Homosexuality not in the bible
Leviticus
“You shall not stretch with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”[1] It is not a surprise that this verse seems to say that lgbtq+ male sex is forbidden in the eyes of God. The dominant view of western Christianity forbids same-sex relations. This verse is one of the clobber passages that people cite from the Bible to condemn homosexuality. This essay first looks at the various ways the verse is translated into the English Bible and then explores some of the strategies used to create an affirming understanding of what this route means for the LGBTQ community. More specifically, it presents the interpretation of K. Renato Lings in which Lev. refers to male-on-male incest.
While Lev. is used to condemn homosexuality, we must realize that the term “homosexuality” was only recently coined in the English language. So did this term be in ancient Israel? Charles D. Myers, Jr. confirms that none of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible mention homosexuality.[2] He also contends that in ancient Israel same-sex relations were viewed as an ancient Near East challenge. The anc
The Bible and same sex relationships: A review article
Tim Keller,
Vines, Matthew, God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same Sex Relationships, Convergent Books,
Wilson, Ken,A Letter to My Congregation, David Crum Media,
The relationship of homosexuality to Christianity is one of the main topics of discussion in our culture today. In the fall of last year I wrote a review of books by Wesley Hill and Sam Allberry that take the historic Christian view, in Hill’s words: “that homosexuality was not God’s original resourceful intention for humanity and therefore that homosexual train goes against God’s convey will for all human beings, especially those who trust in Christ.”
There are a number of other books that obtain the opposite view, namely that the Bible either allows for or supports same sex relationships. Over the last year or so I (and other pastors at Redeemer) own been regularly asked for responses to their arguments. The two most scan volumes taking this position seem to be those by Matthew Vines and Ken Wilson. The review of these
Has 'Homosexual' Always Been in the Bible?
Reprinted with permission from The Forge Online
The pos “arsenokoitai” shows up in two alternative verses in the bible, but it was not translated to mean “homosexual” until
We got to sit down with Ed Oxford at his home in Long Beach, California and talk about this question.
You possess been part of a research team that is pursuing to understand how the decision was made to position the word lgbtq+ in the bible. Is that true?
Ed: Yes. It first showed up in the RSV translation. So before figuring out why they decided to use that word in the RSV translation (which is outlined in my upcoming manual with Kathy Baldock, Forging a Solemn Weapon: How the Bible Became Anti-Gay) I wanted to see how other cultures and translations treated the equal verses when they were translated during the Reformation years ago. So I started collecting vintage Bibles in French, German, Irish, Gaelic, Czechoslovakian, Polish… you name it. Now I’ve got most European major languages that I’ve calm over time. An
Homosexuality & the Bible
The word ‘homosexual’wasneverin theoriginal Bible. In the first Greek and Hebrew texts, the word that is now translated to ‘homosexual’ actually accurately translates to ‘pedophile; or ‘boy abuser’ or ‘boy molester.’
That is, according to the bible, homosexuality is NOT a sin. Child molesting is.
The ancient world condoned and encouraged systemic pederasty – sexual relationships between an adult (old) man and a young lad, usually years old.
According to theologian Ed Oxford, “Ancient Greek documents show us how even parents utilized this abusive system to help their sons advance in society.” For most of history, these verses were interpreted to be obviously referring the pederasty, not homosexuality!
In summary, the unique bible condemned pederasty, not homosexuality. The shift to attack homosexuality in the s is not only a calculated attack on queer folks that came during a critical period for us (think: the AIDS epidemic) but is also disgustingly ironic coming from an institution with nearly 6, (old) clergy men charged with