Monday, November 20, 2006
No Such Thing As "Sexual Orientation"
Homosexuality poses the greatest challenge to discernment, discipline and restoration that the church has faced in the past 100 years. Why? If we don't learn how to discuss it with winsome conviction, we'll probably lose our voice on the issue altogether. Thankfully, when God brings a sin into the open, as he did with the exposure of Ted Haggard, it means He's giving the church an opportunity to deal with it.
However, before this happens, we must change our language and stop allowing popular culture to define our terminology. What do I mean? Here's just one example: In a recent CNN interview with Kyra Phillips, instead of providing incisive clarity from a biblical perspective, evangelical sociologist Tony Campolo muddied the waters. I'm not suggesting that Christians must be ready with pat, religious mumbo-jumbo for every tough question posed by the media, and I confess that I sometimes agree with Campolo's controversial views on social justice, poverty and war. But he needs to put his perspective on homosexuality back under the microscope of Scripture.
In discussing Haggard's restoration, Campolo states:"Will he just say, 'I have a little problem on the side'? Or will he begin to face the fact that maybe I have a sexual orientation that does not offer an easy fix? And if he does turn out to be homosexual in his orientation, he's going to have to live with that orientation and figure out what this means for the rest of his life, because there's not an easy fix for that."
First, Scripture does not recognize homosexuality as an orientation, any more than it recognizes adultery, fornication, anger, drunkenness or lying as individual orientations. Instead, it prohibits specific behaviors--all of which have their root in an "orientation" that every human being was born with: sin. This orientation (or "sin nature," as theologians would put it) leads us to reach for a bottle, a gun, a syringe or someone else's spouse in our relentless defiance of God's law. Whether by nature, nurture, genetics or life choices, some of us are more inclined to certain sins, but we remain, as Paul so eloquently contends, "without excuse".
The language of "orientation" has allowed us to relinquish our responsibility for specific behaviors, to psychologize our conduct and to label each other as drunkards, abusers, adulterers, liars, homosexuals and so on, based on the sins we are most likely to commit. This system is convenient both for those who do not struggle with any of the sins that happen to be "socially-unacceptable" at the moment and for those looking for an external excuse for their sinful behavior.
Campolo is partially right: Our orientation toward sin is something we're born with and will have to deal with all our earthly lives. But the orientation and the sin itself should not be confused, lest we embrace some fatalistic version of Christian living. Campolo sounds a lot like Paul, who wrestles with this when he states, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do" (Romans 7:15). But if we keep reading, we see that Paul was convinced that it is possible, through the power of the Spirit, to win daily battles with the the "sin orientation" that lingers in our fallen souls. As church father Augustine summed it up, before conversion we were "unable not to sin," but when we are in Christ, He enables us not to sin--a testament to the power of the Spirit to circumvent our wiley sin nature.
Whether speaking to our congregations or the press, imagine the clarity church leaders could bring to the nebulous discussion of "sexual orientation" by letting our language reflect biblical reality and altogether avoiding the cultural labels of "gay", "lesbian", "bisexual", "transgender" and so on. The results?
Matt Green, editor
Ministry Today
We intend to discuss this topic further in the future in the print magazine. Your feedback, perspectives and ideas are welcome below.
However, before this happens, we must change our language and stop allowing popular culture to define our terminology. What do I mean? Here's just one example: In a recent CNN interview with Kyra Phillips, instead of providing incisive clarity from a biblical perspective, evangelical sociologist Tony Campolo muddied the waters. I'm not suggesting that Christians must be ready with pat, religious mumbo-jumbo for every tough question posed by the media, and I confess that I sometimes agree with Campolo's controversial views on social justice, poverty and war. But he needs to put his perspective on homosexuality back under the microscope of Scripture.
In discussing Haggard's restoration, Campolo states:"Will he just say, 'I have a little problem on the side'? Or will he begin to face the fact that maybe I have a sexual orientation that does not offer an easy fix? And if he does turn out to be homosexual in his orientation, he's going to have to live with that orientation and figure out what this means for the rest of his life, because there's not an easy fix for that."
First, Scripture does not recognize homosexuality as an orientation, any more than it recognizes adultery, fornication, anger, drunkenness or lying as individual orientations. Instead, it prohibits specific behaviors--all of which have their root in an "orientation" that every human being was born with: sin. This orientation (or "sin nature," as theologians would put it) leads us to reach for a bottle, a gun, a syringe or someone else's spouse in our relentless defiance of God's law. Whether by nature, nurture, genetics or life choices, some of us are more inclined to certain sins, but we remain, as Paul so eloquently contends, "without excuse".
