Homosexuality: Two Sides of the Debate

As a follower of Christ, there are many factors to be considered when ministering to those who struggle with homosexuality. Some of those factors are environmental where those who deal with same gender attraction admit to growing up in a fatherless environment with a “domineering wife or a mother, who work[ed] outside of the home and may have something to do with creating gender confusions, by which effeminate[d] boys or overly-masculinized girls [were] created.” Another factor to consider is not only the family dynamics, but also society’s role in the sexual development process wherein many images and opinions of sexuality are thrown about in the media, television shows and other social outlets. Parents must be careful not to label their child or adolescent as homosexual because they don’t fit the normal gender stereotype. If, for example, a young boy prefers music or the arts over sports, this shouldn’t be discouraged if it doesn’t fit the parent’s ideals of true masculinity or femininity. In fact, what should be acknowledged is the Bible’s true definition of masculinity and femininity? Is there a definitive answer that the Bible gives to define masculinity and femininity? To attempt to answer that question, we would need to comb the Bible to examine the many illustrations of men and women’s lives that either confirm or deny those stereotypes.

This essay is directed towards the evangelical church as a reminder of what the Bible says about this issue and where we should stand. It is also an essay geared towards any Christian who might be confused on the issue of

In recent years, the debate over same-sex marriage has grown into a nationwide controversy, reverberating into the halls of congress, at the white house, in dozens of state and legislature and courtrooms, and in the rhetoric of election campaigns at both the national and state levels. As the debate rages on, the American religious community remains deeply divided over the issue, and over the morality of homosexuality. The debate has grown from an issue that occasionally arose in a few states to a national and even worldwide controversy.

I agree with the statement Balswick &Balswick stated, “It is a tragedy when people who struggle with sexual identity experience rejection from the Christian community.”(Balswick & Balswick, 2014, p. 234) As Christians we do our best to obey and follow God’s will, but as humans it is in our sinful nature to fall in sin. Just as Adam and Eve did in Genesis 3. We all face struggles in our lives, whether it be within ourselves or outside in the world of society. No sin we face as an individual is any better or worse than another. Never wanting to experience rejection but having a deep desire of wanting to be accepted or understood is something we all long for. With no other love being any better than God’s love, people may seek for the formula

Compared to The Gay Debate, Vines discusses “while having a same-sex orientation is not in and of itself a sin, acting upon it is,” according to traditional interpretation. Gay Christians are taught to avoid acting upon physical relations with

The most difficult part of any modern theological debate is choosing the authority. With the variety of Christian denominations, individual thinkers, and outside influences, and it is often difficult to reach a general agreement. In her essay, “Homosexuality: A Case Study in Moral Argument,” Catholic theologian Lisa Cahill examines four major authorities and different ways to determine how they work together to produce a cohesive Christian ethic. Though she fails to give a definitive, quantifiable method of describing the interactions between the authorities, her final judgment, approval of some aspects of homosexuality, indicates that she values modern cultural context and general

Religiously, this is all very wrong, especially according to the laws they set originally. Many things have changed in the church since Jonathan Edwards preached this sermon. For one, the church has split into even more denominations; presbyterian, baptist, episcopalian, pentecostal, free will, etc. Due to the puritan influence, each church has interpreted the word of God in different ways. The denomination that is similar to the type of preacher Edwards was is Pentecostal. One of the few churches that have not accepted homosexuality. Recently, this has been a very serious subject among the churches, along with the support of abortions. In bible belt this is an even bigger topic because there are so many churches. It is almost like peer pressure, if one does it the others do as well. Edwards would preach against the change and

Now, when is talk about that there is ignorance in this type of situation, it is necessary to take into account that this ignorance came from the type of action that many usually takes when the they know about this issue in certain individuals who are facing this issue, and sadly the first action taken is to judge them, and discriminating against others. However, what is most unfortunately is when this comes directly from the church, which often does not give them any hope of restoration to their issue of same-sexual attraction.

