Homesexuality and the Church

God Loves Homosexuals and So Should Christians

Over the last two decades, societal acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle has increased dramatically. Vermont now recognizes civil unions between same sex couples and, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, at least 22 states have allowed same sex couples to adopt children. These changes are due in part, to an increasingly militant stance taken by gay organizations such as Act Up, aggressive promotion of the gay lifestyle in the entertainment media, and the fact that liberal politicians frequently promote increasing tolerance of alternative lifestyles.

Some Christians embrace the gay and lesbian movement, proclaiming this alternative lifestyle to be acceptable and valid. Other Christians are concerned about this tide of changing values, but have not spoken out because they feared being viewed as intolerant, or worse yet, unloving. Still others, who falsely claim to be Christians, speak out with hatred and condemnation towards all homosexuals and stridently promise them the wrath of God. The question is, who truly represents the Jesus of the Bible who loved all sinners, even giving His life for them? What should the Christian response be to this issue?

True followers of Christ will be more concerned about what God has to say on the subject than what society is currently promoting as the politically correct position. In Genesis 1, we are told that God created man – male and female, and that He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. Later, He surveyed all He had made and proclaimed it “good,” including the heterosexual relationship of Adam and Eve.

On the other hand, nowhere in the Bible does God call homosexual relationships good. In fact, He has consistently condemned intimate relations between individuals of the same sex: “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”(Leviticus 18:22) “…even their women exchanged their natural relations into that which is against nature … men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.” (Romans 1:26, 27)

Considering the span of time from the writing of Leviticus by Moses to Paul’s letter to the Romans, it is clear that God’s displeasure with the homosexual lifestyle transcends time. Given that God’s holy character never changes, and His moral law never changes, why would we think that His opinion on this subject has changed? If God still views homosexual acts as detestable and a perversion, who are we to disagree?

Because of His love for us, God warned us in his Word that when sexual intimacy is not used as He designed it to be – in marriage between one man and one woman – that the participants are in fact, sinning against their own bodies. We see today in heterosexual relationships as well as homosexual, the consequences of these unauthorized liaisons —emotional devastation, broken families and a multitude of sexually transmitted diseases, some of which have no cure.

A prevailing argument for homosexuality is found in the statement, “I can’t help it, I was born this way.” Yet, several prominent experts support the concept of nurture over nature, the idea that environment and not genetics, plays the more important role in the development of a person’s sexuality.

Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, psychologist and author of Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality, states, “I certainly don’t believe, and I don’t think any scientist really believes, that there is a biological predetermination for sexual orientation. There’s much more evidence for early environmental factors that would set the stage for a person’s sexual orientation.”

Gynecologist William H. Masters and psychologist Virginia E. Johnson, pioneering research team in the field of human sexuality, emphasize, “... that we are man or woman by genetic determination and homosexually oriented by learned preference. No less an authority than the late Alfred Kinsey, the author of the first mass scientific survey of human sexual behavior, states, “I have myself come to the conclusion that homosexuality is largely a matter of conditioning.”

In light of the evidence that 1) God strongly condemns homosexuality, 2) that many experts in the field of human sexuality agree that a person’s sexual orientation is the result of environmental factors rather than genetic, and 3) that the lifestyle is physically, emotionally and spiritually unhealthy: how is it that some Christian churches openly accept homosexual behavior and even ordain actively practicing homosexuals to positions of authority within the church?

They do this because they no longer respect and honor the Bible as the Word of God. They have turned their backs on the Bible and in Jesus’ name, are doing things their way. They claim they are showing God’s love to homosexuals by accepting their lifestyle, yet by not telling them what God has said about this subject, they are condemning them to a difficult life here on earth and separation from God for eternity. These churches will have much to answer for at the judgment seat of God.

To answer our original question — what should the Christian response be to the homosexual issue — Christians must honor the admonitions of God regarding the homosexual lifestyle while reaching out to the gay and lesbian community in love with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible makes it clear that those who continue in their sins will not be permitted into Heaven, but God, out of His love for sinful mankind, has provided a way for all of us to become reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ.

If we repent of our sins and come to Him, something called the Great Exchange takes p1ace — He takes away all our sins and gives us 1) forgiveness of our sins, 2) God’s Holy Spirit to guide and protect us, 3) adoption into His family, 4) a place in Heaven when this life is done, 5) no fear of death, 6) access to God’s power and strength, 7) His promise to never leave us.

This does not mean that Christians are not tempted by sin after they have given their lives to the Lord. It does mean that they are no longer controlled by their sin, and that they are not condemned to continue living in a destructive lifestyle. If a person relies on the strength of the Lord, they will be able to resist temptation, and they will gain victory over their sin.

It is our prayer that all homosexuals will heed the prompting of the Holy Spirit to turn away from their sinful lifestyle and turn instead to the only one who can give them true love, acceptance and happiness, Jesus Christ.

Dear Community of Christ friend,

We applaud your church’s desire to reach out in love to all who are hurting and broken, including those in the gay and lesbian movement. We are, however, concerned that because of the church’s rejection of the Bible as the authoritative Word of God, the Community of Christ turns its back on the only way they can truly help these individuals.

It is not love and it is not Christian to only tell part of the truth. Yes, God loves all people including those who are homosexual, but in the Bible He repeatedly condemns their lifestyle, calling it sinful. We respectfully point out that God will not be mocked, and that we cannot do things in His name which are in opposition to His clearly stated will.

The good news is that God has provided a way for all of us, regardless of our sexual orientation, to have victory over the sin in our lives — that way is Jesus Christ. There are many who testify that they are now freed from their earlier homosexual lifestyle because they made Christ Lord of their lives. That this change is possible was confirmed by a Masters and Johnson study, which showed that after six years, 71 percent of homosexuals who sought to change their sexual orientation were successful.

Please carefully consider the information in this tract as the resolution on this important issue is presented to the Conference for a vote. The consequences of disobeying the clear Word of God are frightening to contemplate. We will be praying for you.

Support Groups For Those Wanting to Leave the Homosexual Lifestyle:

www.exodusnorthamerica.org

www.desertstream.org