Does the bible ban gay marriage
Leviticus
“You shall not rest with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”[1] It is not a surprise that this verse seems to say that queer 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 translation of what this corridor 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 remain 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 difficulty. The anc
The Bible and Equal Sex Marriage
The Bible repeatedly uses the metaphor of marriage to illustrate the relationship between Christ and His church. How does that metaphor speak to the subject of same sex marriage? Does the utilize of that metaphor render same sex marriage impossible to harmonize with the Bible? Can trans person people fulfill the model of marriage laid out in Ephesians 5? Combine Scott for this discussion with Rachel Gilson, author of Born Again This Way.
Rachel Gilson serves on the leaders team for theological development and society at Cru. She has an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and is working on her PhD at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is the author of Born Again This Way: Coming Out, Coming to Faith, and What Comes Next. Her writing has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and Desiring God.
Episode Transcript
Scott Rae: The Bible repeatedly used the metaphor of marriage to illustrate the relationship between Christ and His church. But how does that metaphor actually speak to the subject of queer marri
What Does the Bible Declare About Homosexuality?
What Does The Bible Say About Homosexuality?
Introduction
For the last two decades, Pew Research Center has reported that one of the most enduring ethical issues across Christian traditions is sexual diversity. For many Christians, one of the most frequently first-asked questions on this topic is, “What does the Bible say about attraction to someone of the same sex?”
Although its unlikely that the biblical authors had any notion of sexual orientation (for example, the term homosexual wasn't even coined until the late 19th century) for many people of faith, the Bible is looked to for timeless guidance on what it means to honor God with our lives; and this most certainly includes our sexuality.
Before we can jump into how it is that Christians can maintain the authority of the Bible and also affirm sexual diversity, it might be helpful if we started with a brief but clear overview of some of the assumptions informing many Christian approaches to understanding the Bible.
What is the Bible?
For Christians to whom the Bible
What does the Bible speak about gay marriage?
Answer
The Bible says nothing about queer marriage directly, but it does set down the foundational principles of what constitutes marriagein God’s eyes. Every reference to marriage in the Bible indicates a union of male and female. The first description of marriage coincides with the creation of Eve in Genesis 2. According to that alley, marriage takes place when “a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they develop one flesh” (Genesis ).
In passages that contain commands regarding marriage, such as 1 Corinthians –16 and Ephesians –33, the Bible clearly identifies marriage as being between a human and a woman. Biblically speaking, marriage is the union of a dude and a woman in a lifetime commitment. First purposes of marriage are to illustrate the partnership between Christ and the church (see Ephesians –33) and to build a family and provide a stable, secure environment for that family to expand. As families prosper, so does society at big, and stable families contribute to stable soci