Are gay Christian views about homosexuality special revelation for these latter days?
by Dorothy
(Ohio)
Rick Brentlinger Answers -
The gay Christian view of homosexuality is based on the historical understanding written down by Jewish prophets and later, Christian believers over the last 3400 years.
Our beliefs are not the result of latter day revelation. Instead, gay Christians moved beyond stereotypes and took the time to dig out historical facts which have been there all along, if people bothered to look for them.
- Concerning the Sodom story. The events in Sodom happened around 1800 B.C. For the next 1700 years, everyone who wrote about Sodom, including every Biblical author who mentions Sodom, viewed it as a story about inhospitality, violence and greed.
When we get to the New Testament, Jesus Himself uses the Sodom story to analogize the inhospitality of the people of Sodom to the inhospitality of Jews who reject the message of the apostles. - The Romans 1:26-27 passage is frequently used by non-gay Christians to clobber gay Christians. Strangely enough, early Christians did not understand Romans 1 as a universal condemnation of homosexuality. Instead, early Christians like Aristides and Justin Martyr understood Romans 1 to refer to shrine prostitution and worship of Cybele, the Mater Deum, Protectress of ancient Rome.
- The 1 Corinthians 6:9 passage has acquired a twenty first century false interpretation vastly different from the way Christians understood it for 2000 years. Modern interpretations of 1 Cor 6:9 have departed from historic Christianity and adopted an anti-gay viewpoint.
Regarding the Greek word, arsenokoites, it is only fair to point out that this word is NEVER used in the Bible or in ancient Greek literature with the meaning of homosexual. Therefore, the contemporary Christian understanding of 1 Cor 6:9 is historically and linguistically inaccurate while the gay Christian understanding of arsenokoites is spot on accurate.
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