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Homosexuality in Church and Society

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Homosexuality in Church and Society Homosexuality in Church and Society: Charting the Issues A Traditionalist Overview compiled by Rev. Paul C. J. Burgess, M.A. (Cantab) Why write about homosexuality? “We need to write about homosexuality because it is addressed in the Bible, it is a moral issue, and it affects society. Therefore, it also affects religious and social institutions. As the influence of homosexuality increases, it will continue to invade our churches, our homes, our families, and affect change around us. Therefore, we need to have rational and biblical defenses for the Christian position, as well as an examination of the problems that homosexuality brings.” Matt Slick Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry Why Write About Homosexuality? : http://carm.org/write-about-homsexuality “In the old days, there was ʻsodomyʼ: an act. In the late 19th century, the word 'homosexualityʼ was coined: a condition. A generation ago, the accepted term became "gay": an identity. Each formulation raises the stakes … one can object to and even criminalize an act; one is obligated to be sympathetic toward a condition; but once it's a fully fledged 24/7 identity, like being Hispanic or Inuit, anything less than whole hearted acceptance gets you marked as a bigot … the transformation of a ʻcrime against natureʼ into a co-equal civic identity within little more than the span of one human lifetime is one of the most remarkable victories ever achieved by any minority group in the Western world. A minority that didn't even exist in a formal sense a century ago has managed to overwhelm and overhaul a universal societal institution thousands of years old.” Mark Steyn, Chicago Sun Times political commentator ‘There’s No Stopping Them Now,’ Chicago Sun Times, 13th July 2013! !!! "! !! ! “Homosexuality is something they have rather than something they are… As soon as somebody has a homosexual inclination, they say, ‘I am a homosexual.’ And I say, ‘No. You are a human being, and you have homosexual desires. But you are first and foremost a human being.’” 1 James Loder “There is no ‘gay gene’ as such, and media reports to this effect have been very misleading.” 2 Dr David de Pomerai Prof. of Biology, Nottingham University How informed are we? “I look forward to one day seeing the rainbow flag fly over every government building, and above parliaments across the world - maybe Russia, Uganda or Yemen.” 3 Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister “The modern change in opinion concerning homosexuality, though presented as scientific advance, is contradicted rather than supported by science… A masterful public relations campaign orchestrated by the ‘[gay] pride extremists’ has achieved a “transformation in public morals consistent with widespread abandonment of the Judeo-Christian ethics upon which our civilization is based. Though hailed as progress, it is really a reversion to ancient pagan practices supported by a counter- culture restatement of Gnostic moral relativism.” 4 John McKellar, openly homosexual founder of HOPE (Homosexuals Opposed to Pride Extremism) “It is important, finally, to remember that priests and bishops are very susceptible to what Rondeau calls the illusion of being informed and enlightened. Why? Because priests and bishops are pastoral people and, in this postmodern age, they need very much to be liked and they need to be seen as caring, sharing and compassionate. If being liked takes first place, then truth takes a distant second or third place... Love without truth will lead us all astray. Truth with love will set us free.” 5 Fr. Val J. Peter “We are up against people and organisations that use a myriad of means and large amounts of money to foster deeply flawed visions of human love and corrupt the values of society…We need to be willing to put in a similar level of effort to preparing the ground of society for the gospel. The re- affirmation of the ordered reality of human nature is the start of this process.” 6 John Deighan Parliamentary Officer for the (Roman Catholic) Bishop's Conference in Scotland !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #!!James E. Loder,!Interviews with Mark S. Koonz, reported in “Matters of the heart: James E. Loder on homosexuality and the possibility of transformation” in: David W. Torrance and Jock Stein (eds), Embracing Truth: Homosexuality and the Word of God, (Handsel Press, Haddington 2012), p. 210. "!David de Pomerai, “Gay genes questioned by university biologist”, Letter to Church of England Newspaper, posted in Homosexuality, Nature/Nurture, December 9th, 2011. http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2011/12/09/gay-genes- questioned-by-university-biologist/ (Accessed 19th January 2014) $!Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, ‘Rainbow flag flies at Dover House for LGBT Pride,’ Gov.uk. 24th June, 1913. