Michael Bresciani
Does the Bible really speak to the gay agenda?
By Michael Bresciani
Advising someone not to be fooled precludes the idea that they are not already complete fools to start with. The Bible says "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." (Psalm 14: 1) To those who believe there is no God; there is no advice, especially from the Bible, that would work anyway.
The exordium used here is not mean spirited but is used because today it is those who allegedly believe in God who are arguing for gays and it is the gays themselves who are struggling to find reconciliation between their practices and the Bible. Is there any reconciliation; let's see.
Not all, but certainly many Catholics have been chomping at the bit for years to allow the gays into their number but until the present have been hindered by the Pope. That can all change in an instant depending on the longevity of the present Pontiff and just who might succeed him. In other mainline denominations such as Lutheran, Methodist, some Baptists and of late Presbyterians the green light has been given for ordination of gays and other prohibitions have been lifted.
In May of 2011 the Presbyterian Church (USA) ended a 33 year debate about ordaining homosexuals. The 205 to 56 vote tally that ended the debate in favor of the gays was followed by statements such as those of Rev Gradye Parsons saying "I hope that going forward we can stay together and be faithful witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ" Parsons also said he thought the new vote for gays came because of the new acceptance of homosexuality in the larger culture and a general weariness with the whole debate felt by leaders and membership of the church according to Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times May 10, 2011.
Both of the statements made by the Presbyterians leave a sad feeling in the hearts and minds of those who are struggling to carry out the teachings and admonitions of the Bible. It is their Bibles that contradict the hopes set forth by the leaders of the church. The faithful witness to the gospel is all but lost and the fact that the church bent, bowed and blew away under the pressure of the world at large says that we are not dealing with what the Bible refers to as discipleship but only what society calls good church membership.
At the risk of repeating the old saying far too much it is here we would say that it is possible to be an excellent church member and a completely lousy disciple. In fact in true biblical theology the world's moral views and the church that is guided by scripture are always mutually exclusive.
Americans generally know little about the laws and customs of other nations around the globe. As a result our own culture, trends and social movements are the filter by which we view the rest of the world. This tunnel vision can be costly and does lead to a general weariness when we are bombarded by social movements pressing in on the modern culture and trying to radically change it. Just going along with the crowd is much easier and ends the conflict. Gay activists and community organizers are fully aware of this and play it to their own advantage. They would have us to view our nation through pink colored glasses.
For the biblically grounded there is little doubt that they cannot give in. They are guided by many things the least of which is this passage. "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment." (Ex 23: 2)
For the rest it is the general aloofness about the spread and acceptance of the gay agenda in which they are guided or more succinctly, misguided. Few people are aware that over 70 countries still hold the practice of homosexuality as illegal, immoral and unacceptable. Slightly over half of these countries are Muslim. In Uganda the vote was narrowly defeated that would have made the practice of homosexuality an offense punishable by death.
The general disdain of the gay life in Muslim countries may account for the lack of gay activists in those nations but it also speaks volumes about the lack of gay support for Muslim endeavors in this country. You have never seen a placard carrying group of gays interfering with a Muslim gathering or protest; now you know why.
Gay activist seem to be wearing out the general public as in Virginia where same sex marriages were recently brought in by a narrow margin but nevertheless people in the Old Dominion amended their state constitution to OK same sex marriages. In California the gays were not satisfied to allow the vote of the general population to stand, but dragged the matter to the federal courts for a look see. Does all of this social wrangling indicate that we are approaching new heights of social advancement and freedom or is it the indicator that we are sinking to new depths of reprobation?
If we use the Bible alone to answer the question it will show that the rise in gay activism is not only a new low for the nation but it is part and parcel to last day's prophecy. It is only a small part of a pervasive deepening of immorality that the Bible says must precede the rise of the antichrist and the final judgments of God against a rebellious and totally reprobate generation.
