HOMOSEXUALITY
A Christian Perspective
Don Hawley
A bitter controversy is raging in American over the matter of homosexuality. What used to be hidden in the closet is now out and very much "in your face." Every part of society is affected one way or another, even the church. It's time for individual Christians to decide where they stand on this angry debate.
For the Christian the search for answers must begin with the Word of God. Following are significant texts that deal with the subject at hand. It is noteworthy that every time homosexual practice is mentioned in the Scriptures, it is condemned.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever praised. Amen.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In 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. Rom. 1:24-27.
Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. Lev. 18:22.
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. Lev. 20:13.
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6:9, 10.
It would seem that these plain English verses are clear enough, but when people are determined to go their own way regardless, they will also go to unusual lengths in an attempt to make the Bible support their case.
Just because the Word clearly states that homosexuality is abominable in the sight of God, heterosexuals have no right to be smug or arrogant--particularly if they claim to be Christian. When we meet up with sin and sinners, there are four possible responses on our part.
1. Hate the sinner, and hate his sin.
2. Hate the sinner, and love his sin.
3. Love the sinner, and love his sin.
4. Love the sinner, and hate his sin.
Let's see how this works out in regards to something else that God strongly denounces; adultery.
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. Now what do you say?"
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, be straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:3-11.
There was no question about the woman's guilt; she was caught in the very act. (I assume there was a man involved as well, but it wasn't deemed important that he also be accused.) And there is no question about how God relates to such a matter; the seventh commandment says clearly "You shall not commit adultery." But what about those who wanted badly to turn the woman into a lifeless, quivering mass of flesh?
There could well have been those in the crowd who hated both adulterers and adultery. I feel certain there were those who hated adulterers, but secretly loved adultery--if they could get away with it. There could have been some who loved this particular adulteress, and adultery as well. Their stones probably would have been thrown wide of the mark.
But what really matters is what was the mind of Jesus? Jesus told the woman that he was not going to condemn her, but that she should give up all such behavior in the future. In other words, Christ himself gave us the formula for dealing with sin:
LOVE THE SINNER, BUT HATE THE SIN
That is the only acceptable stance for the Christian. Because God loves everyone, we must do the same. Because God hates sin, we must have the same response.
Never underestimate the love of God; it flows to the most wretched criminal. Thank God, it also flows to unworthy people such as we.
But never underestimate God's attitude toward sin either. He loved sinners so much that he gave his only begotten Son to die the cruel death of the cross. Remember, it was sin that made this horrible sacrifice necessary for man's redemption. Sin is the most heinous thing in the universe. Our bloody wars, overflowing prisons, painful hospital stays, starving children, all exist because sin still plagues the human race. We live in a time when sin is called everything but its right name.
So, in dealing with homosexuality, the Bible principle is simply this:
LOVE THE HOMOSEXUAL, BUT HATE HIS OR HER HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR
While the principle is simple, that doesn't mean it is simple to apply. More about that later. Now let's take a brief look at certain aspects of homosexuality.
ARE PEOPLE BORN GAY?
The homosexual world wants us to believe that people are born gay, and therefore have no control over their behavior. Again, let's note what God has said about another problem, drunkenness. In a previous text we read that drunkards would "not inherit the kingdom of God." Now if people can be born drunkards, then we serve an unreasonable and tyrannical God. It wouldn't be fair to punish someone for behavior they cannot control.
The truth is that many people are born with a genetic makeup that predisposes them to alcoholism. If they take up drinking, they are very apt to end up drunkards. But they don't have to drink. Not a single person who refused to take that first drink has ever become an alcoholic. And we all know of alcoholics who, with proper help, have overcome their alcoholism. Society has sought to solve the problem in simple fashion by labeling alcoholism a "disease," rather than a sinful lifestyle. But to take that approach, the Christian would have to accuse God of either ignorance or gross unkindness.
Genevieve Cochran of Medford, Oregon, stated the case well in regards to homosexuality:
"Even if homosexuality is determined to have a physiological origin, why should homosexual practices be any more accepted than alcoholism, drug dependency, eating disorders or any of a host of other aberrant manifestations that may also be rooted in physiology? All of these practices, including homosexuality, should be handled the same way: with respect for the humanity of the individual and with treatment for and discouragement of the behavior."
