Debating Bible Verses On Homosexuality
Two evangelical authors offer conflicting interpretations about well-known passages on homosexuality.Related Article
The debate over gay marriage is not just taking place in the nations courts it is also a subject of intense discussion in the nations churches.
Matthew Vines, an openly gay, evangelical Christian and the author of God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, has been actively encouraging conservative Christians to re-evaluate their beliefs about homosexuality. He has engaged them in private conversations, in public talks and through the organization he founded, the Reformation Project.
He was recently invited by the Rev. Caleb Kaltenbach, lead pastor of Discovery Church in Simi Valley, Calif,, to talk privately with a small group of evangelical leaders to discuss what the Bible says about gay relationships. Mr. Kaltenbach is the author of the forthcoming book Messy Grace, which is about how he reconciles his conservative Christian convictions with his experience as the child of gay parents.
After the session, they were each asked to interpret some of the most cited verses relating to homosexuality in the Bible.
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Raising A Strong Daughter In A Toxic Culture: 11 Steps To Keep Her Happy Healthy And Safe
Meg Meeker has been a pediatrician for more than thirty years, is a mother and a grandmother, and has seen it all. She knows what makes for strong, happy, healthy young womenand what puts our daughters at risk. Combining that experience with her famous common sense, she explains the eleven steps that will help your daughterwhether shes a toddler or a troubled teento achieve her full human potential.
God Is The Highest Authority
Our personalities, inclinations, reactions, orientations, viewpoints, opinions etc. are complex. Some of these are hardwired in our genes, whereas others are influenced by our environment, circumstances, education, upbringing, and other factors.
Societies, cultures and norms are continuously changing and evolving, but God and His Word and the Spirit in the Word remain unchanged. When God specifically forbade homosexual activity and other sexual immorality, it wasnt because He was unenlightened, naïve, or intolerant. The law was given because people had strayed from His original purpose and blessing. What was immoral by Gods standards then has not become moral today just because the majority tolerates and accepts it.
We are fortunate in this day and age that human rights and freedoms have been in focus, clamping down on oppression, abuse and injustice. Every person has the right to choose their own faith, outlook on life and way of life, and that must be respected. However, if we want to live as believing Christians, Gods Word cannot be ignored. The Bible gives us many promises, but also conditions, for a good and happy life. God is our Creator, and it is only His will, as expressed in the Bible, that is unchanging and perfect in time and eternity.
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Christians: Focus More On The Gospel Less On Politics
When biblical truth resonates and takes root, people escape sin’s entrapment and begin living in true freedom as God defines it in Scripture. As a by-product, there can be a reversal of the moral decline in society. That said, saving society is not the Christian’s primary calling. Telling people the gospel of salvation is.
Rather than over-emphasize political action, Christians need to major on compassionately proclaiming the gospel. The failed “Moral Majority” experiment of the 1970s-80s showed us that shrill debates and top-down legislation of Christian virtues don’t lead to lasting change in the hearts of people.
This is not to say that it’s unimportant for Christians to participate in the political process. We should be good citizens, not merely values voters. As citizens, we can and should call for biblical morality to be reflected in our laws. As mentioned above, someone’s version of morality is going to be codified into law. Bible-believing Christians should be involved in their local communities as both good citizens and faithful proclaimers of the good news of salvation in Christ. In the end, the Holy Spirit uses no other means besides the gospel to “turn the switch on” in people’s hearts and illumine the truth, beauty, and love of Christ. As we proclaim Him, we leave the work of changing other people’s hearts in His hands.
Alex Crain is the editor of Christianity.com.You can RSS his blog and follow him on Twitter .
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A Biblical Defense Of Heterosexuality
Before we talk about how we can share the gospel with members of the LGBT community we must make sure that we have a correct understanding of Biblical sexuality. This is the foundation upon which we stand. That being said, while the sin of homosexuality can stand in the way of the gospel, winning the biblical argument doesnt mean a person will believe in Jesus.
As we look at the Bible it doesnt take long to find out that the sexuality of mankind as a central part of creation. If we read through the account of the creation of Adam and Eve it seems that Moses goes out of his way to show the differences between the sexes and that these differences were good and they were determined by God himself.