Could we have misunderstood, mistranslated or misapplied the biblical message about homosexuality? The recurrence of scriptures that speak to the subject of homosexuality makes that completely impossible. The preponderance of scripture on the subject is assurance that God meant business, he was not laying out a list of suggestions or conveying his mood or the way it should be in the ancient world versus the present enlightened age.
Using the preponderance of passages to verify a matter in the Bible is standard practice. As an example the evolutionist may think the believer is depending on the Genesis account of the creation to bolster the belief that God created everything in the universe. But the claim to creation is made almost 75 times throughout the Bible and most of those times it is God himself speaking. If it were not enough that he says it how about considering the number of times he has repeated it?
There are 18 passages that deal with the matter of homosexuality either directly or indirectly. Seven of the eighteen condemn the practice in no uncertain terms. The only way to skirt around those passages is to say God never spoke them, or that he has changed his mind. Nothing speaks to that crazy notion better than the Message Bible which says "Israel's God-of-Glory doesn't deceive and he doesn't dither. He says what he means and means what he says" (1Samuel 15: 29b)
Just what hasn't God changed his mind about? Here is the list of the seven passages or verses that indicate God's position on homosexuality. In a nation where we cannot attack another's conscience with our religious beliefs it should be noted that the church of true believers who stand on the Bible must not be swayed or forced to change to meet the morality of the secular world. Here is what we believe, take it or leave it.
I cannot speak for every preacher, prophet or messenger but for myself I know I don't want another's blood on my hands just because I thought the social climate suddenly became more important than the revealed word of the living God. Perhaps it is the charge given to the prophet Ezekiel that says it the best.
"When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand." (Ezekiel 2: 13)
© Michael Bresciani
May 13, 2011
Advising someone not to be fooled precludes the idea that they are not already complete fools to start with. The Bible says "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." (Psalm 14: 1) To those who believe there is no God; there is no advice, especially from the Bible, that would work anyway.
The exordium used here is not mean spirited but is used because today it is those who allegedly believe in God who are arguing for gays and it is the gays themselves who are struggling to find reconciliation between their practices and the Bible. Is there any reconciliation; let's see.
Not all, but certainly many Catholics have been chomping at the bit for years to allow the gays into their number but until the present have been hindered by the Pope. That can all change in an instant depending on the longevity of the present Pontiff and just who might succeed him. In other mainline denominations such as Lutheran, Methodist, some Baptists and of late Presbyterians the green light has been given for ordination of gays and other prohibitions have been lifted.
In May of 2011 the Presbyterian Church (USA) ended a 33 year debate about ordaining homosexuals. The 205 to 56 vote tally that ended the debate in favor of the gays was followed by statements such as those of Rev Gradye Parsons saying "I hope that going forward we can stay together and be faithful witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ" Parsons also said he thought the new vote for gays came because of the new acceptance of homosexuality in the larger culture and a general weariness with the whole debate felt by leaders and membership of the church according to Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times May 10, 2011.
Both of the statements made by the Presbyterians leave a sad feeling in the hearts and minds of those who are struggling to carry out the teachings and admonitions of the Bible. It is their Bibles that contradict the hopes set forth by the leaders of the church. The faithful witness to the gospel is all but lost and the fact that the church bent, bowed and blew away under the pressure of the world at large says that we are not dealing with what the Bible refers to as discipleship but only what society calls good church membership.
At the risk of repeating the old saying far too much it is here we would say that it is possible to be an excellent church member and a completely lousy disciple. In fact in true biblical theology the world's moral views and the church that is guided by scripture are always mutually exclusive.
Americans generally know little about the laws and customs of other nations around the globe. As a result our own culture, trends and social movements are the filter by which we view the rest of the world. This tunnel vision can be costly and does lead to a general weariness when we are bombarded by social movements pressing in on the modern culture and trying to radically change it. Just going along with the crowd is much easier and ends the conflict. Gay activists and community organizers are fully aware of this and play it to their own advantage. They would have us to view our nation through pink colored glasses.
