You know we have really entered a moral freefall when it actually appears reasonable to call black white, and white black; when we manage to convince ourselves that virtue is now vice, and vice is now virtue. And when people claiming to be believers jump on board this foolishness, then we have just about lost the plot altogether.
This situation can best be summarised by two biblical texts, one from each Testament. In Isaiah 5:20 we read these words: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” And in 2 Tim. 3:12-13 we find Paul warning that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
These verses very nicely describe a new round of madness that is being proposed, both from without and within the church. Hot on the heels of the national sorry day for treatment of so-called stolen generations, the homosexual lobby is now calling for a similar day of apology for them. Activist Rodney Croome for example says the homosexual community has been systematically mistreated by the Government in the same way that Aboriginals have, and this has resulted in deep personal trauma, requiring a national apology.
That whole scenario is bizarre enough, but it gets even worse. In Sydney there is what is known as the 100 Revs movement. This is supposed to be a collection of 100 Christian reverends and pastors who want to offer a collective apology to homosexuals on behalf of the church. They will march in the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras this weekend.
Of course there seem to be only a handful of church folk on board, not a hundred, but those who have signed up are all the usual suspects. In fact it is partly led by Anthony Venn-Brown, a former AOG pastor and married father, who abandoned both his church and his wife and kids to embrace homosexuality.
He claims to be a homosexual Christian, in complete repudiation of what the New Testament says about such an oxymoron. One might as well call oneself a Christian thief, Christian drunkard or Christian fornicator. Paul makes it quite clear that genuine believers are those who have renounced and repented of such sinful lifestyles (1 Cor. 6:9-11). They have agreed with God as to what is sinful behaviour. They may still struggle with the temptations, and the sinful orientation, but with God’s help they can experience real change and victory.
So what does one make of this call by church people to offer a blanket apology for homophobia and similar “sins”? A number of things come to mind. If considering homosexuality as Scripture does makes one homophobic, then every believer should be homophobic. We should always agree with God as to what is sinful and what is not sinful.
But homophobia is of course a completely meaningless term. It literally means to fear that which is the same. Believers who seek to uphold Biblical values have no fear of those of the same sex, nor hatred. Indeed, it is quite the opposite. It is love for the homosexual, like love for any sinner – which means every person on planet earth – that drives people to want to see homosexuals delivered from their sexual bondage and sinful lifestyle, and set free for the kingdom of God.
The truth is, those marching are extreme liberals – theologically and politically. Thus their sense of moral angst is all one-way traffic. I would like to see these trendy lefty church leaders marching side by side with, say capitalist exploiters, environmental polluters or Western warmongers, in a public display of solidarity and repentance for how they treated those folk. Somehow I don’t expect to see that happening soon.
As Joel Belz rightly said over a decade ago: “Concerning those of the religious left who say we should be kinder to homosexuals and abortionists: I have never heard one of these critics say something like this: We all know that racism is a sin, but in our zeal to confront racism, let us be careful to show love for the racist. The church has got to learn to welcome racists. Nor have I heard them plead the cause of the capitalist oppressor, explaining patiently how the tendency to use ones economic position to exploit others may be at least a lifelong habit, or maybe even something genetic. For some reason, the kindness and civility these friends urge us to exercise is always in just one direction.”
On being sorry
Now if individuals have mistreated homosexuals, or been less than Christlike in their dealings with them, then by all means they may wish to make amends. If an individual congregation has done the same, it too may seek to offer some sort of apology. But it is ludicrous in the extreme to expect either a national apology or a church-wide apology.
What indeed would such an apology include? If some homosexual activists and their liberal church supporters had their way, one suspects quite a bit. Indeed, they are in effect asking believers to say they are sorry for a whole range of things, such as:
We are sorry for standing up for the Word of God.
We are sorry for calling sin, sin.
We are sorry for refusing to be politically correct.
We are sorry for not bowing down to the homosexual activists.
