A Response to Newsweek: On Biblical Gay Marriage

A person whom I hold in high regard wrote a letter to the editor of Newsweek concerning the editorial of the December 15th, 2008 issue.  The current issue is, of course, attempting to prove a Bible-based rationale behind homosexual marriage.  In Mr. Crowson’s words, “Since I doubt they will publish it, here it is for your enjoyment.”  So, quoted verbatim from his facebook page, here is the letter.  Feel free to discuss below.

“The Gospel According to Newsweek…Or Something Like That“

“Here is a note I just sent to Newsweek about their December 15, 2008 issue in which they attempt to show that the Bible is for homosexual marriage. Since I doubt they will publish it, here it is for your enjoyment:

For years, people who took the Bible’s teaching seriously, and opposed things such as gay marriage were told, “Keep your Bible out of our policies!” To mention anything from holy scripture in an otherwise civilized conversation brought hysterical cries of “Separation of Church and State!” or “You can’t legislate morality!”

And now Newsweek tells us it is OK to bring the Bible into public debate, as long as it is brought in on the “progressive” side. Imagine that — Newsweek a trustworthy source of sound theology. Who knew? Jon Meacham’s editorial comment about perverting Scripture (“The Devil, as Shakespeare once noted, can cite Scripture for his purpose….”) is especially ironic, in light of the twisting and turning that was to follow, in an article straight from the Stretch Armstrong translation, no doubt.

“The Bible endorses slavery….” Oh, really? I question that. Slavery has been a human institution for a very long time. The Bible sheds light on how believers can live and try to honor God in societies that tolerate things that are truly evil, such as slavery. Nowhere does it endorse it. The article pointedly leaves out the fact that it was believers who were “over represented” in the fight against slavery.

The marriages we see in the Old and New Testaments often fall short of what the Bible otherwise teaches about marriage. Believers have known that for years, and have taken inspiration from the way in which God works His perfect ways with such imperfect people, even more evidence that the record of Scripture was not invented to brag about its “heroes.” Fortunately, The Gospel According to Newsweek is here to save us. In an effort truly worthy of any freshman or sophomore essay, it jumps to the only conclusion to be tolerated in an enlightened age: “What God’s people through the ages have understood has been all wrong. Lucky for you we are here to clear the air and to set things straight.”

Whatever one may make of homosexual practices and relationships, they are not marriage. Marriage patterns in actual cultures and history have always been heterosexual, even among cultures who knew nothing of the Bible (and please, spare us the anecdotal aberrations, as though somehow finding a mushroom on a golf course negates the fact that the course is supposed to be grass). The Trinitarian view of God displays both unity and diversity in relationships. We are told that God created man, male and female, in His image. Much of this mystery challenges our understanding, but it is easy to see that heterosexual unions reflect that image and diversity in a manner totally impossible for homosexual unions.

People deal with all manner of “natural” inclinations that Scripture warns us to flee. Some people seem born to infidelity, while others battle greed, anger, theft, gossip, and any number of other evil things, including homosexuality. The message of the Bible, properly understood, frees us from the power of these natural, though deadly, desires.

But we love each other! How truly ignorant we have become when we can no longer distinguish between love and libido. True love desires what is best for the other. How can it be best for the one I love to bind him or her in a relationship that is truly unnatural, and under divine condemnation? The object of my affection in this case can be the cute guy down the hall, or my neighbor’s wife. They’re both off limits. To pursue either one is to bind them to me in an illicit relationship. Not content to simmer in my own sin, I insist on dragging them down with me, and slapping on the l-o-v-e label as justification. Such is the New Gospel of Newsweek.

No thanks. The original still works just fine.”

-Allan Crowson

Shoddy Biblical Scholarship

Oftentimes critics of the Bible engage in rather shoddy scholarship, resorting to weak theories of analysis, picking apart apparent inconsistencies, and then acting as if they are indeed scholars of the highest regard.  (Perhaps not always the last part.)  What many fail to realize is that the Bible is indeed one of the most complex books ever written, which draws upon at least 9 different areas of expertise.  I ran across a well-written article on the internet that addresses this topic.  Be aware though:  he’s rather sarcastic and blunt; however it’s worth reading if you are new to reading the Bible or have questions regarding Biblical interpretation.