The language of "orientation" has allowed us to relinquish our responsibility for specific behaviors, to psychologize our conduct and to label each other as drunkards, abusers, adulterers, liars, homosexuals and so on, based on the sins we are most likely to commit. This system is convenient both for those who do not struggle with any of the sins that happen to be "socially-unacceptable" at the moment and for those looking for an external excuse for their sinful behavior.
Campolo is partially right: Our orientation toward sin is something we're born with and will have to deal with all our earthly lives. But the orientation and the sin itself should not be confused, lest we embrace some fatalistic version of Christian living. Campolo sounds a lot like Paul, who wrestles with this when he states, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do" (Romans 7:15). But if we keep reading, we see that Paul was convinced that it is possible, through the power of the Spirit, to win daily battles with the the "sin orientation" that lingers in our fallen souls. As church father Augustine summed it up, before conversion we were "unable not to sin," but when we are in Christ, He enables us not to sin--a testament to the power of the Spirit to circumvent our wiley sin nature.
Whether speaking to our congregations or the press, imagine the clarity church leaders could bring to the nebulous discussion of "sexual orientation" by letting our language reflect biblical reality and altogether avoiding the cultural labels of "gay", "lesbian", "bisexual", "transgender" and so on. The results?
- It helps church leaders avoid fixating on discussion of certain sins at the expense of others and alienating people who struggle with specific sins, while leaving others off the hook.
- It levels the ground at the foot of the cross, where all sinners must meet--regardless of which sin they are most vulnerable to.
- It naturally redirects manipulative questions such as "Will gays go to hell?" to more substantive ones, such as "Will sinners go to hell?"
- It redirects the focus of those wishing to justify their orientation for one reason or another to examining their specific behavior as offensive to God.
Matt Green, editor
Ministry Today
We intend to discuss this topic further in the future in the print magazine. Your feedback, perspectives and ideas are welcome below.
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Amen Matt. Sin, Satan, Hell and judgment are not popular words these days and the "seeker friendly" and liberal church leaders have made it harder to call sin "sin." Either we get this right or indeed we WILL lose our voice and ability to comment effectively about evil in the world. Thank God for a clear voice on this issue.
# posted by 
: 3:18 PM
: 3:18 PM
Matt Green,
I minister to a lot of gay & lesbian women in prison. We also have a couple (2 women) living next door to us. We treat each one as a human being who are sinners - no other way. We love them and share gospel to them as anyone else - no difference. Sin is sin. However, we have been told by the Chaplain, not to address any specific topic on "gay & lesbian" issues. In this specific prison they have created a counceling group to talk with the women and work with them to come out of that life style. What happened in that case was they were using a counceling book that was given to each woman. In that book gay & lesbian life style was addressed as "sin." This one person had evidence and called it a defimation of character or an insult to her personhood. She got a lawyer and now the program is on hold with a possible lawsuit! This is a state that recognizes this life style with great honor and respect. A lot of monies have keep this life style running with a BIG voice of POWER. Anyone/anything that tries to speak out against gays/lesbians gets a legal notice. They are building their organization with BIG NAMES and BIG MONIES TO TEMPT EVERYONE ONTO THEIR SIDE OF THE FENCE - WHERE THEY CAN FLEX ANYONE! Wake up America!!
I minister to a lot of gay & lesbian women in prison. We also have a couple (2 women) living next door to us. We treat each one as a human being who are sinners - no other way. We love them and share gospel to them as anyone else - no difference. Sin is sin. However, we have been told by the Chaplain, not to address any specific topic on "gay & lesbian" issues. In this specific prison they have created a counceling group to talk with the women and work with them to come out of that life style. What happened in that case was they were using a counceling book that was given to each woman. In that book gay & lesbian life style was addressed as "sin." This one person had evidence and called it a defimation of character or an insult to her personhood. She got a lawyer and now the program is on hold with a possible lawsuit! This is a state that recognizes this life style with great honor and respect. A lot of monies have keep this life style running with a BIG voice of POWER. Anyone/anything that tries to speak out against gays/lesbians gets a legal notice. They are building their organization with BIG NAMES and BIG MONIES TO TEMPT EVERYONE ONTO THEIR SIDE OF THE FENCE - WHERE THEY CAN FLEX ANYONE! Wake up America!!
# posted by : 3:49 PM
: 3:49 PM
I think that that was a powerful article. We have to preach the consequences of Sin. The homosexual life is a life of sin. Just like the life of a liar, drunk, fornicator, etc. It's the sin that needs to be dealt with. We need not to seperate them out and single them out specifically apart from their sin issue to effectively minister to them.