We are sorry for seeking to see enslaved homosexuals set free by the liberating grace of God.
We are sorry for seeking to loose homosexuals from the bonds of a dangerous, high-risk and extremely unhealthy lifestyle.
We are sorry for wanting the church of Christ to be holy and pure, a bride prepared for the bridegroom.
We are sorry for putting the word of God ahead of trendy political fashions.
We are sorry for wanting to uphold God’s unchanging ideal for human sexuality.
We are sorry for wanting to protect the God-ordained institutions of marriage and family.
We are sorry for wanting to affirm the goodness of God in telling people the honest truth of a lost eternity apart from Christ.
With all due respect, the ones who should be apologising are the liberal and bible-denying church folk who claim to be representing the true faith on all this. They have a lot to answer for.
They should apologise for keeping homosexuals trapped in their deadly, and dead-end lifestyle,
They should apologise for deceiving homosexuals into thinking God will welcome sinners into the kingdom with no repentance, no admission of sin, no acknowledgment of transgressing God’s clear commandments.
They should apologise for trampling on the clear teaching of Scripture, and replacing it with the traditions of men and political correctness.
They should apologise for dividing the church and bringing it into disrepute by calling something holy which God has called unholy.
They should apologise for stealing hope away from homosexuals, many of whom deep down really do want to change, and are looking for a way out.
They should apologise for leading many innocent and vulnerable young people into thinking that the homosexual lifestyle is just fine, and worth getting involved in.
Jesus was scathing about this sort of behaviour: “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.”
And Paul was quite clear about what we should expect in the last days: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
That pretty well describes things. One is reminded of Joshua’s challenge: “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).
The quote from Joel Belz is a fantastic illustration of the selective ‘compassion’ of many theological liberals.
I could give more examples of being selective were I not presently distracted by this astounding action by so-called believers that are seeking the church to repent of calling sin “sin”.
“Woe” indeed.
Jeremy Peet
Bill, we find every retarded act of those who call themselves Christians actually confirming the truth of the Bible they clearly reject. the passages just after those you quoted seem well to apply;
2Ti 3:7-9 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.
Why do they behave this way? again the book they reject gives the clearest of answers;
2Ti 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
But the rejected book does not stop there, it continues to give reason for their rejection;
2 Thes 2:10-12….because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
For what purpose does God do this? the next verse tells it clearly;
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Foolishly these “pastors” truly have no fear of God nor fear of Hell. they love their sin more than the God the claim to trust in.
As the fruit determines the tree, so do these ‘pastors’ acceptance of sin determine their true nature.
The Bible is so clear on these so called Christians Bill, its so tragic because they have such an opportunity to provide an eternal benefit to those trapped in this way, but instead they are the blind leading the blind. It’s little wonder God reserves the worst for them.
Just as i would hate my children led astray, how much more would God when they do it in his name.
Edi Giudetti
Far from Christians apologising to homosexuals for rough treatment in the past and thus perpetuating the myth of their being a victim class we need to point out that It was Ernst Rohem, a fundamentalist homosexual who set up the Storm Troupers of the Third Reich and that it was homosexual prison guards who performed unspeakable sexual atrocities on children during the holocaust .http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:UPjbwoyCc3wJ:prolifemonitor.blogspot.com/+reisman+ernst+roehm+paedophilia&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk ( Homosexuality and the Nazis)
Let us also get an apology for the long catalogue their pedeophile crimes whilst free to operate in children’s homes and masquerading as social workers. THE TRUTH is that 30% of paedophile crimes are committed by a percentage of homosexuals who make up 2% of the entire population.
The homosexual agenda knows no bounds.
Peter Coventry
Hi Bill,
Thanks for posting this reply to the current social issue of homosexuality. I would just like to empahsis that as a follower of Christ, we are to hate all evil and love all that is good. We are called to love all persons including all homosexual persons & to hate their practice of immorality.