In an article "How America Went Gay," Charles Socarides suggests:
"Homosexual behavior is a reaction to something amiss with one's earliest upbringing. Even the most effeminate homosexual man is trying to incorporate the manhood of others, because his own manhood was not allowed to grow in childhood. Therapy can help the motivated on the road to recovery."
Once a person has become a victim of alcoholism or homosexuality, the Christian role is to help that individual break the chains of habit--not to proclaim the habit as healthy and proper. Of course the problem is that most gays vehemently resist any idea of giving up their homosexual behavior.
DO GAYS ENGAGE IN RECRUITING?
Most homosexuals seem to be saying that giving up the gay lifestyle is impossible. I'm sure it must be exceedingly difficult, but not impossible. E.L. Pattullo, formerly associate chairman of Harvard's department of psychology, argues that the movement to abolish all societal distinctions between heterosexual and homosexual relationships is problematic because there is reason to think "that a very substantial number of people are born with the potential to live either straight or gay lives"--to "grow in either direction." He continues, "We dare not risk failing to give children clear, repeated signals as to society's preference" for heterosexual families.
Columnist George F. Will says, "We should combat irrational prejudice about injustice toward homosexuals and affirm their human dignity. But we should not communicate societal indifference, thereby weakening social promptings toward heterosexuality."
During a recent debate on an Oregon "gay rights" amendment, one young man testified that change is indeed possible.
"My name is Richard Weller. When I was 17 I was recruited into the gay lifestyle by an older homosexual man. Like so many young people who get drawn into homosexuality, I was lonely and naïve. Eleven years and six homosexual relationships later I finally sought help. Now I am a normal heterosexual man, dedicated to helping young people avoid the mistakes I made.
"For many years I told people I was just born gay to get acceptance. If we were born gay that took away any personal responsibility for our behavior and made people feel sorry for us. All along we knew it was a convenient lie, but it was our word against theirs.
"Today I am living proof that homosexuals can and do change. I was deep in the lifestyle, spending nine years in one relationship and even thought about getting 'married.'
"Homosexuals put on a good public image, but MANY homosexual men try to recruit young boys and often succeed. All pedophile-rights groups in America are made up of homosexual men. The North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) which was advertised in Oregon gay newspapers is just one of several.
"Most boys who get picked up by homosexuals are not part of the statistics. They are usually older, from 12 to 17, and they don't have good parental supervision. They usually don't report the sex because they are ashamed or believe they are old enough to decide for themselves.
"The problem with 'gay rights' is that it makes kids more willing to go along with homosexuality. When the government and teachers tell kids that homosexuality is just another normal lifestyle, they are easier for adult predators to seduce. I know what I'm talking about. I was one of those kids.
"I am only one voice against all the pro-gay bias of the media, but mine is the voice of experience."
INFILTRATING THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
Gay recruitment is a simple fact, and the most promising field for such recruitment is our educational system. Few parents are aware how far the matter has progressed--or regressed. In many parts of the country, preschoolers are given a gay and lesbian coloring book. When they get to first grade, then they will find in the library books such as "Daddy's Roommate," "Heather Has Two Mommies" and "Gloria Goes to Gay Pride."
On May 10, 1994, 135 eighth grade boys from a school in Beaverton, Oregon, were taken to an off campus location for an all day seminar. There they were shown a quasi-pornographic film entitled "Stale Roles and Tight Buns" featuring nearly nude men. The boys claim that after the film the instructor advised them to "have at least two homosexual experiences to know if you are gay or straight."
By the way, can you imagine alcoholics demanding access to our public schools to extol the virtues of drinking?
Because I live in Oregon, I'm better acquainted with the situation in my state. You may want to do some checking as to what is transpiring in your state as well.
Lest their be any confusion as to goals, let me quote from the Gay Community News of February 15-21, 1987:
"We shall sodomize your sons, emblems of your feeble masculinity, of your shallow dreams and vulgar lies. We shall seduce them in your schools, dormitories, gymnasiums, locker rooms, sports arenas, seminaries, youth groups, theater ballrooms, public restrooms, in your Congress, wherever men are together . . .
