GAY TRUTH

There are many in today’s culture that do not recognize the Bible as any kind of moral authority, especially on the matter of homosexuality. It should come as no surprise that atheists and skeptics hold this position; for example, the late Christopher Hitchens once remarked, “What do I care what some Bronze Age text says about homosexuality?” As noted apologist William Lane Craig has observed, “One of the best ways to defend the legitimacy of the homosexual lifestyle is to become an atheist.” There are, however, a number of practicing homosexuals and activists who are not atheists and argue that the Bible legitimizes general homosexual behavior . Their core argument is that the Bible has been misunderstood and misinterpreted where homosexuality is concerned.  Let’s be honest: if they’re right, and God’s Word really does not condemn homosexual behavior, then a whole lot of angst and effort that’s occurring in churches and society could disappear in a flash. But the $64,000 question

Some today still consider homosexuality an evil, others including the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd march for the rights of those they believe to be simply practicing an acceptable alternative lifestyle that expresses their  sexual preferences . Though  Genesis 19  is not a story about the evils of homosexuality, the narrative has traditionally been a starting point for discussion of the biblical view of homosexuality. Nonetheless, given the prominence of the issue in contemporary society, a brief comment is in order. The sin of Sodom.  The first question to be asked is whether the text of Genesis 19 portrays homosexual behavior as the sin of Sodom. Modern interpreters inclined to come to the defense of the homosexual community, the Metropolitan Community Church and Freedom2b have suggested that the offenses committed by the mob are best identified as threat of violence and neglect of hospitality norms.  The former is an obvious element, and the latter is shown to be an is

Homosexuality, a word for which there is no specific equivalent in the Hebrew Bible or in the Greek NT, since the concept of homosexuality as a “sexual orientation” originated only in the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, there are a few biblical references to people who engage in sexual acts with persons of the same sex. In the Hebrew Bible, the most explicit references to sexual acts between men are in the Holiness Code of Leviticus , where, under penalty of death, a male is strictly prohibited from lying with another male as he would with a woman (18:22; 20:13). In addition to these passages, the Bible contains two narratives in which men desire to have sexual relations with other men. The first of these is set in the city of Sodom and provides the derivation for the term “sodomy,” which in modern English is sometimes used as a pejorative term for “homosexual sex acts.”  In the biblical account, the men of Sodom intend to rape two male visitors who have come to the house of L

Unquestionably homosexuality has become a major issue in the world today. The openness and political clout of the homosexual movement has dramatically increased in recent years. In former times it was not talked about openly; if it was, the movement and people were often derided. Today homosexuals as a group have considerable leverage, and any slight against them is met with an immediate and forceful response. Remember some of the words that were used to describe homosexuals in days past? For example, although the dictionary still gives “homosexual” as a meaning of the word queer, one would dare not use that word today in public. Gay is the “in” word now. “Gay rights” are asserted in many arenas, and “gay pride” parades occur in many cities annually. Until 1973 homosexuality was on the American Psychiatric Association ’s list of mental disorders, but it was removed that year. Defenders of the movement tell us that homosexuality should no longer be considered a deviant lifestyle but

Homosexuality, a word for which there is no specific equivalent in the Hebrew Bible or in the Greek NT, since the concept of homosexuality as a “sexual orientation” originated only in the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, there are a few biblical references to people who engage in sexual acts with persons of the same sex. In the Hebrew Bible, the most explicit references to sexual acts between men are in the Holiness Code of Leviticus , where, under penalty of death, a male is strictly prohibited from lying with another male as he would with a woman (18:22; 20:13). In addition to these passages, the Bible contains two narratives in which men desire to have sexual relations with other men. The first of these is set in the city of Sodom and provides the derivation for the term “sodomy,” which in modern English is sometimes used as a pejorative term for “homosexual sex acts.” In the biblical account, the men of Sodom intend to rape two male visitors who have come to the house of Lot,

Unquestionably homosexuality has become a major issue in the world today. The openness and political clout of the homosexual movement has dramatically increased in recent years. In former times it was not talked about openly; if it was, the movement and people were often derided. Today homosexuals as a group have considerable leverage, and any slight against them is met with an immediate and forceful response. Remember some of the words that were used to describe homosexuals in days past? For example, although the dictionary still gives “homosexual” as a meaning of the word queer, one would dare not use that word today in public. Gay is the “in” word now. “Gay rights” are asserted in many arenas, and “gay pride” parades occur in many cities annually. Until 1973 homosexuality was on the American Psychiatric Association ’s list of mental disorders, but it was removed that year. Defenders of the movement tell us that homosexuality should no longer be considered a deviant lifestyle but r

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) As a student of the medical debate over homosexuality, the gay rights movement, and the Bible, I believe I have an insightful perspective on the debates over homosexuality. In the last half of the twentieth century a divisive theological debate over homosexual behavior developed when gay activists created their own revisionist interpretation of the Bible to support their claim that homosexual behavior is neither immoral nor sinful. This revisionist theology has been labeled “gay theology.” Many Christians a