Apologetics: Bible

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Apologetics: Bible

General Bible questions about homosexuality

The Bible is irrelevant.
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The Bible is fallible. Biblical interpretation, like scientific interpretation, is subject to ambiguity, to contradiction, to cultural relativity, and to misleading directions. Thus it is important to put the law of love above the love of law. Protestant freedom of conscience to interpret Scripture is not bound to ecclesiastical pronouncements. An overemphasis on the unity of Scripture instead of its diversity results in quick judgment instead of slow compassion. You are engaging in the idolatry of Biblical literalism. (Gearhart and Johnson 104; Johnston 51)
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Your ethic shapes your Biblical interpretation. You come to the text with a culturally-conditioned revulsion for homosexuality and then you of course find that revulsion there. Where is your objectivity?
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God told people to do things contrary to His word. Jesus approved of David's eating consecrated bread. (Matthew 12:4 citing I Samuel 21:6) He argued that mercy is more important than sacrifice. God told Peter to eat food that was not kosher. (Acts 10) God told Samson to disobey His law by marrying a Philistine. (Judges 14:4) The Bible speaks against homosexuality. But why do you dismiss the gay Christian experience of holiness without asking whether it is not a new thing that God is doing? See also the discussion of eunuchs.
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In the Bible divorce was first permitted by Moses, then condemned by God (Malachi 3), then permitted by Jesus on grounds of adultery only, then permitted by Paul on additional grounds. Evangelicals today permit divorce on even wider grounds of emotional abuse. (Vander Lugt 16) Evangelicals too have ethical systems that take into account people's heart attitude, not just the letter of the law.
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All references to homosexuality in the Bible are to rape, to idol worship, or to heterosexuals turning from their nature. You are overlooking loving, committed homosexual relationships.
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The homosexuality that is condemned in the Bible is that of cultic prostitution, not loving relationships. (Horner 59-70) Homosexuality and child sacrifice condemned in the same context, that of idolatry. (Johnston 106) That proves that the Bible is taking about committed homosexual love.
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"The Bible is an empty closet." (Blair [n.d.] 1) What is even one thing that it says about homosexuality or about homosexual relationships as we know them today?
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My experience of holiness as a gay or lesbian Christian is no different from yours. As best I can reason, it matches what God wants for me. God has confirmed this for me by His loving acceptance of me, by gifting me with spiritual gifts, and by the way the Bible speaks to me about being faithful to my gay lover. How can you be so presumptuous as to say that I am wrong?
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