Calculated Contempt: Why Bible Critics Do Not Deserve the Benefit of the Doubt

What amazes me is how the Bible can be so complex, yet simple enough that all who will can understand and accept Christ.  Only the inspiration of God could have led to the formation of such a book.

On a side note, the same author addresses in detail the flaws in the popular atheistic film “The God Who Wasn’t There,” which caused a bit of a stir last year (I think last year???).

Again, I do not quite agree with his overall presentation.  Sure, it can be funny to sarcastically make fun of the inconsistencies of others (as atheists often attempt with Christianity), but it does nothing to further the cause of Christ (or atheism, for that matter).  Instead of attacking boldness and pride with boldness and pride, perhaps it would be better to respond with Christ-like humility.

On Christian Testimony Part One: A Preface

This next short series of posts will deal with the topic of Christian outreach and with the outspoken testimony of the Christian faith.  I fear that there are opportunities for some rather offensive issues to arise here and there, so before I get a bunch of nasty comments, I feel that I must first post a short preface. (*Note: This preface will eventually end up being a portion of a bonifide doctrinal statement page in the future*)

I believe, as I have mentioned before, based on Scripture (Romans 3:23) that all men are basically sinners, including myself.  Without the grace of God and the perfect offering of His Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins, we would be hopelessly lost and would receive the just reward of our sin:  Eternal damnation in Hell.  I believe this based on the idea that scripure is inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16) in plenary verbal form.  I do NOT believe in Bibliolatry, though, as some would state that this viewpoint leads to.  Does it not make sense that in order to have accurate translations of the ancient texts we need to study them in their original language and context?  I submit that it does.  This does not mean that the original texts are intrinsically better than the new translated texts, but it does place a vital importance on quality, translation, and accuracy.

Before I get too lost on non-topical topics, I will pull the reins in and get back to the original point.  Bear with me.

I am afraid that there has been a widespread misconception about Christians in the past.  Hopefully this preface will work to clarify a bit about that.  For those who might be unfamiliar with Scripture, you might be persuaded to think that once a person becomes “saved” and becomes a Christian that they are mystically transformed into a flawless, perfect being.  Okay, so not many would believe that.  There are no perfect people, obviously.  Then perhaps a much more widespread view of Christianity is that they view Christians as being just like themselves, but with a self-righteous, hypocritical bent.  Many people end up leaving the church for this reason.  In fact, it’s the very reason why my grandmother would not go to church any more.  Personal disputes with so-called “holy rollers” and “holier-than-thou” Christians have driven people away from the church body time and time again over the course of history.

For clarification’s sake, certain things DO happen when a person repents of his sin and accepts Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of his life:  1) That person is made to be righteous in the sight of God the Father.  The only way this can happen is through Christ, as GOD the Father cannot tolerate sin.  God’s wrath is taken away and is placed on His only begotten Son (in that fateful instance in time when Christ suffered and was forsaken by God) for all eternity.  (Romans 6:10)  2) The free gift of salvation is given. (eternal life with God after death)  3) The Holy Spirit indwells the believer and acts as a constant comforter and director. 4) The Spirit begins the process of sanctifying the believer.  The believer becomes regenerate, conforming his image to the Image of Christ as he is changed by God.

In summation, the key differences between the believer and the non-believer are that the believer is now under the grace of God instead of the wrath of God, the believer has hope after death, the believer has the Holy Spirit as a constant comforter and guide, and the believer has begun the process of sanctification, or becoming Christ-like in every area of his or her life. 

DON’T MISS THIS – HERE’S AN IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!  This is where many get frustrated with Christianity.  Just because a person becomes regenerately saved does not mean that the person will completely stop sinning immediately!  Certainly there is no longer a desire to offend God and other people after the act of true repentance of sin has taken place.  It does not mean that the person will live a miraculously flawless life after salvation, however.  We are constantly surrounded with Christians who are in different stages of sanctification and maturity.  Unfortunately, we are also surrounded by many who are only Christian in name, yet they do not show forth any fruit of the Spirit.  If a person is truly repentant, that person will eschew the old sin nature and will cling to the regenerate nature that God has given.  Also, that person will want to serve and worship God in Spirit and in Truth.  Occasionally that person might even make a mistake, possibly even a big mistake, and get involved in sin, but “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)  Also, the Bible is clear that a Christian will not continue in sin.