I pray that more people discover for themselves the freedom from the bondage of being a slave to committing evil (sin) that I have found in the Bible.
Michael Dawson
I make no apology if this appears to be a rant but some might think that due to the amount of links to homosexual criminality that I have posted above, that am an obsessive, homophobic bigot. Who knows? But let the evidence speak for itself; I didn’t make it up.
My point is that Christians in their desperate fear of being branded as uncompassionate, excluding and all he rest of the unthinking twaddle, allow their consciences to become paralysed – with the consequence that justice and truth are silenced. Let us not forget that it was because of our own idolatry, adultery, drunkenness, slander, swindling, gossip, as well as sexual sins like homosexuality, that Jesus Christ came to disarm and disempower this kind of behaviour by dying on the cross. Let also not forget that when he returns, violence indeed will be directed at those of us who continue in these practices. Homosexuality as far as sin and eternity is concerned is no worse than those of heterosexuals, but the earthly consequences in terms of mental, emotional, physical and social disorders are. The records show that homosexual behaviour does not have the balance, the inbuilt breaking mechanism and governing element that is supplied by the female, which is why the behaviour of gay parades, like the Folsom Street Fair, will inevitably become more and more extreme.
Like the thief on the cross, I confess that I am a sinner in need of grace and mercy, but I make no apology for my intense dislike of homosexual practice, or attempting to expose those who would flaunt their predilections by calling evil good, good evil, or who put darkness for light and light for darkness or who call normal natural and natural normal, or tolerance intolerance and intolerance tolerance. It is not homosexuality per se that is the evil but that it has become an instrument for destroying Truth, Reason and God’s created order. Far from apologising it is time to be clearing the temple – starting with ourselves.
David Skinner, UK
I concur 100%, this division has gone on long enough & is sickening, disgusting. It contradicts the “whole word of GOD” 1,000%. Let GOD be found true.
Allan Chapple
The mantra is sure to come from these traitors to the Gospel: “Jesus said nothing against homosexual behaviour.” Of course, this is either ignorant or deceitful. First of all, Jesus implicitly condemned it with “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35), since Scripture unequivocally does condemn this. But He also condemned it explicitly in Matthew 19:
3 Some Pharisees came to him [Jesus] to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’, [NOTE: not male and male, or female and female]
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?
6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”
Jesus was citing Genesis 1:27 and 2:24, and endorsing the original created intention of marriage.
Jonathan Sarfati, Brisbane
Jonathan, I don’t know if you would sympathise with the way your reflection on the mantra, “ Jesus never said anything about homosexuality,” reminds me of the High Way Code never says anything about not trying to drive my car or pedal my cycle through people’s back gardens or upside down in the sea? It is assumed that I understand that driving a car is a smaller component of a much larger transport system . In the same way, the Bible’s statements about married couples are made with reference to a larger system of social order and authority, the family, community and ultimately a new society, all created by God.
Homosexual coupling belong to system that would deny God’s truth about order, authority existence and morality. Homosexuality is the weapon being used to destroy this greater system.
David Skinner, UK
Jonathan, firstly I just want to say thank you for all the work you do, its been a blessing to me over the years and I am sure to many people.
Just a small, seemingly insignificant concern here though, do you really believe the “Scriptures cannot be broken”? I just ask this because after quoting this very portion of scripture you then quote from a “version” that has over 64,000 words deleted or changed.
Worth thinking about.
Maybe thats why people think the Bible has nothing or little to say about this issue as all references to “Fornication” and “sodomites” is removed from todays “scholars” versions.
Indeed we discover the Bibles of today are more like blunt clubs than sharp swords!
I agree with your comments however.
God bless, Edi Giudetti
Edi, glad my work has been helpful.
Was there anything wrong with the translation of the particular verses I used? And this translation is also very clear that homosexual behaviour is a perversion even if it doesn’t use the word “sodomites”. E.g. those who are unrepentant of sexually immorality and homosexual acts are among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9).
