Yesterday on the editorial page of USA Today, a column was written which should greatly disturb all Christians. The aim of the article was...well, let me paste the first paragraph and you'll see the aim of the column:
When religion loses its credibility
Galileo was persecuted for revealing what we now know to be the truth regarding Earth’s place in our solar system. Today, the issue is homosexuality, and the persecution is not of one man but of millions. Will Christian leaders once again be on the wrong side of history?
In the article, the author, a Baptist minister claims that there is no biblical basis for a modern condemnation of homosexuality. The crux of his argument leans on the book of Leviticus which says, "You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination." Leviticus 18:22. The author reasons that, "Leviticus is filled with laws imposing the death penalty for everything from eating catfish to sassing your parents. If you accept one as the absolute, unequivocal word of God, you must accept them all." He then goes on to admonish the readers to search the scriptures for themselves....intimating that in doing so we must agree with his conclusions.
But the author's statements are grossly misleading and his logic is faulty. He completely fails to adhere to a crucial tenent needed for gaining an accurate understanding of the Bible, and that is to understand the context in which particular verses are written. The author is partially correct in saying that some of the Levitical laws are outdated... he's partially correct because he doesn't go far enough. Most Christians know that the Old Testament Jewish "law" was nullified through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The "law" no longer has a hold on believers. While this is true, morals for righteous living that are given in the Old Testament are unchangeable. It's not difficult to discern the difference between specific laws meant for a particular people in a particular time, and between Godly principles that would only change if God himself changed. Taking the author up on his advice to look at the Bible ourselves, we see that the verse addressing homosexuality is part of an entire chapter (ch: 18) speaking specifically to improper sexual relations. Going through the chapter it condemns such things as incest, bestiality, sleeping with your brother's wife, sleeping with you wife's sister, sleeping with your neighbor's wife, etc, etc. I challenge any one (excepting those who make their lives a living worship of Bacchus) to disagree with a single verse in that entire chapter. The one verse that would create debate in our modern society is verse 22, the one on homosexuality. It's clear that if you will bend for this verse in the chapter, then you must bend for every other verse in the chapter, for they all have the same purpose and speak to a universal audience.
While I believe that homosexuality is wrong (based on the Bible), I don't think that it is a worse sin than adultery, or similar transgresses. And I firmly believe that it is a sin for us to judge others, an authority given only to Christ. However, the gay agenda in the US has an insidious goal and a harmful impact which only further drags down the moral standards of our culture. And that is to hide the Truth of the Bible and turn a God-mandated moral principle into nothing more than an outdated belief for extreme bigots. If homosexuals want to sin, that's a choice they are free to make, but it makes my blood boil when they tell me I have to "approve" of their sin. I could write a book on their attack on schools, on adoption, the media, but I'll save that for another time. So, to the author of the USA editorial, Baptist Minister Oliver Thomas, I'll just say that I feel terribly sorry for your congregation. And I am saddened by another illogical and anti-biblical article printed in a national paper which confuses Americans and furthers an immoral agenda. The United States continues its decline.
To view the USA Today article click here: http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2006/11/when_religion_l.html#more
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