The "Gaying" of the Evangelical Church: A Response to Kirsten Powers (Part 5 of 6)

Author: Andy Woods
Date Written: August 1, 2014
From the archive of thewordonpolitics.com

Recently, TV political commentator, columnist, and professing evangelical Christian Kirsten Powers offered a troubling and controversial perspective related to the issue of homosexuality and Christianity. Because her point of view seems to be representative of some within the evangelical movement, and also seems to be gaining ground. See evidence of that in this article here, (accessed 22 July 2014). I decided to respond to it through a series of blog posts. In a recent USA Today column, while claiming to “hold a ‘high view’ of Scripture, meaning it is the final authority on all matters of faith and life,” Powers simultaneously endorses the homosexual relationships as long as they are committed and monogamous. Powers invites the church to reverse two thousand years of moral thinking on this issue when she writes, “The church has done this before on issues ranging from slavery to the solar system,” in her article here, (accessed 6 June 2014)

However, does the Bible really promote slavery and a geocentric solar system with the same clarity that it condemns homosexuality? As explained in a prior post, the bottom line is that, contrary to Powers' insinuation, the Bible nowhere clearly advocates either slavery or geocentricity. Homosexuality, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter. Biblical prohibitions against homosexual relationships, even of the monogamous sort that Powers endorses, are crystal clear. The Bible condemns homosexuality from beginning to end. In a prior post, we briefly surveyed what the Old Testament reveals concerning homosexuality. The New Testament is equally clear in its affirmation of heterosexual monogamy as the divine standard and in its condemnation of homosexuality. In last week's post, we noted how heterosexual monogamy is clearly affirmed in the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In this post, we will begin to examine what the Apostle Paul taught about this important subject.

The Apostle Paul
 In addition to Jesus, the Apostle Paul also held up heterosexual monogamy as the divinely established norm. Paul is clear that the proper venue for the expression of the God-given sex drive is within the confines of the heterosexual marital relationship. In 1 Corinthians 7:2-5, he explains:

But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

Not only is there no hint of any same sex unions in this injunction, such intimation is also omitted from any other scriptural citation where Paul outlines the divine standard for marriage (Eph. 5:22-33; Col. 3:18-19, etc...). Beyond merely promoting heterosexuality, divine condemnation of homosexuality is also evident in Paul's letters. His most well-known condemnation of homosexual relations is found in Romans 1:18-19, 26-27:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them...For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

 Note that these verses portray homosexuality (Rom. 1:26-27) as a result of rejecting the clear revelation of God as given in creation (Rom. 1:18-19). Then, without a proper relationship to His creator due to this rejection, the roles that God has established, such as parental authority over children (Rom. 1:30) and God's sexual norms (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:24) become confused (Rom. 1:26-27) in the minds of fallen human beings. Life makes sense only under God's authority, who, after all, created all of these relationships. On the other hand, relational confusion naturally results without God's will present to properly define the boundaries of all of these relationships that He has created. Thus, in these verses, Paul portrays the homosexual lifestyle as the natural by-product of rejecting God (Rom. 1:19-20). Paul continues his condemnation of homosexuality in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (Emboldening added).

Notice how Paul equates homosexuality with the sins of fornication, idolatry, adultery, theft, covetousness, and drunkenness. In other words, just as all of these sins epitomize unbelievers, homosexuality is equally a sinful lifestyle that also characterizes unbelievers rather than believers. The rest of Paul's teaching on this important subject, as well as exactly how Powers and other like-minded liberals seek to explain away the clear import of these passages, will be the subject of next week's post.

(To Be Continued)