Conversations with a Pro-Gay Pastor: Good arguements

There is a difference between having a discussion about what the Bible says about homosexuality and a discussion about the political decisions being made in our country regarding the same issue. Before we go on and speak about the biblical arguments I want to suggest that none of these are good arguments regarding political decisions. Most people who would like to see the marriage laws changed so that same sex marriage is recognized by the state don't give credence to the Bible anyway. There are good arguments apart from scripture that can be used in that situation.

In my conversation with the gay pastor I started with Leviticus 18-20 & 20:13. Pro- Gay theologians would like us to simply disregard this passage. They attack the traditional view that these verses can be taken at face value by listing several Levitical laws we no longer pay any attention to. It is important to note that non of the laws I have heard referenced are found in the immediate context. Actually the opposite is true. Bestiality, incest, and child sacrifice are found in the immediate context. Most, if not all, pro-gay theologians would say these things are immoral and against God's law. It is not only important to take notice of this, but to point out the inconsistency. Second, they will say these verses are not valid in today's situation because it is specifically speaking about cultic practices. While it certainly is speaking about cultic practices these things are mentioned to show the depravity of the cultic practices and the societies that practice them. This would be inconsistent with Paul's treatment of eating meat that was part of cultic practices in 1 Corinthians 10. The fact that cultic practices are being referenced actually strengthens the traditional view.

Starting with Leviticus is also good because it allows you to show consistency in Scripture regarding this issue. There are several reasons to take this passage seriously, but there is one that is often overlooked. When Jesus was asked about the great commandments he first quoted Deuteronomy 6. Then he continued and quoted Leviticus 19:18. It appears that Jesus' view of Leviticus, specifically these chapters, was very different from the way pro-gay theologians would like to treat this passage.

The third way pro-gay theologians will attack this passage is the Hebrew word translated abomination. They say this word is reserved for references to cultic practices. This is clearly not true. This word is used over 100 times in the Old Testament alone. Many of those instances do not have any connection to cultic practices including Prov. 6:16ff.

Some of the same arguments regarding cultic practices are used in reference to Romans 1. Again I would point out that the Romans 1 passage is a list of sins which show the depravity of mankind. It does not appear to list any neutral or good things (unless you hold a pro-gay position). Romans 1 again shows consistency regarding the homosexual issue. A plain reading of this passage makes clear the perspective God holds regarding the issue of homosexuality. The attempts to discredit this passage are shallow at best. A simple reading of the passage and consideration of the language used should be sufficient to debunk any of these arguments.

There is a third passage which in conjunction with the Leviticus passage is very powerful. This passage is 1 Corinthians 6:9. The pro-gay theologians attack this passage by saying Paul coined the Greek term translated homosexual and it is unclear whether this term refers to homosexuality as it is practiced today. Instead Paul is referring to some form of temple prostitution or pederasty. It is true that Paul coined this term along with over 170 other Greek terms. Instead of saying we simply can't know what it means we should perhaps consider where this word came from. Without going into a bunch of Greek I will simply point out that this term is a combination of two words which are found in the Septuagint. Specifically in Leviticus 18:22 & 20:13. It appears Paul was making a specific reference to those passages.

It appears the Bible speaks clearly on the issue. It is consistent and to the point. The New Testament backs up the Old Testament. Jesus himself gives credence to the Leviticus passage. the question then is not whether the Bible condemns homosexuality, the question is what should we do when confronted with the truth?

My next post will deal with how to present these arguments in a conversation.