Navigating the shift in culture

Until very recently, practically nobody in the Christian community questioned the traditional understanding of homosexuality. The culture at large treated homosexuality negatively. Homosexual activity was against the law. A person with homosexual feelings was considered mentally ill.


Things have changed radically over the last few years. Society has shifted from outlawing homosexuality to tolerating it, to even celebrating it. Now, to suggest that homosexuality is immoral is to invite accusations of being intolerant, hateful, and homophobic.


So, how are Christians to approach this topic? Do we take our cues from the society, or do we follow God's Word? How are we even to understand the Bible, since our society is so different from that of the biblical writers?


The good news is that while some portions of the Bible are difficult to understand, the majority of it is pretty clear cut and simple. The challenge is for us to understand and accept what God has said, rather than try to make the Bible agree with what I already think. Too often, we use the Bible to prove our opinions rather that allow the Bible to form our opinions.


A video on YouTube has been circulating in which a young man, Matthew Vines, challenges the traditional understanding of the biblical stance on homosexuality. The danger of this video is that he appears to make a biblical case for acceptance of committed homosexual relationships and ultimately homosexual marriage. I say "appears to make a biblical case" in that he says that he believes the Bible and wants to follow it, however, he actually misuses the biblical passages. The video is a little over an hour long and can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezQjNJUSraY


For those who are looking for an excuse to believe what he says, this could be seen as a legitimate biblical explanation. The video has been posted on Facebook by some with positive comments recommending it as a way to be accepting rather than judgmental. Matthew has since put the material in a book that was recently released called God and the Gay Christian. He has also started a ministry to train people to challenge the traditional biblical understanding.


A team of five biblical scholars have put together a response to Matthew Vines' book in the form of a free e-book. You can download it here.


I raise this not because I default to tradition. Generally, if it is tradition, I am automatically suspicious. My goal is not to be traditional, but biblical. Matthew's argument is sincere, but biblically wrong. He has approached the scripture with a conclusion that he wants to make and tries to make the Bible say something that it doesn't.


My goal is not to be hateful to homosexuals. It is to point people to Christ.