Regarding the term "gay Christianity"—to identify with sin, the flesh, the old man, and then tack Christ's holy name onto that identification is vile, thoroughly un-Biblical, and a perfect example of the deceitfulness of sin.

Their chapter on Homosexuality has been referred to this author numerous times, and has been read nearly as many times, with personal responses varying wildly between readings. What is most interesting, reflecting on Brueggemann as discussed above, is Hays’ conviction for calling the Christian community to a holiness that would be inoperable in the modern era outside of the closed community of a Biblically functioning Church. Furthermore, the manner in which Hays uses the story of their friend Gary to emotionally leverage the reader is sickening. Regardless of Gary’s convictions about sexuality, the man’s story is undeniably more complex, and marked with mental health difficulties beyond the comprehension of Hays, a self-identified heterosexual man. Depending heavily on Romans 1:18-32 , Hays’ argument relies on reinforcing the normative state, ie Adam & Eve were created by God as (apparently) robust heterosexuals, therefore so are we . Despite what the sciences of genetic divergence would say to refute this foundation, Hays charges on with fervent moral integrity. Hays’ argument gets shaky because of their obsession with the sexual conduct, stating that engaging in same-sexual activity defiles the Body of Christ. Hays sees sexuality as a central concern for Christians in the modern era, stating that “sexual gratification is not a sacred right, and celibacy is not a

Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals” so according to evangelicals and many christians, LGBT people are unable to receive the eternal life because of their sexuality. This is a major factor in why many LGBT youth choose to stay in the closet and not confront the reality that is at hand, they are afraid that God will send them to hell where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12). There are however, many people who see the problem that the church has inflicted upon the LGBT community as they have forced them to carry a cross that they might not even have to carry since many evangelicals and christians who advocate for LGBT rights have researched ancient manuscripts and have came to the conclusion that the Apostle Paul wasn't in fact describing homosexuality as we know it today but was discussing a cultural issue since most of his letters were aimed towards roman gentiles (non jews) who practiced a form of sex slavery that involved older wealthy men and young prepubescent boys who were called

In Mel White’s paper his sixth premise is about the biblical authors being silent on the subject of homosexual orientation. This is the main area where White and myself would have a disagreement. We all know the

I firmly believe that the UCC is doing brave theology when it comes to LGBT relationships and being an open and affirming church. This is one of the reasons that I joined the UCC. Jesus never said a word about LGBT sexuality (or straight). We can try to extrapolate what he might have thought based on other things he said or did though. The only time he said anything about sex was in the incident with the woman who was about to be stoned to death for adultery. When asked, he responded that the person who was without sin should throw the first stone. Certainly I know that his next words were to tell her to go and sin no more, partly because so much Catholic hierarchy points to that statement for support of mistreatment of LGBT persons. Yet, it seems important to me that he said those words to her in private, when everyone else had left. Other people’s sins are between them and God, which Jesus says repeatedly. Our only job is to love them. Where the Bible is very clear is that God is love. Scripture is filled with compassion for fellow human beings, empathy, justice for the marginalized. Scripture gives great, lasting guidance for how to be in

One of the biggest debates when it comes to Shakespeare is if homosexuality is present in his works or not. This debate only began in recent decades when the term “homosexuality” was not seen as completely taboo. Many scholars debate that the “platonic” relationships between men were really participating in homosexual relationships, which were covered in many layers of English Renaissance language. These scholars also argue that women during this time were used for two reasons: 1) to cover up said homosexual relationships and 2) reproduction. Women were used for men’s personal gain. Women were considered manipulative and destructive. On the other hand, some scholars argue that these men were not in homosexual relationships with one another and really considered each other a brother. But really, it all boils down to which play/sonnet. In some cases, there are homosexual relationships shown and in others it is merely a platonic relationship. It all depends on the story that is being portrayed.

The Congregation of faith makes it very clear that being homosexual is indeed not a morally accepted option. Their leverage is that the Holy Bible has verses specifically against homosexuality and being acceptable of anything related to them. They