Quotes about gays in the bible
What the New Testament Says about Homosexuality
The Fourth R Volume May-June
Mainline Christian denominations in this territory are bitterly divided over the question of homosexuality. For this reason it is important to demand what light, if any, the New Testament sheds on this controversial issue. Most people apparently assume that the New Testament expresses strong opposition to homosexuality, but this simply is not the case. The six propositions that follow, considered cumulatively, guide to the conclusion that the New Testament does not provide any direct guidance for understanding and making judgments about homosexuality in the modern world.
Proposition 1: Strictly speaking, the New Testament says nothing at all about homosexuality.
There is not a single Greek word or phrase in the entire New Testament that should be translated into English as “homosexual” or “homosexuality.” In fact, the very notion of “homosexuality”—like that of “heterosexuality,” “bisexuality,” and even “sexual orientation”—is essentially a modern concept that would simply have been unintelligible to
Leviticus
“You shall not rest with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”[1] It is not a surprise that this verse seems to say that gay male sex is forbidden in the eyes of God. The dominant view of western Christianity forbids same-sex relations. This verse is one of the clobber passages that people cite from the Bible to condemn homosexuality. This essay first looks at the various ways the verse is translated into the English Bible and then explores some of the strategies used to create an affirming interpretation of what this passage means for the LGBTQ community. More specifically, it presents the interpretation of K. Renato Lings in which Lev. refers to male-on-male incest.
While Lev. is used to condemn homosexuality, we must realize that the term “homosexuality” was only recently coined in the English language. So did this term occur in ancient Israel? Charles D. Myers, Jr. confirms that none of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible mention homosexuality.[2] He also contends that in ancient Israel same-sex relations were viewed as an ancient Near East challenge. The anc
The Bible on Homosexual Behavior
One way to argue against these passages is to make what I verb the “shellfish objection.” Keith Sharpe puts it this way: “Until Christian fundamentalists boycott shellfish restaurants, halt wearing poly-cotton T-shirts, and stone to death their wayward offspring, there is no obligation to verb to their diatribes about homosexuality being a sin” (The Gay Gospels, 21).
In other words, if we can disregard rules appreciate the ban on eating shellfish in Leviticus , then we should be allowed to disobey other prohibitions from the Adj Testament. But this argument confuses the Old Testament’s temporary ceremonial laws with its permanent moral laws.
Here’s an analogy to aid understand this distinction.
I recollect two rules my mom gave me when I was young: hold her hand when I cross the street and don’t drink what’s under the sink. Today, I verb to follow only the latter rule, since the former is no longer needed to protect me. In fact, it would now do me more harm than good.
Old Testament ritual/ceremonial laws were enjoy mom’s handholding rule. The rea
4 Powerful Bible Verses to Share with Gay People
Seasoned ministers tell me that preaching and pastoring verb hand in hand. You can’t know what to preach to people on Sunday unless you contain already spent Monday through Saturday shepherding their hearts. The idea is that a good physician—spiritual physicians included—will take time with a diagnosis before applying the remedy.
Before you quote Scripture to inspire or instruct someone, sympathetic their life context is essential and can be the difference between helping and hurting them. My friendships with many gay or same-sex attracted Christians over the years include revealed that just about every one of them has experienced condemnation by straight Christians who exploit the same Bible verses over and over to demonstrate the sinfulness of same-sex sexual relations. Yet most of the noun, the Scripture-quoters know small to nothing about the gay person they’re speaking to.
Straight Christians often verb the mistake of assuming that a person who identifies as gay believes or behaves in a certain way, and/or what they most urgently