A logical argument is presented here.
People that believe the bible is inerrant also believe that homosexual behavior is sin. Are there any exceptions to this rule?
Possibly, though I don't know of any. The fact is, people who believe in
your interpretation of Scripture, applying the conditions of 21st Century Western culture to the text, believe that all homosexual behavior is sin. I do grant that it
appears to say that unless one studies the background of the relevant verses, and
takes them in context.
People that don't believe gay behavior is sin, believe the bible is fallible.
I would venture to guess that there is not one member of CF who would explicitly say "all gay behavior is not sin." There are some clear condemnations of homosexual actions in specific contexts by anyone's reading. For example, the textual-critical approach to I Corinthians 7 clearly states that it condemns those who patronize the enslaved boy prostitutes of Corinth and those who pander them. Similarly, the effete, jaded elite of Rome are condemned for turning from straight sex to gay in a quest for new thrills.
If the bible is fallible, then their understanding of the bible is fallible as well, because they must rely on their own understanding rather than the authority of scriptures. Their agenda is based on their own self-interests rather than the truth and the authority of scriptures (which they doubt).
This does not follow. Many Churches base their teachings on tradition, reason, and experience as well as on scripture. Also, keep in mind that we are to "rightly divide" Scripture, meaning that we are to study it deeply to learn what it actually says. Scholars who research into the language used, the customs of the time and place it was written, and so on, produce something other than people's self-interests.
Hence people that believe the bible contains no errors are more correct in interpretting what the scriptures say. Their agenda is to preserve the truth contained in the scriptures, which they believe to be true.
It's your privilege to believe so, and I honor that. There are, however, many people who appear to use the apparent condemnation of gay sex in scripture as a rationalization for condemning gay people altogether, seeing in it grounds to ostracize and assault them. And I would hope that those who see gay sex as sinful but believe in Christ's teachings would join with the rest of us in condemning such people.
All the rest are out to disprove scripture or revise scripture. Have you ever noticed that there is not a "gay affirming" version of the bible from cover to cover?
Um, my take on this is that there are no restrictive clauses barring gay people, even "unrepentantly gay" people, from the salvation of Jesus Christ and from God's love. God so loved
the world that He sent His only-begotten son. He died for the sins of all, that
whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but by grace are we save through faith, and not by works, lest any man should boast. If you believe in your heart and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, you will be saved. Repentance is called for, yes, but not repentance of what you or I or anyone else mortal considers sinful -- instead, of what the Holy Spirit convicts people of as sinful. Not one word in any of that excluding gay people. And while we focus on homosexuality in this forum, people are going hungry, homeless, unwanted children are without families, big business is gouging all the traffic will bear from people who cannot afford it, loan sharks are committing usury in the sinful sense (the KJV uses it in two ways -- one synonymous with "interest" and the other with "gouging with excessive interest, as a loanshark"), teens are feeling rejected and suicidal or turning to drugs as an escape, people are buying second homes, luxury boats and overpriced cars instead of helping alleviate these problems.... There's plenty of sin in this world that needs repenting of besides homosexuality (if it does) and they too are generally unrepentant. At least, I've never seen a bank president confess that he's cheated the people he's made loans to by charging them the highest rate of interest he could get out of them, knowing he had them over a barrel. I've never seen anyone repent of buying a Lexus SUV instead of buying a Honda compact and giving the rest to charity. I've never known a church activist group to go picket Beneficial Finance or the Infiniti dealer.
Bottom line: The Bible is not considered inerrant by the majority of churches or Christians worldwide. Not everyone who argues in behalf of gay people is him/herself gay -- myself for example. Some of us do it because we see them being turned into scapegoats while other sin goes undenounced -- because it's stuff that tempts "good Christians." Only 5% or so of the population is gay; what percent do you think spends beyond their means to get the most luxuries and fails to care for the poor and needy among us?