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It Is Just A Matter Of Time Before The Lgbt Openly Label These Churches As Bigoted Homophobic Institutions That Are Breaking Discrimination Laws
by Pete Ketcham
It is somewhat amazing how far and fast the LGBT community has been able to exert their influence and agenda across the nation In the last ten years.
There is no state or national politician that will criticize them, nor openly work against their agenda. The entire mainstream news media, Hollywood, Democrat party, and academia are 100% in support of the LGBT agenda.
It is hard to believe that such a small minority that makes up the LGBT, could dominate the political and social culture of this nation, but they do. They can stop businesses like Chick-Fill-A from locating new restaurants, make corporations, public schools, and numerous public buildings permit men to use womens restrooms.
They can also make public schools permit men/boys to participate in womens sports. Their biggest political accomplishment was to legalize same sex marriage, overturning the entire history of mankind, and the laws of Gods nature.
As a consequence of making gay marriage legal, they have been successfully in getting state legislatures to pass unconstitutional discrimination laws that require christian owned bakeshops, print shops, photographers, wedding chapels, and others to participate in same sex weddings, or face excessive fines or prison.
One must wonder how this perverse degenerate minority was able to gain such tremendous political and cultural influence in this christian nation in such a short time.
The Queen James Bible
After hearing such self-justifications, many pro-family Christians wonder what bible the homophiles are getting their information from.
Believe it or not, there is an actual Gay Bible. The Queen James Version alters the eight verses in the 1769 King James Version that deal with homosexuality in a way that makes homophobic interpretations impossible.2
A person may disagree with the Bible on what it says about homosexuality, but it is just flat dishonest to produce a new version and then pretend that it is genuine. Perhaps this is why the editors of the Queen James Bible have wisely chosen to remain anonymous.
In reality, few sins are condemned by the Bible as explicitly as sodomy. Both the Old and New Testaments contain passages stating quite plainly that people who engage in homosexual activity will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
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The Spiritual Battle For Your Marriage
God designed marriage to reflect His love to the world and because of this, the enemy wants to destroy Gods beautiful design. Based on his book, Defending Your Marriage, Dr. Tim and Noreen Muehlhoff share about the reality of spiritual warfare against marriages, and how to combat the enemys lies with the truth of God. Couples will be encouraged that theyre not alone in the fight for a godly marriage and better equipped to be a shining example for the world around them.
Bible Verses That Have Been Used To Condemn Lgbtq People
When seeking to understand any Bible verse, it is important to know the context of the verse, as well as how the verse has been translated from the original language. The following are points to consider when thinking about the verses that have been used to justify prohibitions on same-sex marriage and full participation in church community for LGBTQ people. Nowhere in the Bible, taken in its original language and context, is there a prohibition against loving, consensual same-sex relationships, nor against people living as their authentic genders.
Genesis 19:1-13 The Sodom & Gomorrah story is preceded by examples of Abraham and Lot being very welcoming to strangers. The lack of hospitality and the desire to do violence to the visitors were considered grave transgressions, regardless of the gender of the visitors. The reference in Jude 1:7 to strange flesh likely refers to the fact that the angels they wanted to assault were not human. Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned they did not help the poor and needy.
Romans 1:26-27 Here, Paul is condemning the sinful and harmful acts he perceives in Roman culture at the time. Since same-gender and non-heterosexual attractions are natural, this condemnation is not directed at LGBTQ people.
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Is This Hate Speech
Federal Reserve leadership and Barack Obama have turned truth upside down. Saying so may result in being wrongly accused of “hate speech” by the modern-day thought police. But the truth is, to refrain from speaking out about moral decay is actually hateful, fearful non-speech. Each of us will face God in judgment. Hebrews 10:31 says, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” And 2 Corinthians 5:11 says, “Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade ” to “repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” .
But as you read all of these things, here are a few points to keep in mind about genuine Christians:
Because Everyone Falls Short Of Gods Standard
We all started off dead in sins and trespasses. Not kind of dead or almost dead. All the way dead. We were so dead that God couldnt fix us or heal us, he had to give us a new birth so we would be a new creation.
