting drag-themed Christmas events that openly mock and reimagine the Nativity itself.
Foothills Unitarian Church in Fort Collins, Colorado, hosted “A Drag Christmas Spectacular,” advertised as “a joyful, irreverent reimagining of the nativity story that celebrates queer joy, chosen family, and the power of love and acceptance.”
Promotional material for the event declares, “Get ready for the ultimate festive extravaganza with ‘A Drag Christmas Spectacular,’ where magical Queers will slay their way to Bethlehem.” The event website also warns that the show contains adult themes and is recommended for ages 16 and older.
The pastor behind the Colorado event made no attempt to hide the theological inversion taking place. Rev. Sean Neil-Barron told Colorado Public Radio that the show was created in response to what he described as anti-LGBTQ legislation. “What if we created this queer little oasis, this little queer sacred space at the holidays for folks to come and see their lives and their community lifted up as worthy, which is so needed right now?” he said.
He went further, recasting the Magi not as seekers of Christ but as symbols of sexual identity exploration, asking, “Instead of just finding Jesus, what if they actually stumbled upon queer people coming alive, being born again, claiming joy, claiming hope, claiming resilience?”
This is not contextualization. It is substitution. Christ is no longer the object of worship but a backdrop, a prop to elevate human desire and identity. The gospel is not expanded here; it is erased. When the Nativity becomes a vehicle for self-affirmation rather than the incarnation of God in the flesh, the message of salvation has been replaced with another gospel entirely.
The same pattern is unfolding in Seattle. Emmaus Table, an LGBTQ-affirming spiritual community connected to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, hosted a drag-inspired Christmas production titled “Drag Church: The Yassification of Ebenezer Scrooge.”
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According to the event description, “The Yassification of Ebenezer Scrooge is a traditional Christmas pageant reimagined through a queer lens.” Attendees were told they would follow Scrooge as he is guided by “three drag queen spirits” who help him “release shame and anger, embrace his true self, and rediscover the joy of community.” Organizers described the event as “spiritually-inclusive” and “family-friendly.”
None of this should shock anyone who takes Scripture seriously. Paul warned that deception would come not only from outside the church but also from within it. Apostasy does not announce itself as rebellion. It cloaks itself in compassion, inclusion and love while denying the very truth that gives those words meaning. These events are not harmless expressions of creativity. They are deliberate distortions of sacred truths, stripping Jesus Christ of His authority and recasting Him as optional, symbolic or irrelevant.
Behind these spectacles is a deeper spiritual reality that must not be ignored. Scripture is clear that there are spiritual forces at work seeking to deceive, distort and draw people away from the truth. The goal is not simply provocation. It is dethronement. When Christ is removed from the center, something else will always take His place.
The response, however, is not hatred toward the people involved. We are commanded to love our neighbors and pray for those who are deceived. Many participating in these events are not enemies but captives of a lie.
At the same time, love does not mean silence. The church must pray fervently, stand firm and confront the spiritual forces pulling the strings behind these movements. The deception thrives where there is no resistance. Truth, spoken boldly and lived faithfully, remains the antidote.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
