Reading: Gay Liberation (The Video Slides)

Gay Liberation
by David Feddes

Two-front battle

1. Bringing good news: Show God's love and proclaim the gospel of forgiveness and new life in Christ to homosexual sinners. As fellow sinners, we must relate to people humbly, gently, and respectfully.

2. Battling evil agenda: Stand against an organized movement that declares evil to be good. Many homosexuals don't seek forgiveness or new life. They seek blessing from church and support from government.

Unnatural abomination

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. (Leviticus 18:22)

Women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error... Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:26-27)

Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7; see Genesis 19)

Washed, sanctified, justified

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

What about scientific studies?

• Identical twin studies: less than 50% with gay identical twin are gay themselves

• "Gay gene” studies: some correlation, but not decisive of itself.

• Don't overlook the obvious about genes: males are XY, females are XX.

• Don't overlook the obvious about anatomy: male and female organs match.

• Homosexuality may be partly inherited, just as our sin nature is inherited.

Putting off the old self, putting on the new self

You were taught to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

Two-front battle

1. Bringing good news: Show God's love and proclaim the gospel of forgiveness and new life in Christ to homosexual sinners. As fellow sinners, we must relate to people humbly, gently, and respectfully.

2. Battling evil agenda: Stand against an organized movement that declares evil to be good. Many homosexuals don't seek forgiveness or new life. They seek blessing from church and support from government.

Understanding the times

• Gay activism is well funded and organized

• Homosexuality gained support even as thousands of gay men were dying of AIDS.

• Heterosexuals acting like homosexuals: minimized gender differences, got sterilized, had sex without marriage.

• Many church supporters of homosexuality are universalists: nobody goes to to hell.

• Churches blessed homosexual unions before government did.

Gay marriage?

• Dutch study of gay "committed partnerships”

             *Lasted an average of two years

             *More than 95 percent had other sexual partners during those two years.

             *Average was eight other partners per year.

Some activists fear that official approval of gay marriage will not be inclusive enough.

             *Might exclude bisexuals and transgenders

             *Might exclude legalized polygamy

 

Gay editor's view of marriage

• "I'd be for marriage if I thought gay people would challenge and change the institution and not buy into the traditional meaning of 'till death do us part' and monogamy forever.”

• If marriage had none of the things that make marriage what it is, he'd be all for it!

1. NOT between a man and a woman

2. NOT a commitment to be sexually faithful to one person

3. NOT meant to last a lifetime

 
What is a healthy home?

David Frum: If you think of coupledom as a partnership that may or may not involve children, or if you have become accustomed to the idea that the children in a home will often have a biological relationship with one adult but not necessarily the other, then you will not find same-sex marriage a very exotic idea; indeed, you will be ready to believe that prejudice and hatred are the only possible reasons that somebody might oppose same-sex marriage.

Not just consenting adults

David Frum: To oppose same-sex marriage effectively, you have to believe that marriage is more than a contract between two consenting adults, more than a claim on employers and the government for economic benefits. You have to believe that children need mothers and fathers, their own mothers and fathers. You have to believe that unmarried cohabitation is wrong, even when heterosexuals do it. Lose those beliefs and the case for marriage has been lost.

Government's stance:

four possibilities

1.  Prohibit and punish (e.g. theft, murder)
2.  Permit but penalize (e.g. "sin taxes” on cigarettes and alcohol)
3.   Privatize without penalizing or promoting (e.g. heresy, swearing, gossip, rage)
4.  Promote and privilege (favor some things by teaching in school curriculum, tax breaks, subsidies)

Contradictory arguments

• Gays who demand, "Keep the government out of our bedroom,” should not demand, "Have the government license and support what we do in our bedroom.”

• Gays who say, "What we're doing is nobody else's business,” shouldn't go on to say, "What we're doing is so important to the public good and the future of the society that it should have the same public standing and government approval as marriage.”

• Sinners want king and priest to bless them.

False prophets

• Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (Matthew 7:15)

•They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. (Jude 4)

• Secular humanism and apostate theological liberalism are the driving forces behind the sexual revolution.

Churches standing firm

• If society rejects Christian influence, the church must still teach God's Word.

• Government need not punish every sin, but God will punish sin with hell if there is no repentance and trust in Christ. Churches must warn of God's wrath against sin, even if it's not something government must punish.

• Churches must excommunicate gay couples, not bless them or make them leaders.

Ministry to homosexuals

• It is not right or loving to treat homosexual behavior as normal and pleasing to God.

• Love, pray, and care.

• Don't single out homosexual sin as worse.

• Sin involves inborn or ingrained tendencies.

• Emphasize that Jesus' blood removes guilt, and the Spirit's power transforms life.

• Change orientation, or abstain from sex.

• Teach godly self denial and self control.

• Support Christians who still struggle.

Two-front battle

1. Bringing good news: Show God's love and proclaim the gospel of forgiveness and new life in Christ to homosexual sinners. As fellow sinners, we must relate to people humbly, gently, and respectfully.

2. Battling evil agenda: Stand against an organized movement that declares evil to be good. Many homosexuals don't seek forgiveness or new life. They seek blessing from church and support from government.