For there is no distinction to be made anywhere: everyone has sinned, everyone falls short of the beauty of Gods plan.
Sin is falling short of the beauty of Gods plan. We have all sinned. We all sin. We all fall short. Its like in archery when you nock the arrow and draw the bow to aim at the target and find its not 100 feet or 100 miles, but more than 100-million miles away on the surface of the moon. Theres no way a human being can hit that mark. So, God did it for us.
For everyone has sinned we all fall short of Gods glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
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Embracing Your Role As A Spouse
As a spouse, you have three roles to playa friend, a partner, and a lover. On this one-day Focus on the Family broadcast, Pastor Kevin A. Thompson explores those different roles and challenges you to live them out by investing emotionally, physically, and mentally in your relationship. As friends, he suggests we learn to play and laugh together. As partners, he equips us with solid ways to handle conflict and communication. As lovers, he offers some thoughts on how to bring back the sizzle. He shares five keys to saving your marriage: humility, respect, mercy, communication, and resilience. Youll be encouraged to intentionally invest in your marriage.
What The Objection Really Is: Power
For every verse that anti-LGBTQ Christians say condemns homosexuality, there are a dozen that clearly condemn something we support or support something we condemn .
You could go back and forth proof texting with your parent or your pastor or yourself all day long and it wont get you anywhere.
Heres why it works: anti-LGBTQ Christianity isnt really about the Bible or Gods will at all.
It works because there has been a pervasive idea that LGBTQ are sick and perverted. It relies on the ew factor and then asks you to take a few vague passages from the Bible out of context to condemn every queer person in a way that would never work for say, wearing clothes with mixed fabrics, what to do in response to rape, or even getting a divorce.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 7 that by their fruits you will recognize whether a religious teaching is true or not.
The fruits of anti-LGBTQ theology reveal its falseness: depression, despair, suicide, fractured families, loss of faith, bullying, harassment.
The fruits of affirming theology testify to its rightness: a return to faith, a healing of relationships, and a vibrance and resurgence in church life.
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Lusts And Sexual Immorality
Our sex drive is not a sin. But sexual desires outside marriage between a man and a woman are what the Bible calls lusts, and giving in to them is sin. This includes premarital sex, extramarital sex, giving in to impure sexual thoughts, and practicing homosexuality. This is described in both the Old and the New Covenants. Some of these verses are listed at the end of this article.
Praying Scripture Over Your Childs Life
Jodie Berndt loves to pray for her children. Shes been doing that for the past thirty years. Now she helps other parents to talk to God, asking for the salvation of their kids, and for wisdom, self-discipline, purpose, a future and much more. She offers fun and practical encouragement that moms and dads can put to work immediately in their daily lives as they prepare their children for a life in Christ.
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The 6 Bible Verses On Homosexuality And Differing Interpretations
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There are six direct references to homosexuality in the Bible — three in the Old Testament and three in the New Testament.
Some Biblical scholars say the passages needs to be taken at face value. Other theologians say it’s much more complicated.
Here are the references and what scholars say, based on Kalamazoo Gazette interviews with theologians from Notre Dame, Western Michigan and Central Michigan universities, Kalamazoo and Calvin colleges.
Genesis 19: The story of Sodom and Gomorrah
This has been held up as a cautionary tale about the sinfulness of homosexuality. However, many scholars point to Ekezial 16:49 as indicating that the cities were destroyed by God for not helping the poor and needy. Some also say the sinful sex occurring in Sodom and Gomorrah was rape, which means it doesn’t apply to teachings on consensual same-sex relationships.
Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13
The Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament has two references condemning homosexuality: “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman that is detestable” and “If a man lies with a man as one lies with woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death their blood will be on their own heads” .
While condemnations of gay sex are unequivocal in Leviticus, it also is part of a long list of Jewish laws, some of which are not followed by Christians today.
Leviticus also advocates the death penalty for adultery.
What Are Gods Standards
Romans 1:26-32Thats why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know Gods justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
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