The best lies always have an element of truth in them. At no time is that more apparent than every June when Hollywood and corporate America join hands for Pride Month. Admittedly, the movement seems to have lost a bit of steam as more and more of society continues to wake up to the damaging confusion and chaos caused by embracing the LGBTQ+ doctrine.
As a Christian and pastor, though, my greater concern is the constant effort to normalize homosexual behavior in the faith community. Despite the church’s uniform rejection of same-sex relationships since its inception over 2000 years ago, many today falsely boast that monogamous gay relationships and Christianity are somehow compatible. In recent years, entire denominations have been swept away by these cultural pressures and deceptions.
Three lies
At least three lies have become commonplace.
RELATED: Check out more articles on faith and culture from pastor Adam Dooley.
For more stories at your doorstep, subscribe to The Baptist Paper.
One of the most common lies you might hear this month is that homosexuality wasn’t even mentioned in the Bible until 1946 with the publication of the Revised Standard Version of Scripture. The premise is that a mistranslation of 1 Corinthians 6:9 is the source of unwarranted dismissal and discrimination of the gay lifestyle. Obviously, the implication is that Christianity’s rejection of homosexuality is a recent development requiring correction.
But is that true? Through a logical sleight of hand, LGBTQ+ supporters falsely equate the absence of a single word with the absence of a concept. Because Scripture translates from Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic to English, the evolution of the English language is irrelevant when identifying conceptual realities. Both same-sex activities and desire are repeatedly forbidden throughout the Bible, under Old Testament Law (Lev. 18:22, 20:13) and in the New Testament (Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Tim. 1:10).
Did you know, similarly, that the word “sex” does not appear in the Bible either. Yet, no one attempts to argue that the concept does not surface frequently. When the book of Genesis, for example, says that Adam knew his wife Eve and she conceived, none of us are left wondering exactly what that means.
Interestingly, the book of Leviticus uses the same euphemism to denounce homosexuality when it states, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act. (Lev. 20:13).” Granted, the text is void of our modern descriptions, but are we really confused about its meaning? Likewise, the New Testament just as forcefully reprimands men who commit what it calls detestable acts because they burn in lust for one another (Rom. 1:26–27). No honest reading can deny that these are instructions forbidding same sex relationships. The recent adoption of the word “homosexuality” to describe gay activities in no way eliminates its prior sinfulness.
Another familiar lie often repeated this time of year is that condemnations of homosexuality in the Bible focus exclusively on abusive acts or excesses and, therefore, do not eliminate committed, monogamous relationships between same-sex partners. The argument here is that biblical authors knew nothing of sexual orientation, what some define as consistent gay attractions that form one’s identity. Thus, says this rationale, the restrictions of Scripture should not be viewed as a blanket dismissal of queer lifestyles, but isolated acts instead. By creating a new category of existence, PRIDE advocates recklessly allege that the Bible is silent about these matters.
What they overlook, though, is that God’s Word has much to say about deviant desires, or the equivalent of orientations, which are never divorced from the behaviors they produce. Peter warned that mockers of the faith would be driven by their lusts (2 Pet. 3:3). Paul defined the provisions of the flesh, such as sexual promiscuity and sensuality, as expressions of fleshly ambition (Rom. 13:13–14). He also admitted that many of our longings war against the Spirit of God and that doing what we please is often egregious (Gal. 5:16–17). I could go on, but you get the point.
The notion that the persisting nature of a sinful desire (orientation) makes it more acceptable is both misguided and deceptive. All Christians struggle with nagging temptations rooted in unholy desires, but the solution is their abandonment, not their approval. Claiming a sustained propensity for adultery does not make the devaluation of marriage more respectable (Matt. 5:31–32). Orienting as a habitual thief does not justify taking what is not yours (Eph. 4:28). And struggling with same-sex attraction (what Paul identifies as degrading passions) does not merit actions that are contrary to nature itself (Rom. 1:26-27).
Still another easily debunked rehearsed lie is that Jesus never addressed the subject of homosexuality. Aside from the fact that silence on any practice does not equal its endorsement, this assertion erroneously implies that Jesus’ words carry more weight than the rest of Scripture (a view the Savior Himself did not hold). Christ promised to fulfill every word of the Law and Prophets, not dismiss them.
In addition, Jesus frequently quoted the Old Testament as authoritative. On one occasion, while addressing divorce and remarriage, He affirmed that there are two genders and that marriage is a permanent covenant between a man and a woman (Matt. 19:4–6). His source was the book of Genesis, revealing His broader worldview, which leaves absolutely no room for the legitimacy of homosexual marriage. Speaking primarily to Jewish audiences, there was no need for our Lord to reiterate what they already knew.
While it is true that our Savior did not directly confront every practice, His indirect affirmations leave no doubt about where He stood on matters of human sexuality. Jesus never spoke about incest, bestiality or sexual abuse either, but His rejection of these sensual aberrations is not the subject of debate. Likewise, our Lord never condemned slavery or abortion, yet no groups arguing His endorsement of these practices are taken seriously.
Grown adults are free to choose how they live their lives. We do not have the liberty, however, to identify that which is so thoroughly outside the boundaries of Scripture as an expression of Christian orthodoxy. Christ calls us to come out of our sin, not to celebrate it.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This opinion piece was written by Adam B. Dooley, pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee.