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rainbow-flag-flies-at-dover-house-for-lgbt-pride (Accessed 28th June 1913) %!!Quoted by Henry Makow blog, 3rd June 2013. http://henrymakow.com/2013/07/Gay-Activist-Silenced-by- Heterophobes%20%20%20.html (Accessed 20th January 2014) &!!Val J. Peter, ‘Political Correctness: How They Market Homosexuality’, catholicculture.org, http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=7368 (Accessed 21st January 2014)! '!!John Deighan, ‘Learning from Homosexual Activism’, Faith Magazine, March-April 2009. http://faithmov.com/corporate/news/learning-homosexual-activism (Accessed 21st January 2014) !! $! ! A Compendium of Issues and Arguments Surrounding The Same-Sex Debate NOTE: This is a condensed reference work, not intended as an easy read on the subject! ʻHomosexualityʼ in the text of this overview may refer either to orientation or to behaviour depending on the context, which usually should make clear which meaning is meant. This overview provides material in the area of human sexuality to help those committed to a biblically orthodox (as opposed to a culturally determined) understanding of sexuality to think clearly, distinguish issues accurately and articulate arguments convincingly in the home, with friends and colleagues, and in the public arena. Information and arguments on both sides, with brief quotes, are given in bullet-point form. Homosexual views are quoted from homosexual sources wherever possible. These sources make up nearly a third of the total document. Examples have not been limited to the UK, but are taken from countries around the Western world since homosexuality and gay activism are world-wide inter-connected phenomena. It is offered as a resource manual to provide a ready reference compendium of facts and issues related to the societal changes faced by Christians in this area of human sexuality and relationships, for developing: 1. A Christian apologetic for today (to explain the Gospel in terms that relate to our sex- conscious culture). 2. An educational programme for congregations (to teach a Biblical view of sexuality and equip church people to speak up for Biblical teaching in this area in the face of humanist / secular / revisionist opposition). Part of this programme must surely include a positive challenge to develop: 3. A mission to reach out to those caught up in homosexuality informed by an examination of the problems that same-sex attraction brings to individuals. Note on print style: Views and quotations by non-traditionalists are printed in italics. Traditionalist responses / statements are printed in roman type. Biblical texts are printed in roman type. CONTACT THE COMPILER: No doubt this overview is incomplete and in places requires correction. Any constructive comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome. The writer may be contacted at: [email protected] ! %! !! ! “Of all the contested terrain in the culture war, the subject of homosexual rights is the most awkward to discuss. Almost all of us know homosexuals who are decent, intelligent and compassionate people, and we have no inclination to wound them.” 7 Robert Bork, Former Solicitor General of the United States “Archbishop Justin has recently spoken of a ‘revolution’ in Western culture, which we cannot ignore. This revolution has not been violent, or a spontaneous grassroots response to oppression, but the result of a planned manipulation of popular philosophy and the takeover of institutions and sources of information which shape us.” 8 Andrew Symes “If you repeat a big lie often enough it becomes the truth.” Josef Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Public Enlightenment “It has been said that ‘He who controls the language, controls the debate.’ Nowhere has this been more evident than in the culture war over the issue of human sexuality.” 9 Tim Wilkins, Speaker, Writer “When a man stops believing in God he doesn’t believe in nothing, he believes in anything.” Erroneously attributed to G.K. Chesterton “Whoever marries the spirit of this age will find himself a widower in the next.” Attributed to Dean Inge “By far the most important channel of transmission of culture remains the family: and when family life fails to play its part, we must expect our culture to deteriorate.” 10 T.S. Eliot “Whether these matters are to be regarded as sport, or as earnest, we must not forget that this pleasure is held to have been granted by nature to male and female when conjoined for the work of procreation; the offence of male with male, or female with female, is an outrage on nature 11 and a capital surrender to lust of pleasure.” Plato “It has actually become necessary in our time to rebut the theory that every firm and serious friendship is really homosexual… Kisses, tears and embraces are not in themselves evidence of homosexuality.” 12 C.S. Lewis !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (!!!Robert Bork, The Wall Street Journal, 7th August 2001! )!!Andrew Symes, Western governments, the secret of power and the Church’s response, Anglican-Mainstream: News, 6th August 2013 http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/2013/08/06/western-governments-the-secret-of-power-and-the- church%E2%80%99s-response/. (accessed 4th January 2014) *! Tim Wilkins, ‘"Sexual Orientation": How a Misnomer Has Become Mainstream’, Family North Carolina Magazine, Mar/Apr 2008 http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:0SE97- 5hm6MJ:www.ncfamily.org/FNC/0803S2.html (accessed 9th January 2013) #+!!T.
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