GAY TRUTH

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 Sexual relations between people of the same sex. When discussing homosexuality, the biblical emphasis is on behavior, and the verdict is always that it is sinful. Homosexuality is a consequence of rejecting the created order. The prima facie case against homosexuality in the Scripture is found in God ’s creative plan for human sexuality. God created mankind as male and female, to procreate within the context of marriage (Gen. 1:27–28; 2:18–24). This creation order for human sexuality received the endorsement of both the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 10:6–9; Matt. 19:4–6) and the Apostle Paul (Eph. 5:31). On the surface, homosexual behavior should be recognized as sinful because it violates God’s original plan for heterosexual monogamy. Against this background of God’s creation scheme for human sexual expression, Paul makes a theological argument in Rom. 1:18–32 that homosexuality is one consequence of rejecting God as Creator and His created order. Paul indicates that both

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

GENESIS 19:4–5  “The men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them’ Both Lot and Abraham proved themselves to be good hosts in feeding their angelic visitors, but the similarity between these two meetings ends there. Abraham was able to provide a leisurely supper of bread, curds and milk, and meat (Gen. 18:6–8) while his nephew served unleavened bread (19:3b), a staple produced when food is required posthaste. The need for the angels to eat so soon after coming to Lot’s home is another omen that all is not well in Sodom. Today’s passage confirms this conclusion. Lot’s plea for the angels to stay with him (v. 3a) is shown to be borne out of fear for their safety as the men in the city surround his house and demand “to know” his guests (vv. 4–5). “To know” is sometimes a euphemism for sexual intercourse , and th

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 . Sexual desire directed toward members of one’s own sex. Female homosexuality is frequently called lesbianism, from the Island of Lesbos , where the Greek poetess Sappho (reputedly homosexual) lived ca. 600 B.C. Traditionally homosexuality was the sin for which Sodom was destroyed by divine judgment, hence the popular term “sodomy.” This interpretation depends upon uncertain translation, while Ezekiel 16:49–50 and Sirach 16:8–9 give other reasons for the judgment. The assumption of homosexuality in Sodom dates from the Greek occupation of Palestine , when “the Greek sin” seriously endangered Jewish youth and strong scriptural warning was necessary. Homosexuality had been condemned in both Leviticus (18:22; 20:13), where it is abhorrent to God, defiling, punishable by death , and in Deuteronomy (23:18), where it is forbidden to bring the hire of harlot or homosexual (“dog”) into the house of God in payment of religious vows, both being abhorrent to God. It is usually a

Our Lord Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES TO HOMOSEXUALITY In Romans 1:18–32 Paul writes of the wrath of God that has been revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. The reason for His wrath is that people have perverted the revelation of God. This perversion substituted the glory of the true God with gods made in images of people and birds and animals and crawling creatures, which people themselves made. As a result, God passed sentence on the world. Three times Paul says that God gave people over to various lusts and perversions, which include homosexuality and lesbianism (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28). “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due pena

The Destruction Of Sodom And Gomorrah, a painting by John Martin (painter), died 1854, thus 100 years. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) HOMOSEXUALITY Sexual relations between people of the same sex. When discussing homosexuality, the biblical emphasis is on behavior, and the verdict is always that it is sinful. Homosexuality is a consequence of rejecting the created order. The prima facie case against homosexuality in the Scripture is found in God ’s creative plan for human sexuality. God created mankind as male and female, to procreate within the context of marriage (Gen. 1:27–28; 2:18–24). This creation order for human sexuality received the endorsement of both the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 10:6–9; Matt. 19:4–6) and the Apostle Paul (Eph. 5:31). On the surface, homosexual behavior should be recognized as sinful because it violates God’s original plan for heterosexual monogamy. Against this background of God’s creation scheme for human sexual expression, Paul makes a theological argu