"The family unit--spawning ground of lies, betrayals, mediocrity and violence--will be abolished. The family unit, which dampens imagination and curbs free will, must be eliminated . . .
"All churches who condemn us will be closed. Our only gods are handsome young men."
HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE CHURCH
With that kind of attitude one might suppose that Christian churches would vigorously oppose homosexuality. However many, including entire denominations, have taken a favorable stand on behavior that God sees as abhorrent. Some are even ordaining gays and lesbians to the Gospel ministry!
Of course many Christian groups are standing for biblical principle. While advocating love for the homosexual in his or her problem, they are firm in denouncing homosexual practice. John Stott, one of the world's leading evangelical voices today argues:
"Creation establishes heterosexual monogamy as the norm. In Genesis 2:24, which is the biblical definition of marriage ('Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh'), we see that the only 'one-flesh' experience that God approves or intends is in monogamous, permanent heterosexual marriage. It is also very important that Jesus quoted that verse. He said, 'he who made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother'; then he added his own endorsement, 'what God has joined together, let no man put asunder' (Matt. 19:4-6). What has God joined together? Answer: male and female. Jesus endorsed the male/female union in marriage." Christianity Today, Feb. 8, 1993.
Of all institutions the church should be foremost in protecting the family structure. Gay and lesbian couples claim that they are able to rear children in a loving and proper environment, and that such children are no more likely than others to become homosexual. Taken as a whole, however, studies "show that children in those households are four times as likely to develop homosexual orientation as children in nonhomosexual households."
In 1993 the homosexual community had an opportunity, with their Gay Pride march in the nation's capital, to demonstrate before millions that their lifestyle should be considered normal and proper. I was expecting a very decorous demonstration, but they were unable to pull it off. I watched amazed for two hours as a parade of foul language and crude behavior filled the screen. The march featured the chant, "We're here. We're queer. And we're coming after your children." Even so, TIME magazine says that "According to several media analysts who monitored media coverage of the event, the major networks showed few scenes that the public would find disturbing." They skipped, for instance, the Church Ladies for Choice singing "God is a Lesbian" to the tune of "My Country 'Tis of Thee."
The church needs to love what God loves, and condemn what God condemns. What is the church doing to help homosexuals? In most congregations homosexuals are still invisible and uncared for.
HOW NORMAL IS THE HOMOSEXUAL LIFESTYLE?
Much of the homosexual community wants their lifestyle to be seen as perfectly normal, merely an alternative way to live. The facts prove otherwise.
Stanley Montieth, author of AIDS: The Unnecessary Epidemic, points out:
"The tragedy today is that most people in the general population do not understand what the homosexual lifestyle really involves." The narrator of the video The Gay Agenda points out that "Studies show that male homosexuals average between 20 and 106 partners every year; the average homosexual has 300 to 500 partners [in] his lifetime."
Christianity Today for November 13, 1995, notes:
"Promiscuity among homosexual men is not a mere stereotype, and it is not merely the majority experience--it is virtually the only experience.
"In a group of ten randomly selected homosexual men in their thirties, he (Thomas E. Schmidt, author of Scripture and Homosexuality) summarizes, only one is faithful to his partner, and he will not be within a year. Four have never had a relationship that lasted a year, and only one has had a relationship that lasted more than three years. Six regularly have sex with strangers; three participate in orgies. Three are currently alcoholics; five have a history of alcohol abuse. Five regularly use at least one illegal drug, three are multiple drug users. Four have a history of acute depression, three have contemplated suicide, two have attempted suicide. Eight have had sexually transmitted diseases, three are HIV positive, one has AIDS." The "homosexual issue" is much deeper than a matter of "fair treatment."
Some have suggested that God has sent the AIDS virus to punish homosexuals for their sin. They turn to the following text for confirmation of their thinking:
Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Rom. 1:27.
