GAY TRUTH

Since many ancient peoples practiced homosexuality, what role should the Bible ’s negative view about homosexuality have in modern thinking and culture? The Revisionist Answer Homosexuality existed in many ancient cultures, including Egypt, Greece , and Rome . We can learn from these ancient cultures how to be tolerant of homosexuality alongside heterosexuality. These cultures should contribute to our culture as much as Jewish-Christian views. The Biblical Answer All ancient societies whose laws we have discovered restricted homosexual behavior , even though there usually was a level of acceptance. More to the point is the truism that any culture must be wary of tinkering with its foundational ethical underpinnings by embracing other societies’ standards. Other cultures have influenced modern Western culture , yet the morality of the West has flowed from a biblical ethic. Ancient cultures embraced slavery, recreational drugs and alcohol abuse, abortion, the killing of th...

From the statue in Rome. The Emperor Nero. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Given that the gay marriage agenda will be increasingly pressed upon all churches by the state, we should be much more aware of what history has to teach us about gay marriage—given that we don’t want to be among those who, ignorant of history, blithely condemned themselves to repeat it. Contrary to the popular view—both among proponents and opponents—gay marriage is not a new issue. It cannot be couched (by proponents) as a seamless advance on the civil rights movement, nor should it be understood (by opponents) as something that’s evil merely because it appears to them to be morally unprecedented. Gay marriage was—surprise!—alive and well in Rome , celebrated even and especially by select emperors, a spin-off of the general cultural affirmation of Roman homosexuality. Gay marriage was, along with homosexuality, something the first Christians faced as part of the pagan moral darkness of their time. Wh...