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The following is part of a series of responses to questions that I was recently asked to write. One of the new priorities at our church has been to value people's questions. I have decided to work hard to not only value the question but to respond in an honoring way to the person and the question. Here it is…
Michelle,
Wow, thanks for asking the question. It is funny to me because I just taught about this issue this past Sunday in Hot Church. We recently did a Sex, Love and Dating Series in Hot Church and the number one question that was asked by more students than any other by a long shot was the question about Homosexuality. You can certainly see that this question is so important to so many people in our culture.
I'm sure that as you ask this question that you have some background knowledge on what the Bible says. There are many groups that look at verses like Leviticus 18:22 Which says: 22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
And for them, that settles it.
Leviticus 20:13 is even more harsh: 13 " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
Those verses seem pretty cut and dried, until you wonder about them in context. Many people will point out that many of the laws and rules in Leviticus are "purity codes" that were abolished by Jesus. Other purity codes include laws that state that a man can not cut his beard or the sides of his hair. Or that tattoos are forbidden. Or that they can not eat pork. There are many other purity codes that we now do not keep. Many people say that the reason for these purity codes were not there simply to please God but to separate the people of Israel from the other tribes around them that they wanted to stay above.
It is also important to note that in the years that these laws were in effect for the Israelites, it was rare for anyone to be singled out for these sins and put to death. This was shown strongly when the Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in the act of adultery. (John 8.) This was not a common occurrence, but they brought the woman to Jesus to see how He would react to them trying to get her executed on this basis.
Many people will also point out that the New Testament is not silent on the subject of Homosexuality.
Paul talks about the issue a couple of different times, but there is also a lot of controversy over these statements as well. In 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1, Paul refers to homosexuality...but... there is quite a bit of scholarly debate over why he used the words that he used. The two words that he uses in these passages are: (Greek) malakoi and arsenokoiati. Neither of these words, were very common at the time. In fact, the common words were derivative words from the language that the Hebrews used to describe homosexuality. The words that Paul used are not found in too many other places to describe homosexuality. The place where these words were most commonly used was when people were referring to a Greco-Roman practice of an older male, taking a younger (early teen) boy to be his student, and many times turning them into somewhat of a sex slave. Seeing as how this is not clear, the most common New Testament verse used to talk about homosexuality if found in Romans Chapter 1.
Romans 1:
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
There is no doubt that this describes not only the male homosexual act, it also describes the female act as well. Many people are quick to point out that what Paul is talking about here, yes is about the homosexual act, but in its context is talking about the Roman worship of idols and Roman gods. This is Paul's major problem with the Roman church. That they walk away from their new found Christian faith to "indulge" in old Roman practices which included worshipping idols in orgies and sexual situations with people of the same sex. These were situations when heterosexual people would commit homosexual acts in order to fit in with the Roman gods and the Roman culture. Many homosexual people will be quick to point out that this in no way describes homosexuality for the homosexual.
So, what conclusions do we draw from all of this?
I have to personally say that the issue is confusing to say the least. The most intelligent and scholarly Christians that I know admit that this is not a simple issue at all.
Years ago a student called me and asked to speak with me. He was one of the smartest students that I have ever worked with and, in my opinion, the best Bible study leader I have ever worked with (as a high schooler). He told me that he believed that he was gay. This student, who is smarter than I am, spent more time than I will probably ever spend researching the issue. The last time I had talked to him, he had been studying the issue for years, diligently. He had not come to a conclusion to answer his biggest question about: "what is God calling me to do?" Because of this, he has not chosen to act on his homosexual urges. He has chosen not to date men or women. It has led to a lot of loneliness and sadness, but he continues to wait until God will reveal something to him. I have to tell you that I admire this person more than I can say. Anyone who can deny themselves in order to wait on God has integrity beyond compae.
A few other things that I would like to add...
Regarding the question of whether homosexuals were born that way or have become that way because of their environment.
Still there is no conclusive research to show whether the causes of this are genetic, enviromental, or simply God given. From what I can tell, the only people that claim to have the answers to those questions are ones who are trying to further their own agenda. Beware of these people.
Regarding statistics
There are so many conflicting statistics about homosexuality. Many homosexual websites claim that 10% of all people are homosexual. Many anti-homosexual websites claim that number is lower than 1%. The answer is probably in the middle. People love to bend statistics for their own agenda, beware.
One Christian website claims that the average homosexual man has over 600 sexual partners in his lifetime. While I am sure that there are some people who, because of their own insecurities with their sexuality do become hypersexual and attend orgies and bathhouses, this is not the norm.