And yes, I most definitely do agree that Scripure cannot be broken.
Jonathan Sarfati, Brisbane
Thanks Jonathan
The translation of the verse you used gets the gist of what you are speaking of. Indeed these people will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
I was making the point that many people today are confused about what the Bible says because the Bible translations they use are deliberately vague.
For example, Dr Virginia Mollenkott is both the Stylist for the NIV and a self confessed lesbian. Does this impact the reasons why such ancient words like Sodomite or fornication do not appear in any of the ‘user friendly’ “bibles” today?
It is specifically why people say “Jesus (or the Bible) said nothing against homosexual behavior.” In their Bibles it simply does not appear, therefore rather than reject the Bible as a whole, they misapply it.
Sample text
And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
1 Kings 14:24 AV
Compare
There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
1 Ki 14:24 NIV
Now I would have the freedom to practice my perversion without need of repentance because I’m not a ‘male prostitute’.
Everywhere the word Sodomite appears, the NIV mistranslates ‘Male shrine Prostitute’
Any wonder why we have practicing homosexual ministers sharing the walk of shame/pride of the Mardigras.
Or why so many people, particularly young people, engage in sex outside marriage, their bibles say ‘immoral’. Now what is “moral” for you is not “moral” for me. The word moral is subjective and determined by the mores of the culture, but the word “fornication” means consensual sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other
-Websters 2003.
Pretty hard to reinterpret that and give yourself license.
Sorry for waffling Jon, but that was the point I was trying to make.
Thanks again for your tireless work in your ministry, it’s great to see you contribute to these discussions.
Amen, Bill!
The quote from Joel Belz is a fantastic illustration of the selective ‘compassion’ of many theological liberals.
I could give more examples of being selective were I not presently distracted by this astounding action by so-called believers that are seeking the church to repent of calling sin “sin”.
“Woe” indeed.
Jeremy Peet
Bill, we find every retarded act of those who call themselves Christians actually confirming the truth of the Bible they clearly reject. the passages just after those you quoted seem well to apply;
2Ti 3:7-9 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.
Why do they behave this way? again the book they reject gives the clearest of answers;
2Ti 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
But the rejected book does not stop there, it continues to give reason for their rejection;
2 Thes 2:10-12….because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
For what purpose does God do this? the next verse tells it clearly;
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Foolishly these “pastors” truly have no fear of God nor fear of Hell. they love their sin more than the God the claim to trust in.
As the fruit determines the tree, so do these ‘pastors’ acceptance of sin determine their true nature.
The Bible is so clear on these so called Christians Bill, its so tragic because they have such an opportunity to provide an eternal benefit to those trapped in this way, but instead they are the blind leading the blind. It’s little wonder God reserves the worst for them.
Just as i would hate my children led astray, how much more would God when they do it in his name.
