Sometimes the best remedy for a moral/theological controversy is simply a good old-fashioned, down to earth, nothing buttery, search-the-Scriptures to-see-if-it’s-so, Bible study. Of course, because of ambiguities in the text, not every challenging, contentious biblical dispute can be settled this easily. Frequently, though, a careful, close look at the Scripture is all that’s required to resolve what might seem at first to be a difficult dispute.
That’s the approach Alan Shlemon and Greg Koukl take to respond to one of the most severe challenges to Christian orthodoxy the church faces today. The question: What does God really think about homosexuality? This isn't only a dispute over morality. It's a question of what God teaches us in the Bible and its authority over how Christians live and what we teach. Some Christians, such as Matthew Vines, suggest that the church has misunderstood the Bible's teaching on homosexuality for 2000 years. In this first part of a two-part series, Alan and Greg show how these claims are not what the Bible teaches.
Any worldview that starts with, "the Bible writers did not know about X when they wrote ..." should be tossed in the dumpster.
Either that or you don't believe in "God breathed" inspiration of Scripture. Which begs, the question, then why are you bothered with anything the Bible says at all?
Posted by: kpolo | July 08, 2015 at 06:24 AM
Well, the Bible writers lived in a culture where they thought the sun rotated around the earth, and wrote from that point of view. They also didn't know what stars were, and thought they could "fall" from the sky. That reflects, what was then, an accepted cosmology, but one we now know of as incorrect. So, God-breathed, but...
Posted by: Perry Shields | July 09, 2015 at 03:25 PM
I disagree with kpolo's statement. Bible writers did not know what our lives would be like in the 21st century. Paul wrote to the church in his day, not to us. Most of the books of scripture were not written for people centuries later, unless you count historical books. Bible writers did not know that we would face all the pressures we face or the challenges. They did not know we would have to deal with drugs and cloning and all the ethical challenges we face today. That doesn't mean scripture is not inspired or God-breathed. What you are saying is nonsensical. That doesn't negate what the Bible teaches. Maybe you mean that the Bible does not teach about same-sex relations as we have them today. I disagree with that, and think that it does, but it still does not make your statement true.
Posted by: JBerr | July 10, 2015 at 07:14 AM
JBerr, I agree. The modern American Evangelical church has a difficult time seeing the Biblical books in their historical context. Evangelicals/Fundamentalists tend to express things in binary terms; i.e., either/or, black/white, right/wrong. I see in Jesus's words a constant "turning on the head" of so-called religious knowledge: "You have read that...but I say to you..." I believe the point is to be guided by "Love thy neighbor," not by strict adherence to law. The Bible is still valuable, even if not all of it applies to us today in our time.
Posted by: Perry Shields | July 10, 2015 at 12:17 PM
JBerr must not be familiar with I Corinthians 10:13 or Ecclesiastes 1:9
Posted by: Nancy Staab | July 11, 2015 at 11:24 AM