When I googled the question: “Can a Christian be Homosexual?”, a link to a page by a fellow named Matthew Vines was among the top on the list. Mr. Vines is of the view that homosexuality should be allowed in the Church. A link to his page can be found here: The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality.

Mr. Vines makes several points (the bold is covered in this post, click previous points to see my response):

• Despite growing up in a loving, stable family, devoid of abuse, living an abstinence-until-marriage lifestyle, and desiring to have a family of his own someday, he has concluded that he is gay.
• Traditional “anti-gay” views of the Church have forced homosexuals to be lonely, which is against God’s design.
• The Old Testament Law does not apply to Christians, which means that references to the law in regard to homosexuality being evil are no longer valid.
• The concept of sexual orientation is new, so the Bible cannot shed light upon this subject as ancient forms of homosexual acts were offensive or abusive, not examples of two people coming together in a committed relationship.
• “Gay people have a natural, permanent orientation toward those of the same sex; it’s not something that they choose, and it’s not something that they can change.”
• Certain compound words around the New Testament references to homosexuality are really meant for the economic sexual exploitation of homosexuals.
• The Church has been really harmful toward people of homosexual orientation and it needs to become more accepting of homosexuals and not so condemning.
• Being different is not a sin and being “gay” is not a sin either.

Let’s dig into this a little deeper, if Vines is claiming that homosexuality is a natural thing then Christians should be more accepting of it and bless it when it is done within the confines of marriage, as Vines promotes. However, this is a big hurdle for most Christians as they can be very distrustful of homosexuals, because the stereotype is that they think that homosexuals are just lust machines.  

His feelings have been hurt and like many who end up turning away from God, he blames the Church for that. However, my point is is that the Church should be pointing you to Christ whether you are struggling with homosexuality, heterosexual lust, drugs, alcohol, or any sort of addictive behavior or sin. You should be looking to Jesus to help you overcome these, not to the church. The church’s mission is not to point to themselves and say “come here and have healing,” but the church’s mission should be supporting you and helping you to grow towards Jesus in order to overcome your sins by living in the Spirit.

One thing I have not heard among homosexuals is that this behavior helps them get closer to God. I have only heard the opposite, that people get further from God. They blame the Church for alienating them, but even so, if they are in the right, should they not feel God’s peace? Is their alienation proof of the Church’s hatred toward them or proof that homosexuality is actually sinful?

Vines’ proposition is that gay people have a natural orientation that cannot be changed. It’s not something they choose. It’s something that they’re born with. That statement has been the resounding gong of the homosexual movement for ages. “I’m born this way.” Yet even those of us who are not homosexual are born with something that we struggle with in a personal way. All of us are messed up in one way or another, but when we come to Christ, God does not leave us this way. He cleanses us from all unrighteousness, not only in the spiritual sense, but in the mind, heart, and body. When you come to Christ, you actually want to do good, not because it is a rule to follow, but because God has changed your heart to want to.

As I have mentioned previously, there isn’t much proof that homosexuality is based on genetics. If genetics is not a major part, then it must be a mental/spiritual issue, an issue of self-perception. If it truly is a spiritual or mental issue, then the behavior and the perception can actually be changed. If it cannot be changed with the will, it can be changed by the grace of God and with the power of his Holy Spirit living in us.

I remember when I was around 12 or 13, I began to wonder if I might be homosexual as I had learned about Freud and his sexual psychology theories in 7th grade. I was also reading through Leviticus and the law at the time, reading through all of the things God doesn’t want done sexually. And by reading them, I found myself imagining those actions and I thought something was different about me. It was a strange time for me, until my dad told me a very powerful thing: “It is okay to admit that guys are attractive or good looking,” he said. “You will have all kinds of thoughts, good and evil, but just because you think it doesn’t mean you are destined to do it.”

You would not believe how freeing that was for me. I was not a slave to even my own mind. I have used that advice over and over again as I have had to face and overcome personal challenges. Even as a married man, I will admit there are times when I have thoughts of other women. I am cautious with how much I focus on these thoughts since I don’t want them to produce action. But, I know I don’t have to act on them. If such a thought comes to my mind, I can simply acknowledge it, remind myself why it isn’t right to actually do that action, and then let it go on its way into oblivion. Sometimes temptation can be quite strong, but we have to persevere, holding onto the truths we know about God from the Bible. Temptation may wash over us, but we have the power through Jesus to not let it flourish in us and become an action, a sin.

You know it’s perfectly fine to think other men attractive and good-looking or admirable for one thing or another. Sometimes these admirations are expressed differently between men than between women. Part of that is cultural expectations and part of it is learning how to treat other people properly. 

While there are definite definitions of male and female, there is a broad spectrum of personality types. I myself am a pretty sensitive guy, which actually makes my wife happy as I can communicate with a higher emotional IQ that she can appreciate more than if I was more insensitive and ruggedly inclined. Being a man doesn’t always mean shooting guns and being strong; it can mean standing up for social injustices or speaking up for the weak. It can mean putting a compassionate, sincere, and caring arm around someone who is hurting or going through a tough time.

Even if homosexuality is  caused by a truly natural genetic condition, that doesn’t always mean that it should be something to pursue or allow to happen either. People are born with all kinds of genetic problems all of the time, from down syndrome to sickle cell anemia. These people have to live with these conditions and some require special treatments, such as sickle cell anemia, in order to even stay alive. Should someone with these (or the many other conditions so many people have) just accept the fact of life and do nothing about it? The answer is ‘no,’ especially when it can be unhealthy or lead to the mistreatment of others. While these people are not “normal” in the sense that their bodies don’t operate like everyone else’s, it doesn’t make them any less human. Many continue to do their best to make their way in the world and have good and healthy relationships with others even while trying to cope with their genetic health issues.

Some may say that homosexuality is different from this; it is a special case. Well, what makes it a special case? If homosexuality is not a genetic or a psychological condition, then it resides in the realm of belief and thus becomes more of a religion than anything else. The only thing that makes a person homosexual in this case, then, is the person’s own belief of himself as a homosexual. This belief is the basis for the rest of the way he views the world, and thus is basically the definition of a personal religion.