Edi Giudetti
Far from Christians apologising to homosexuals for rough treatment in the past and thus perpetuating the myth of their being a victim class we need to point out that It was Ernst Rohem, a fundamentalist homosexual who set up the Storm Troupers of the Third Reich and that it was homosexual prison guards who performed unspeakable sexual atrocities on children during the holocaust .http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:UPjbwoyCc3wJ:prolifemonitor.blogspot.com/+reisman+ernst+roehm+paedophilia&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk ( Homosexuality and the Nazis)
http://www.americanthinker.com/2004/12/rewhitewashing_alfred_kinsey.html ( Alfred Kinsey and Dr Fritz von Balluseck
http://www.leaderu.com/marco/special/spc16.html ( Homosexual holocaust myth)
http://www.drjudithreisman.com/archives/2007/02/on_kinseys_germ_1.html ( Judith Reismann)
Let us also get an apology for the long catalogue their pedeophile crimes whilst free to operate in children’s homes and masquerading as social workers. THE TRUTH is that 30% of paedophile crimes are committed by a percentage of homosexuals who make up 2% of the entire population.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/641819.stm ( failure of welsh social services)
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23383308-details/A+foster+mother+pays+tribute+to+the+Archbishop+of+Canterbury%2527+compassion/article.do ( failure of Islington social services)
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/I-told-social-services-about.1519740.jp ( Wakefield Social Services)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/4167141.stm Devon (Inadequate sentence)
http://www.robgagnon.net/HeterosexismResponsePart2Sciencehtm%5D (scroll down to 1V)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/570385.stm ( Cooke predatory paedophile)
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6550.html Head of Scottish LGBT accused of Paedophilia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7195039.stm ( most wanted paedophile)
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.1017593.0.sex_offender_missing_since_april.php
http://www.christian.org.uk/issues/2006/northern_ireland/sex_offences/briefing_sept06.pdf ( Plans from Peter Hain to lower age of consent to 13 in northern Ireland)
http://www.christian.org.uk/pdfpublications/The%20Case%20Against%20Change.pdf Sexual Offences against children ( scroll down to page 7)
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS02E3&f=WA06J01 ( homosexuality and child abuse .Family research council)
Let also not forget that the majority of the worst mass murders have been committed by homosexuals. http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:U2_gzyeXfaAJ:constitutionalistnc.tripod.com/hitler-leftist/id12.html+ernst+roehm+homosexual&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=uk ( Ernst Roehm – homosexuality of Nazi party)
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article3204049.ece (Former French drag queen arrested for serial murders)
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6583.html ( Rape in Sydney)
http://listverse.com/crime/top-10-evil-serial-killers/
http://www.familyresearchinst.org/FRI_EduPamphlet4.html (violence and homosexuality).
Why is that the evidence is not held up for all to see?
David Skinner, UK
Bill, check this out for where the homosexual agenda can lead:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=518672&in_page_id=1770
David Skinner, UK
The homosexual agenda knows no bounds.
Peter Coventry
Hi Bill,
Thanks for posting this reply to the current social issue of homosexuality. I would just like to empahsis that as a follower of Christ, we are to hate all evil and love all that is good. We are called to love all persons including all homosexual persons & to hate their practice of immorality.
I pray that more people discover for themselves the freedom from the bondage of being a slave to committing evil (sin) that I have found in the Bible.
Michael Dawson
I make no apology if this appears to be a rant but some might think that due to the amount of links to homosexual criminality that I have posted above, that am an obsessive, homophobic bigot. Who knows? But let the evidence speak for itself; I didn’t make it up.
My point is that Christians in their desperate fear of being branded as uncompassionate, excluding and all he rest of the unthinking twaddle, allow their consciences to become paralysed – with the consequence that justice and truth are silenced. Let us not forget that it was because of our own idolatry, adultery, drunkenness, slander, swindling, gossip, as well as sexual sins like homosexuality, that Jesus Christ came to disarm and disempower this kind of behaviour by dying on the cross. Let also not forget that when he returns, violence indeed will be directed at those of us who continue in these practices. Homosexuality as far as sin and eternity is concerned is no worse than those of heterosexuals, but the earthly consequences in terms of mental, emotional, physical and social disorders are. The records show that homosexual behaviour does not have the balance, the inbuilt breaking mechanism and governing element that is supplied by the female, which is why the behaviour of gay parades, like the Folsom Street Fair, will inevitably become more and more extreme.
Like the thief on the cross, I confess that I am a sinner in need of grace and mercy, but I make no apology for my intense dislike of homosexual practice, or attempting to expose those who would flaunt their predilections by calling evil good, good evil, or who put darkness for light and light for darkness or who call normal natural and natural normal, or tolerance intolerance and intolerance tolerance. It is not homosexuality per se that is the evil but that it has become an instrument for destroying Truth, Reason and God’s created order. Far from apologising it is time to be clearing the temple – starting with ourselves.