For the biblically grounded there is little doubt that they cannot give in. They are guided by many things the least of which is this passage. "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment." (Ex 23: 2)
For the rest it is the general aloofness about the spread and acceptance of the gay agenda in which they are guided or more succinctly, misguided. Few people are aware that over 70 countries still hold the practice of homosexuality as illegal, immoral and unacceptable. Slightly over half of these countries are Muslim. In Uganda the vote was narrowly defeated that would have made the practice of homosexuality an offense punishable by death.
The general disdain of the gay life in Muslim countries may account for the lack of gay activists in those nations but it also speaks volumes about the lack of gay support for Muslim endeavors in this country. You have never seen a placard carrying group of gays interfering with a Muslim gathering or protest; now you know why.
Gay activist seem to be wearing out the general public as in Virginia where same sex marriages were recently brought in by a narrow margin but nevertheless people in the Old Dominion amended their state constitution to OK same sex marriages. In California the gays were not satisfied to allow the vote of the general population to stand, but dragged the matter to the federal courts for a look see. Does all of this social wrangling indicate that we are approaching new heights of social advancement and freedom or is it the indicator that we are sinking to new depths of reprobation?
If we use the Bible alone to answer the question it will show that the rise in gay activism is not only a new low for the nation but it is part and parcel to last day's prophecy. It is only a small part of a pervasive deepening of immorality that the Bible says must precede the rise of the antichrist and the final judgments of God against a rebellious and totally reprobate generation.
Could we have misunderstood, mistranslated or misapplied the biblical message about homosexuality? The recurrence of scriptures that speak to the subject of homosexuality makes that completely impossible. The preponderance of scripture on the subject is assurance that God meant business, he was not laying out a list of suggestions or conveying his mood or the way it should be in the ancient world versus the present enlightened age.
Using the preponderance of passages to verify a matter in the Bible is standard practice. As an example the evolutionist may think the believer is depending on the Genesis account of the creation to bolster the belief that God created everything in the universe. But the claim to creation is made almost 75 times throughout the Bible and most of those times it is God himself speaking. If it were not enough that he says it how about considering the number of times he has repeated it?
There are 18 passages that deal with the matter of homosexuality either directly or indirectly. Seven of the eighteen condemn the practice in no uncertain terms. The only way to skirt around those passages is to say God never spoke them, or that he has changed his mind. Nothing speaks to that crazy notion better than the Message Bible which says "Israel's God-of-Glory doesn't deceive and he doesn't dither. He says what he means and means what he says" (1Samuel 15: 29b)
Just what hasn't God changed his mind about? Here is the list of the seven passages or verses that indicate God's position on homosexuality. In a nation where we cannot attack another's conscience with our religious beliefs it should be noted that the church of true believers who stand on the Bible must not be swayed or forced to change to meet the morality of the secular world. Here is what we believe, take it or leave it.
- Destruction and judgment of entire cities, regions or nations that practice homosexuality. (Genesis 19: 1f)
- Described as an abomination, (sin that leaves God disgusted) and strictly forbidden. (Leviticus 18: 22)
- Severe penalties added to the practice of homosexuality. (Leviticus 20: 13)
- Those who profess that it's perfectly normal have become fools and are charged with lying and leading themselves and others to a state of reprobation. (Romans 1: 22-32)
- Kept out of future entrance into the Kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6: 9)
- Defilement and misuse of the laws of God. (1 Timothy 1: 9, 10)
- Undignified perversion that leads to eternal fire. (Jude 1: 7)
I cannot speak for every preacher, prophet or messenger but for myself I know I don't want another's blood on my hands just because I thought the social climate suddenly became more important than the revealed word of the living God. Perhaps it is the charge given to the prophet Ezekiel that says it the best.
"When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand." (Ezekiel 2: 13)
© Michael Bresciani
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