# posted by : 4:52 PM
: 4:52 PM
You are naive to think you can "partially agree" with Tony Campolo on such matters or that he is an effective spokesman for evangelical Christianity. On what topic is TC not as far to the left as one can get and still be included in the "big tent" that evangelicalism has become?
Your point on calling sin what it is, namely, sin, is a good one. But to make your point using TC as a backboard to bank your best shot off of is not the way to shoot. Best to ignore his fuzziness and go straight for the basket. He has virtually no credibility in the discussion.
Your point on calling sin what it is, namely, sin, is a good one. But to make your point using TC as a backboard to bank your best shot off of is not the way to shoot. Best to ignore his fuzziness and go straight for the basket. He has virtually no credibility in the discussion.
# posted by : 5:53 PM
: 5:53 PM
Homosexuality will be a defining issue for the church in the future. As foreign countries and even some states move to recognize homosexual marriage, the church will have to decide whether it needs to abandon the "spirituality equals political power" model that evangelicals currently espouse.
George, as for Tony Campolo, I have no qualms with "banking my shots" off him, Carlton Pearson, Rick Warren or whoever may be making a public statement--all of whom I partially agree with on at least one point, I'm sure. Since you mention it, I wonder if it's time to dispense with the "left", "right", "liberal" and "conservative" labels that we tend to bat around in discussions like this. Once again, these are just cultural terms that typically describe one's political or social opinions, not their loyalty toward the Kingdom of God or the Scriptures. Sometimes, these terms are just plain confusing. I would hope that a biblical Christian would be labeled conservative by some and liberal by others--depending on the position they're taking and the historical context. Luther, Calvin and Zwingli were considered liberal rebels in their desire to buck extra-biblical rules of the Catholic church. Wycliffe was a liberal revolutionary in his desire to get the Bible into the hands of the common man. "Liberals" led the charge for black emancipation and women's voting rights. Too bad liberalism today is often associated with same-sex marriage, abortion and secular humanism ...
What about Lonnie Frisbee? He helped to start Calvary Chapel and Vineyard movements and died of Aids from a homosexual lifestyle www.lonniefrisbee.com
# posted by : 8:47 PM
: 8:47 PM
Once again you have cut through the
confusing rhetoric that today so often clouds the moral battles (ie. sin) that we face today and addressed an issue succintly and with great clarity. I think the recent midterm elections demonstrate that the terms "liberal",
"conservative", "left" and "right" are "confusing" as you say and have become so skewed that they no longer accurately describe people's political or social views. Maybe it's time for these labels to be eliminated from our vocabulary and mindset.
CCG
confusing rhetoric that today so often clouds the moral battles (ie. sin) that we face today and addressed an issue succintly and with great clarity. I think the recent midterm elections demonstrate that the terms "liberal",
"conservative", "left" and "right" are "confusing" as you say and have become so skewed that they no longer accurately describe people's political or social views. Maybe it's time for these labels to be eliminated from our vocabulary and mindset.
CCG
# posted by : 9:21 PM
: 9:21 PM
You, sir, who was evidently born and genetically predisposed to be a raving idiot, are also "without excuse."
Woe-be-it that someday you join the human race and find everyone, including the loving God you propose to worship and follow -- abandoning you and casting you into exile.
Your stance is vile and has nothing to do with the Christ who entered into the lives of "sinners."
Print this.
Woe-be-it that someday you join the human race and find everyone, including the loving God you propose to worship and follow -- abandoning you and casting you into exile.
Your stance is vile and has nothing to do with the Christ who entered into the lives of "sinners."
Print this.
# posted by : 12:25 AM
: 12:25 AM
Dear friends - I too believe that homosexuality is a sin however let us not be too quick to judge our our brother Tony Campolo - could it be possible that in this spiritual battle that rages around us , God would encourage more than one strategy? i.e. in addition to a head on confrontation with the sin of hjom osexuality , that he also might want to win some darkened minds by sending a few soldiers into the enemy's camp to engage them in their own language? Is this possible?
# posted by : 10:53 AM
: 10:53 AM
Thanks for speaking the truth in love. I have a brother who is bound by the sin of homosexuality, and his life fits the classic pattern of childhood abuse, exposure to sexuality at an early age and an absent father figure characterized by many who are homosexual. The church has been flat-footed in its approach in dealing with this particular sin. Thank God we're starting to change.
Great article Matt! The church continues to be split apart by the "left" and "right" positions and propaganda...we as the church MUST come back to what the Word says; that is all that will stand when the world is on fire!
David Copeland
Lanett, Alabama
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David Copeland
Lanett, Alabama
# posted by : 11:12 AM
: 11:12 AMLinks to this post:
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