I bridle at the way so many insist on blaming God for the devil's actions. If a violent storm sweeps through and kills large numbers of people, it is called an "act of God." They so easily forget that Jesus is the one who stills the storms, and gave his own life so that others could live. It is the devil who loves to bring woe and death on the human race. If it were not for the protecting hand of God, the entire human race would have been wiped out long ago.
No, God didn't send the AIDS virus to punish homosexuals. However, we forget at our own peril that certain natural laws do exist in our present world. Take for instance the law of gravity. Frankly I'm happy God put it in place, so that when I step outside in the morning I don't go floating off into space. Still, if I ignore that law and step off the top of the Empire State Building, I'm heading for certain death. And God is not to blame.
So it is with the laws of health. They are there for our good, but when we violate them we often suffer the consequences. When we overeat, shun exercise, or smoke tobacco, we are apt to pay the penalty in terms of poor health. Just so, homosexual practices tend to dangerously expose one to the AIDS virus, and homosexuals in particular (heterosexuals who are promiscuous are also going in harms way) end up with the AIDS disease. Such choices are not God's fault; he has told us how we should live.
Often the homosexual community claims that because they haven't been granted special rights for minority status, they have suffered financially. Actually, the Wall Street Journal for 7-18-91 pointed out, homosexuals are doing very well financially.
1. The average homosexual has an income of $55,430 annually; the national average is $32, 144.
2. 59.6% of the homosexuals were college graduates; the national average is 18.0%.
3. 65.8% of the homosexuals are overseas travelers; the national average is 14.0%.
4. 26.5% of the homosexuals are frequent fliers; the national average is 1.9%
AND WHAT OF THE FUTURE?
If the world lasts long enough, the gay community will have its way. As members of my generation leave the scene of action, younger people will determine how homosexuality will be dealt with. The so-called "sexual revolution" of the sixties charted the course now being followed. Younger people feel that the only fair and decent way to relate to the problem is "love both the sinner and his sin." All else is considered "homophobic."
In the early 1970's, homosexuals co-opted the leadership of the American Psychiatric Association and officially redefined homosexuality as a "condition" rather than a disorder.
Hollywood, of course, has come out blatantly on the side of homosexuality, making more and more movies favorably presenting the gay lifestyle.
The media in general is almost wholly in the homosexual camp. As one person said, "The media do not report on homosexuality, they promote it." The media of course has tremendous power in swaying the thinking of the general population.
In the July 22, 1996, issue of TIME magazine, Charles Krauthammer wrote an essay upholding the idea that marriage is proper only for two people of the opposite sex. The mail response ran 10 to 1 against his proposal.
THE CHRISTIAN STANCE
I want to close by stating once again the only proper stance for the Christian:
LOVE THE HOMOSEXUAL, BUT HATE HIS OR HER HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR
Easy to do? Hardly. It is a staggering challenge. In fact, I would suggest it is impossible without God's divine help. Stanton L. Jones, chair of the psychology department of Wheaton College has stated it well:
"In this difficult time, there are two things that we must do. They are two things that do not naturally go together. We must exhibit the very love and compassion of Jesus Christ himself. And we must fearlessly proclaim the truth that Jesus Christ himself proclaimed and embodied.
"The key to compassion is to see ourselves in another, to see our common humanity. This is what many of us cannot or will not do. A certain degree of natural revulsion to homosexual acts per se is natural for heterosexuals. All of us should be thankful that there are at least some sinful actions to which we are not naturally drawn. But a revulsion to an act is not the same as a revulsion to a person. If you cannot empathize with a homosexual person because of your fear of, or revulsion to them, then you are failing our Lord. You are guilty of pride, fear, or arrogance. And if you are causing others to stumble, you are tying a millstone around your own neck.
"The homosexual people I know are very much like me. They want love, respect, acceptance, companionship, significance, forgiveness. But, like all of us sinners, they choose the wrong means to get what they want.
"We, the church, have the opportunity to demonstrate, in our words and in our lives, God's love for the homosexual person. If we truly love, we will act on that love . . . We must change the church so that it is a place where those who feel homosexual desire can be welcomed, The church must become a sanctuary where repentant men and women can share with others the sexual desires they feel and still receive prayerful support and acceptance."
The Christian should take a stand based on the Word, and driven by the love of God.