The Church and the ‘Clobber Scriptures’ — The Bible on Homosexuality
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...