So, I said all that to say this:  If you have ever had a bad experience in church or with Christians outside of church, it’s understandable, but not acceptable.  Christians should be the ones reaching out, loving, caring for, and sacrificing for the community.  Christians should also be the ones who are working to abstain from sinful acts.  Sadly, quite sadly, too often it is not so. 

To the Christian:  We can and must do better in all points of the Christian life.

To the skeptic: Please do not confuse the actions of a few individuals who may or may not be truly repentant and regenerate for the actions of the entire Christian religion.  To do so is quite stereotypical and illogical.  If you want to find good examples of Christian living, there are many out there.  Look to those who are staying the course as good examples of Christianity.  Also, I implore you to seek out the input rather than the output.  Look to the Word of God, the Bible, instead of the average Christian.  The only one who was ever perfect was Jesus Christ.  He is truly worth looking at, and ultimately worth getting to know.

Dispensationalism, Justice, and Grace

While I am still preparing for my book review, I want to spend a bit of time on another subject that was clarified to me after reading one of the book’s essays.  Since the subject mentioned does not deal specifically with war itself, I thought it proper to exclude it from the upcoming post and have it as a sort of precursor to the review.

I’ll state the obvious first: “Dispensationalism” is a big term.  For the common person, it’s almost like a doctor speaking to you in strict medical terminology.  There is a purpose to the word, but assuredly many do not know where it came from or what it means without some explanation.  Most highly educated individuals in seminaries across the globe are undoubtedly familiar with the word “dispensation” and what it means when applied to scripture, but the fact is that there are many people who have either never heard of it, or if they have, they are not clear about exactly what it means and why they should care.  Hopefully this blog will help to inform, or perhaps I will be better informed on the issue by others after sharing my understanding of it.

Here’s a litote for you: Jesus Christ radically changed the world.  Perhaps one of the key debates of dispensationalism is just how much changed when Christ came into the world and fulfulled the Messianic role.  How did salvation change?  How are we to view our relationship to God and to others now that Christ has come and offered the perfect sacrifice?  And perhaps the biggest question that dispensationalists deal with (or at least the one dealt with in this book):  How did Christ’s message of love affect our understanding of the Old Testament law?

According to the all-knowing, all-possibly-wrong Wikipedia, dispensationalism is “the divine distributing, dispensing or arranging of time and human events; depending on how the word is used, it can also refer to the excluding of rights and laws. Theological Dispensation is one of but several descriptions, each of which are simply attempts to understand events. Yet, whole denominations, and even religious structures have risen towards and against these various beliefs.”  Thus, the dispensationalist sees key periods of time as being quite different. 

To the dispensationalist, the Old Testament and the period of law has been completed, and it has been replaced by a period of grace through Christ and the New Testament.  The implications of this are many, especially when it comes to a Christian understanding of justice.  The determining of just how dangerous this point is depends on the dispensationalist’s view of the dispensations he has.  If a dispensationalist believes that the period of grace supercedes the period of law, it implies that Christians should only act out of love, never out of defense, leaving justice to government alone.  There is also the option that a dispensationalist can have a much more liberal view of his dispensations, delegating them to epochs rather than theological constructs.  This is much less dangerous, yet is still susceptible to a weaker interpretation of scripture.  This point is also, of course, my opinion.

Ok, time for a reset in case I lost someone along the way:  Dispensationalism is a way of looking at the Bible in such a way that it views different parts of the Bible as “dispensations” or periods of time.  The most dangerous form of dispensationalism is the sort that states that Christ’s message of love supercedes the Old Testament’s formality and law.

I have to agree that many of the Old Testament laws are no longer restraining.  We are no longer under the Jewish law.  Through Christ, and through grace, we have been set free from the burden of it.  The fact is, though, the law remains there to remind us of our shortcomings.  It has not magically disappeared, nor will it ever.  Here’s another good point to ponder:  Whereas some believe that Christ supercedes the law, others believe that Christ fulfilled the law.  Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.  God gave us the law out of love and justice, and He sent His son out of love to fulfill it.  There are no dispensations, only the natural progression of events, a fulfillment of prophecy and a universal way for salvation.

When some advocate for the Christian to refrain from all acts and forms of justice, limiting their idea of Christianity to peaceful nonresistence, they are ignoring the law of God and the system of government that He allows.  God supplied grace for all men, yet there has to be a system of justice in place to punish those who do wrong.

More will follow on this subject later.