Lovers, Not Lawyers

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLE?
Part 7

[[Okay, so let me get this straight. You have concluded the following things:

(Part 2) the creation account in Genesis is really 2 creation stories that contradict one another

(Part 3) the Bible never identifies homosexuality as the sin which caused Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction

(Part 4) Christians are often incredibly inconsistent with the laws in the Torah that they choose to apply to their lives

(Part 5) Jesus said nothing on homosexuality, nor offered a definition of marriage

(Part 6) Paul's views on homosexuality were informed by an outdated understanding of the natural world, and were responding to homosexual practices that were often associated with pedophilia and prostitution

That's all well and good, but where in the Bible does it say that homosexuality is okay?]]

It doesn't. There are no verses in the Bible that explicitly support homosexuality, even in marriage. For those solely interested in the historical contexts of the Bible verses frequently used in the Christian debate over gay marriage, this is where I leave you. I have shown to the best of my ability that the Bible was not written with gay marriage in mind, and as such did not speak for or against it. Do with this information what you will.

However, I find that when I read blogs about controversial topics such as this, I want more than just the cold facts. I want help making sense of them. So for this article, I will do exactly that. This is a controversial topic within Christianity, so I will forgo my usual academic perspective, and instead write from the perspective of my own tradition. I will switch my point of view from the third-person to the first, no longer merely describing what "Christians" do, but will rather comment on what I would like to see "us" do as Christians.

Unnatural Intercourse

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLE?
Part 6

There may not be a Jesus card available to play in the debate over gay marriage, but there are a few different Paul cards to choose from. Indeed, there are three common passages attributed to Paul in the New Testament that speak against homosexual intercourse, and all three are frequently quoted as evidence by Christians who believe homosexuality is a sin.

Each of these passages are found in what are known as the Pauline Epistles. An "epistle" is simply a Greek word for "letter," and is generally used nowadays to refer to books in the New Testament that are formatted as letters sent from early Christian leaders to various churches or individuals. "Pauline" is an adjective used to describe epistles that are thought to have been written by Paul. These epistles were written for various reasons, usually addressing problems that a particular church was facing, correcting doctrinal errors, and offering encouragement. There are 13 Pauline Epistles in the New Testament, but only 7 of them are widely accepted by scholars as being authentically written by Paul.^[1]

We find our passages on homosexuality in three different Pauline Epistles: Romans, 1 Corinthians, and 1 Timothy. This article will look at each passage, address why these verses were included in Paul's epistles, and analyze their relevancy in the modern Christian debate over gay marriage.

As a warning to my readers, the following article is more explicit in its descriptions of sexual intercourse than my previous articles. Paul uses specific terms to refer to specific homosexual acts, and such terms need to be addressed if we are to understand Paul's views on homosexuality. For those who are uncomfortable with reading about sex in a frank manner, viewer discretion is advised.

The Jesus Card

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLE?
Part 5

As is the case with most theological debates among Christians, it isn't long before people start quoting Jesus to back up their views. I call this tactic "playing the Jesus card," and it is certainly not an invalid method of arguing. For Christians, Jesus is seen as the top authoritative figure on Christian teaching, and so if you can show that Jesus agreed with you, your views earn stock in Christian communities.

It's not shocking, then, that Christians on both sides of the homosexuality debate try to play the Jesus card when arguing their position. However, this can be awkward since the gospels never mention Jesus saying anything about gay marriage or homosexuality.

Often times Christians who don't think homosexuality is a sin use Jesus' silence on the matter to their advantage. Many have argued that because Jesus didn't say anything on homosexuality in the gospels, he must not have considered it a sin. However, this argument of silence doesn't go very far by itself. After all, the gospels don't record Jesus teaching on many modern issues, such as alcoholism or pollution, but that doesn't mean he would approve of them if he was walking around with us today.

Other Christians who think homosexuality is a sin claim that while Jesus was silent on the matter, he wasn't silent about God's definition of marriage, which contradicts homosexuality. For evidence, these Christians quote Jesus' teachings on marriage found in Mark 10 and Matthew 19.

For this article, we will look at Jesus' teachings found in Mark and Matthew to see if they really define marriage in a way that excludes homosexuality, and determine if the Jesus card can be legitimately played in the debate over gay marriage. We will start by looking at what Jesus is saying in Mark 10 and Matthew 19, and then discuss what Jesus is not saying in those passages.

Unlawful Abominations

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLE?
Part 4

Homosexuality is often called an "abomination" by those Christians who believe it is a sin. This term is applied to male homosexual intercourse two times in the Bible, both in the book of Leviticus. The first is Leviticus 18.22:

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.

The second is Leviticus 20.13:

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them.

To some Christians, though, it seems odd to quote Leviticus as adequate evidence against homosexuality (or anything for that matter). But why is that?

Leviticus is part of the Torah, which translates as "law" or "instruction." The Torah is made up of the first 5 books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. In the Torah, we find extensive lists of laws that are believed to have been given to the Israelites directly from God. However, not all of the Torah is law. As we have seen, it also contains many narratives, such as the stories of creation as well as Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction. The lengthy legal sections of the Torah can be found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy (although other laws can be found scattered throughout the Torah, such as the law of circumcision in Genesis). These laws are often not followed by Christians today, such as the prohibition of tattoos or trimming your beard. Many Christians view the laws in the Torah as outdated, and therefore see no reason to take its verses against homosexual intercourse seriously.

However, many Christians who consider homosexuality a sin believe that while many parts of the law are outdated, the Leviticus verses against homosexual intercourse are still relevant because they describe such acts as "abominations." To them, an abomination against God is just as relevant to Christians today as it was to the ancient Israelites.

But why would God consider homosexual intercourse an abomination for all peoples at all times? Generally speaking, Christians who believe homosexuality is a sin argue that marriage is a sacred institution established by God between one man and one woman. In other words, they think that the Torah labels homosexual intercourse as an abomination because it violates God's sacred rules for marriage.

Since we are trying to understand the historical context behind Leviticus 18.22 and 20.13, we will explore three things. First, we will look at the Hebrew word for "abomination" and see how it is used in the Torah. Second, we will look at the Torah's laws regarding marriage to see if most Christians today do actually consider them sacred. And finally, we will explore why these verses against homosexuality would have been included in the Torah.