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November 24, 2006

Are we wrong about homosexuality?

In USA Today, Oliver Thomas, a Baptist minister posits that question with a hypothetical announcement: "Despite what you might have read, heard or been taught throughout your churchgoing life, homosexuality is, in fact, determined at birth and is not to be condemned by God's followers."

Thomas' premise is that one day the church (or religious leaders as he puts it) will find out that we were wrong about homosexuality and due to "science" lose its credibility. He compares the controversy over homosexuality to Galileo's persecution when he revealed the earth's place in the solar system. Now, he says "millions" are being persecuted. Therefore, he concludes, we are wrong about homosexuality. In addition, Thomas builds his ludicrous preposition on the favorite cliche of gay activists of the religious stripe.

"Jesus said nothing about homosexuality." I put that one in the same trash can as the "Adam and Steve" cliche of the opposing side. But let's take a brief fantasy ride with Rev. Thomas.

Maybe we are wrong about homosexuality. We are wrong about a lot of things. Man's emerging knowledge is at best seen darkly though a glass as the Apostle Paul put it. That is the frailty of the human condition. Certainly, we do not possess nor equal the omniscience of God. But isn't that the precise reason we should rely on God to tell us what His standards are for sexual conduct and thought? And without a concise, written record from God we are left to determine on our own what God does and does not want. In a word: tragedy. There are two immutable qualities about God which must influence everything we do and say regarding moral issues, especially sexual.
1. God does not change. He is the same today, yesterday and forevermore (Heb 13:8).
2. God's word will not change. He has spoken it, confirmed it and settled it.

Three headed church monsters like this minister are very easy to spot. Their allegiance is never to God, Christ or the Word of God. It always focuses on the airbrushed opinions of humanity. Its very telling that these ministers (who they are helping remains to be seen) quickly divert your attention away from what the Bible says and instead superimpose humanist ideology. They are like Aaron in the Old Testament who in the absence of Moses gave the people what they wanted: A new god which would allow them to act out the lustful and depraved excesses of their hearts (See Exodus 32:1-22)

But God's commands challenge us to reach for the best in thought and deed. Why would we not want to please our Heavenly Father? Why wouldn't we want to conform our ways to align with his Word? I can think of only one reason. Like the rebellious people in the wilderness, some people want a new god. This god doesn't care about who you have sex with, he or it only cares that you loosely categorize it as "love". The truth is that sexual immorality ---whether homosexual or heterosexual--- is far beneath the perfect plan of God. Jesus even said to engage in thinking of sexual activity with someone else (other than your husband or wife) is unacceptable. As the old saints used to say "its tight but its right!"

Thomas' Galileo's statement is clever, but nothing more. The shape or position of the earth is not an equitable comparison to sexual behavior. The question should not be are we wrong about homosexuality, but is God wrong about homosexuality? The answer to that is a resounding, eternal no. Never.

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