One anti-homosexual website claims that over half of the murders in New York City last year were perpetrated by homosexuals. This one is just obviously false.
Another Christian site claimed that homosexuals are responsible for most child sexual abuse. This is absolutely false. More and more psychological studies are showing that child sexual abuse is not about lust or sexual attraction, it is about power and dominance. When men do this to boys, it is not because of attraction, it is because of a need for power and pain. It is truly not correct to blame this on homosexuality.
The truth however is that 30% of teen suicides are caused by teens who are questioning their sexuality or have already identified themselves as homosexual.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among Homosexual teenagers.
50% of homosexuals claim that they have been disowned by their parents because of their sexuality.
80% of homosexual teens claim to be victims of constant harrassment.
Regarding the question of whether homosexuality is a sin.
I personally do not believe it to be a sin to BE a homosexual. Whether the cause is genetic or environmental, I do not believe that the people who claim to be homosexual are in control of this desire.
Practicing homosexuals are a whole other issue. I have been raised to believe (through my upbringing and church history and doctrine) that homosexuality is not God's Ideal. I choose not to use the word sin to describe homosexuals because it is certainly different than so many other things that we call sin. Lying, cheating, killing etc. are sins that are born in our selfishness and our desire to take what we want and disregard the rights and feelings of others. Homosexuals however are people who have a desire that is different from homosexuals, they are not in control of it, and when homosexuals act on this desire by having loving and consensual relationships with a person of the same sex, they are not acting out of evil or selfishness, but the same desires that all mankind have that I believe are God given: the desires to love and be loved, touch and be touched, know and be known by another.
I think that it is demeaning to lump homosexuality in with sins of selfishness. Perhaps our language doesn't have a word to describe it, but it certainly is not the same.
Regarding Sex outside of Marriage.
I do however, believe that the Bible makes a strong and unwavering case that sex outside of marriage is a sin and is dangerous. Promiscuous and uninhibited behavior outside of marriage whether before marriage or during marriage is definitely forbidden. People who are homosexual who live promiscuous lifestyles and use the confusing scriptures on homosexuality as their defense are walking on the shakiest ground.
I often get asked the question of what should happen if the Nation legalizes gay marriage. Personally, I don't think it should matter one iota. The United States and the State of Arizona have no Biblical right to determine who can or can't be married. Since marriage is a sacrament, only the church should be able to decide. Our state and country can say all they want about what constitutes a civil union for tax purposes, but a marriage is between two people and God.
How should heterosexual Christians react to Homosexuality?
It's clear that Jesus calls us to compassion. He did this in John 8 with a woman caught in adultery as well as in John 4 with a woman who was having a promiscuous lifestyle.
People who are homosexual deal with so many difficult issues. Rejection from parents,family and friends. Loneliness. Depression. Misplaced sexual feelings. We need to respond to this with compassion.
In my job, I deal with so many teenagers who are struggling with their sexuality. I tell them all that it is normal to struggle with these feelings. I read the other day that 75-90% of all people who now call themselves heterosexuals have at one point or another had confusion, curiosity or questions about their own sexuality. I tell teenagers that just because they are struggling and have questions and curiosity, it does not make them a homosexual. I once as an adult attended a youth conference organized by a YMCA chapter. At that conference, we were not allowed to talk about God, but every night when the counselors got together, they would tell the stories of how many students in their cabins were "finally coming out of the closet." They organized celebrations for these students.
I personally thought that it was manipulative and wrong to urge students to declare themselves homosexual or heterosexual because of questions and curiosity that they were having.
I tell students that there is nothing wrong with "not dating." There is nothing wrong with taking a step back and praying and waiting for clarity. It is so difficult for students in our oversexualized culture where they are bombarded with images and thoughts that they are not yet old enough or mature enough to grapple with. That mixed with all of the lies and stigma about sex and homosexuality are a toxic combination for insecure and hurting students. They feel that there is something wrong with them if their number one priority is not seeking out intimate relationships.
I also believe that God calls us to Conviction about our beliefs. Before we start preaching our beliefs and feelings, we need to be able to back them up. Right now there are far too many Christians and Non-Christians who have a strong Conviction, but no research to back it up. These people are dangerous.
We also need to be sure to know that we are all beautifully broken. I tell the students that our #1 concern should be believing and communicating that: God created us, God has a plan for us, God knows everything about us, and God loves us anyway, God loves us so much that He seeks after a relationship with us that is made possible by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for us.
Anyway Michelle, I know that is a lot of info. I hope it helps with your question. Let me know if you have any other questions.
In Christ
Mike
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