GAY TRUTH

No, homosexuals , gays, and lesbians should not be put to death. We don't live under the  Old Testament  Law in which the moral and civil requirements are both in effect. Instead, as Christians we are to pray for the salvation of those who are lost in their sexual  sin . We are to treat them with dignity as is befitting people who are made in the  image of God  (Genesis 1:26). However, we are not to support legislation that gives them special rights, nor are we to support a redefinition of  marriage . Furthermore, there is no New Testament admonition to kill homosexuals. In fact, when Jesus dealt with the adulterous woman who, under Old Testament law would've been put to death ( Lev. 20:10), Jesus forgave her and told her to go and sin no more ( John 8:3-11 ).  But then, what do we do about the Bible saying to kill homosexuals? "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be

Matthew Vines  has become a new voice in the homosexual Christian community with a message that promoted homosexual Christianity . In his address, Vine asserted that all the biblical passages dealing with homosexual behavior have been wrongly interpreted and do not prohibit "loving and monogamous homosexual relationships". Vines' argument about the biblical passages that address homosexuality has been heard many times before from people like John Boswell and others. Nonetheless, it is good for Christians to revisit those sections of Scripture and see how Vines' assertions stand up to biblical exegesis. We'll examine two passages in Paul's epistles that deal with homosexuality. Paul's Letters to the Corinthians and Timothy Two of the verses in the New Testament that mention homosexuality are found in Paul's first letters to the Corinthians and Timothy: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God ? Do not be

Homosexuality and the Bible . The Holiness Code in Leviticus makes it clear that male homosexuality is detestable (Lev. 18:22) and punishable by death (20:13). In the former context it is grouped together with adultery, child sacrifice, and bestiality. In the New Testament the treatment is no less harsh. Homosexuality is clearly not one of the practices that Christian liberty or the age of grace made more acceptable. For Paul it represents the epitome of depraved conduct (Rom. 1:24–32). His inclusion of homosexuals in the list of the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9), as well as in the list of those for whom the law serves a necessary and continuing function (1 Tim. 1:10), shows us that his disapproval cannot in any way be viewed as limited to his particular time, culture, or situation. The Bible is clear that homosexual practice is wrong and sinful. It is not just wrong insofar as it is promiscuous. Rather, as with adultery, incest, and bestiality,

Portal of the Church of Pilgrims, in Washington, DC, with a LGBT banner. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Monday’s announcement by Jason Collins that he is gay is the latest example of the homosexual “issue” being elevated into the secular marketplace. The new normal is for homosexuals to announce their sexual identity , and then receive affirmation for their bravery, boldness, and honesty from their co-workers and clients (or, in the case of Collins, journalists). This puts Christians with secular jobs in a predicament. Most believers understand perfectly well the concept of hate the sin and love the sinner. But that concept is more and more being seen as inadequate simply because homosexuals often perceive their sexual orientation as their identity, thus rendering any attempt to love the sinner while hating the sin as contradictory. The difficulty is compounded for believers who work with, for, or around those who are openly homosexual. How should Christians respond to those in the

John Piper (theologian) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In modern cultures, every Christian is faced with the problem of homosexuality. Churches are pulled into the tension, too, because “there is  no demilitarized zone  in the homosexual debate.” Shrugging isn’t an option. The implications are all around us, in schools, in politics, in denominational tensions, and — maybe most importantly — in determining how the Church lives out her faithful witness to a culture in desperate need of Christ. With the marriage amendment on the Minnesota ballot, and with a growing list of personal questions, I contacted Dr. Robert Gagnon, a professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and a man who has for many years bravely addressed homosexuality from a biblical and theological perspective. In 2002 he published the 500-page book  The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics . A decade later his work remains the most thoroughly exegetical and hermeneutical book

Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum. Illustration from photograph © 1999 Greg Reeder. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) When the Bible, in part or in whole, is dismissed as “clobber Scriptures,” it is not only the Bible that is subverted, but also the Gospel . The Church must recognize that fact clearly — and fast. Is the Church guilty of beating people with the Bible? As strange as that argument might sound, it is actually a powerful weapon in the hands of those who are determined to normalize homosexuality and same-sex marriage within the Church. Those pushing for the acceptance of homosexuality now argue that Christians opposed to that agenda are “clobbering” sinners with the biblical text. There seems to be no authoritative original source for this very powerful rhetorical innovation, but it has become increasingly popular in recent years, and it is deployed as a way of subverting the Bible’s condemnation of same-gender sexuality. In his new book,  Fall to Grace , Jay Bakker presents a cla

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