David Skinner, UK
I concur 100%, this division has gone on long enough & is sickening, disgusting. It contradicts the “whole word of GOD” 1,000%. Let GOD be found true.
Allan Chapple
The mantra is sure to come from these traitors to the Gospel: “Jesus said nothing against homosexual behaviour.” Of course, this is either ignorant or deceitful. First of all, Jesus implicitly condemned it with “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35), since Scripture unequivocally does condemn this. But He also condemned it explicitly in Matthew 19:
Jesus was citing Genesis 1:27 and 2:24, and endorsing the original created intention of marriage.
Jonathan Sarfati, Brisbane
Jonathan, I don’t know if you would sympathise with the way your reflection on the mantra, “ Jesus never said anything about homosexuality,” reminds me of the High Way Code never says anything about not trying to drive my car or pedal my cycle through people’s back gardens or upside down in the sea? It is assumed that I understand that driving a car is a smaller component of a much larger transport system . In the same way, the Bible’s statements about married couples are made with reference to a larger system of social order and authority, the family, community and ultimately a new society, all created by God.
Homosexual coupling belong to system that would deny God’s truth about order, authority existence and morality. Homosexuality is the weapon being used to destroy this greater system.
David Skinner, UK
Jonathan, firstly I just want to say thank you for all the work you do, its been a blessing to me over the years and I am sure to many people.
Just a small, seemingly insignificant concern here though, do you really believe the “Scriptures cannot be broken”? I just ask this because after quoting this very portion of scripture you then quote from a “version” that has over 64,000 words deleted or changed.
Worth thinking about.
Maybe thats why people think the Bible has nothing or little to say about this issue as all references to “Fornication” and “sodomites” is removed from todays “scholars” versions.
Indeed we discover the Bibles of today are more like blunt clubs than sharp swords!
I agree with your comments however.
God bless, Edi Giudetti
Edi, glad my work has been helpful.
Was there anything wrong with the translation of the particular verses I used? And this translation is also very clear that homosexual behaviour is a perversion even if it doesn’t use the word “sodomites”. E.g. those who are unrepentant of sexually immorality and homosexual acts are among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9).
And yes, I most definitely do agree that Scripure cannot be broken.
Jonathan Sarfati, Brisbane
Thanks Jonathan
The translation of the verse you used gets the gist of what you are speaking of. Indeed these people will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
I was making the point that many people today are confused about what the Bible says because the Bible translations they use are deliberately vague.
For example, Dr Virginia Mollenkott is both the Stylist for the NIV and a self confessed lesbian. Does this impact the reasons why such ancient words like Sodomite or fornication do not appear in any of the ‘user friendly’ “bibles” today?
It is specifically why people say “Jesus (or the Bible) said nothing against homosexual behavior.” In their Bibles it simply does not appear, therefore rather than reject the Bible as a whole, they misapply it.
Sample text
And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
1 Kings 14:24 AV
Compare
There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
1 Ki 14:24 NIV
Now I would have the freedom to practice my perversion without need of repentance because I’m not a ‘male prostitute’.
Everywhere the word Sodomite appears, the NIV mistranslates ‘Male shrine Prostitute’
Any wonder why we have practicing homosexual ministers sharing the walk of shame/pride of the Mardigras.
Or why so many people, particularly young people, engage in sex outside marriage, their bibles say ‘immoral’. Now what is “moral” for you is not “moral” for me. The word moral is subjective and determined by the mores of the culture, but the word “fornication” means consensual sexual intercourse between two persons not married to each other
-Websters 2003.
Pretty hard to reinterpret that and give yourself license.
Sorry for waffling Jon, but that was the point I was trying to make.
Thanks again for your tireless work in your ministry, it’s great to see you contribute to these discussions.
Edi Giudetti
Wow, Edi. That’s no waffling.
David Skinner, UK