The bible and homosexuality

From an exchange on W&T asking me to set out my position on homosexuality (in response to biblical arguments against it).  The asker is an evangelical with a traditional view of homosexuality and the bible which uses certain key texts, particularly in the Old Testament, to argue that it is condemned by God.  I responded:
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I’d [...]

March 2, 2009

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From an exchange on W&T asking me to set out my position on homosexuality (in response to biblical arguments against it).  The asker is an evangelical with a traditional view of homosexuality and the bible which uses certain key texts, particularly in the Old Testament, to argue that it is condemned by God.  I responded:

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I’d sum up my position by saying that I don’t think that a biblical case for homosexuality can be made. Neither can one be made against it, because a proper understanding of the books of the bible lead to the inescapable conclusion that the bible was not written to us today but to the Jewish people (largely) in an entirely different context, and the texts represent the views of the authors and the expectations of those readers. In other words, even if you can make the case that homosexuality is explicitly condemned in the bible (and many people think it is not), you still can’t convince me that because Moses thought it wrong, we should think it wrong.

The bible accepts many sexual practices that we condemn, and it condemns many sexual practices that we accept. The bible says brides who are discovered not to be virgins should be executed. (Deut 22) The bible demands we kill adulterers. (Duet 22) The bible condemns divorce. (Mark 10) The bible prohibits sex during a woman’s period. (Lev 18) The bible says that if a man dies before he has any kids, his wife should sleep around with all of his brothers until she gets pregnant. (Mark 12) The bible says that if two men are fighting and one of their wives grabs the genitals of her husband’s enemy, her hand should be cut off. (Duet 25)

Now it seems to me, OT, that if you want to use what the authors of the bible say (in writing to their audiences, largely the Jewish people in the Middle East thousands of years ago) against homosexual people today, then you need to be consistent and thorough in the execution of that theology. Do you accept that, in order to be consistent here, you should be implementing all of the above (only a small sample)?

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4 Comments

  1. Carl Betis on March 27, 2009 | Permalink

    Let’s look at a couple of verses from the New Testament. The verse was written by Paul the Apostle to the church in Corinth. This earth is spinning 66,000 MPH around the sun! If there is no one in charge we are in trouble because there is no one in the driver’s seat; and if there is someone in charge we are still in trouble because we will answer to Him one day. We then had better figure out who He is and what He want. As I write the verse out I will explain what the words mean.

    “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? (God here is talking about heaven and those who will not be allowed in) Be not deceived: neither fornicators (this is all sex sin! The touching, the petting the necking; this is the Greek word pornos), nor idolaters (this is anything placed above God in life: entertainment, relationships. An idol is something you bow down and worship: like money or any object that is not living that you would place above the Living God.), nor adulterers (this is not only the actual act that God hates but in Matthew 5:28 Jesus said that whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her in his heart hath committed adultery with her already!), nor effeminate (this word means an uncertain identity as far as male or female, or opposite gender like in appearance. Women should not dress, act or appear in any way shape or form like a male and vice-versa, because God created us separate and distinct. He created Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve.) , nor abusers of themselves with mankind, (this word mean sodomite which if you know your Bible history God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire from heaven because the both cities were full of homosexuals.)

    Nor thieves (have you ever stole anything? no matter how big or little?), nor covetous (have you ever wanted something that was not yours?), nor drunkards (have you ever been tipsy from beer or wine before?), nor revilers (have you ever been abusive in your words or actions?), nor extortioners (have you ever had a greedy action or thought?), shall inherit the kingdom of God. (If you have answered yes to any of these questions you will not inherit or obtain or gain access to heaven.)

    A liar is put in the same place as a homosexual: hell! No matter what our sin is we will not inherit the kingdom of God. Why? Because we are all sinners and since God is a holy and righteous judge he cannot pardon your sin. For example I killed your family, 10 years latter I was finally caught, thrown before a judge. You were there and the judgment was set – the death penalty! But then I started my plea for mercy “Judge I have joined a church, sold all I had and given it the poor, all my money I give to the church, I have been baptized and I read the Bible every day!” If the judge was righteous what should be my penalty? Death! And death will be our doom for our sin forever in a place called hell.

    Church membership will not save you; baptism will not save you, reading the Bible will not save you, giving your money to a church will not save you from the penalty of your sins. “For the waged of sin is death.” But there is good news for liars and homosexuals! Because the end of the verse we looked at end like this…

    “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

    The only way we can be pardoned from the penalty of our sins, is to accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour. He died over 2,000 years ago for the sins of the entire world! “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

    “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

    “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

    Today you can trust Jesus to forgive you or your sins; the sin could be stealing, the sin could be homosexuality, but God loves you and wants to forgive you. All you have to do is ask. Have you asked Jesus to forgive you or your sins?

    In Christ,

    Pastor Bettis

    Graduate of: West Coast Baptist College

  2. John Wright on March 31, 2009 | Permalink

    Pastor Bettis,

    I’m glad you remember what you learned in Seminary. But it isn’t quite that simple! People disagree over what the bible means by this or that, and how much of it can simply be cut and pasted into the application of modern life without any cultural, contextual reinterpretation.

    Basically, you’ve quoted from a letter written by an early Christian leader to a small church he planted in Greece while living there for 18 months almost 2000 years ago, and you’ve taken it to be the words of God himself to everyone, everywhere in every time since. That is not sensible. Paul was reflecting many of the cultural standards of his time, and speaking to many of the problems in Corinth specifically, which lends the text certain attributes we need to think about when reading it.

    As for reading it as the words of GOD, later in the same letter Paul admits himself that he isn’t always writing on behalf of God… which would appear to contradict that theory.

  3. KingRupertPupkin on April 14, 2009 | Permalink

    “This earth is spinning 66,000 MPH around the sun! If there is no one in charge we are in trouble because there is no one in the driver’s seat; and if there is someone in charge we are still in trouble because we will answer to Him one day”!

    What a depressing outlook on life.

  4. John on April 23, 2009 | Permalink

    Yup.

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