In
the weeks following the SCOTUS decision to legalize same-sex “marriage” across
all 50 states of the U.S., a host of articles, blogs, and other media have been
circulating the internet both defending and critiquing the judicial fiat which
redefined marriage. Within the Christian community, the issue of whether or not
homosexual behavior is consistent with biblical teaching has once again become
a hot topic of conversation, though in recent years it has never been too far
from the forefront. Indeed, American churches have been split over this issue
and the Supreme Court decision promises to ensure this matter is not going to
go away any time soon.
Amongst
the flurry of articles and blogs addressing this topic, of most interest to me
have been those which attempt to defend the compatibility of homosexual
behavior with Biblical teaching. This should be of interest to all Christians
considering that for nearly 2,000 years the historical and consistent position
of the Church has been that homosexual behavior is sinful and prohibited by
Scripture. And prior to Christianity, this was also the historical position of
the Jewish people which they based on the teachings of the Old Testament.
There
is a reason of course that both Jews and Christians have been in agreement on
this point, and it is not because of bigotry, intolerance, or hatred. It is
because the univocal teaching of Scripture on homosexuality leads to this
conclusion, and one must try very hard to deny or twist numerous verses
addressing this topic in order to avoid their force. Unfortunately this is
exactly what you see within the “gay Christian” movement. Given the clear
teaching of Scripture and the historic position of the Church, I was shocked and
dismayed to see the number of self-professing Christians who supported and
celebrated this landmark decision of the Court.
