Homosexuality – The Bible and the Christian in the Crossfire of Culture

1. Homosexuality – The Bible and the Christian in the Crossfire of Culture Ed Riddick, March 11, 2012

2. Important Commitments • I hold to an orthodox, Judeao-Christian worldview • There is a divine design and transcendent purpose for our sexuality beyond temporal pleasure • Male and female are created in the image of God • As with many issues in human sexuality such as fornication, adultery, lust, abuse, etc. I do not believe homosexuality originates in divine design but from our separation from God’s design • I believe that spiritual direction, inner healing and discipleship counseling are essential for those who desire to deal with their sexual issues as Christ - followers

3. Homosexuality is… • a theological, faith issue, • a cultural issue, • a political issue, • but never forget that (as with all human sexuality issues) homosexuality is a deeply personal issue that impacts individuals, their families and their network of friends

4. I. Embracing Truth Secular mindset – Michelle Pfeiffer, actress "I do not know what the big deal is with legalizing same-sex marriage. I don’t understand the problem people have with that. I can’t even wrap my head around that way of thinking. I don’t know if it’s judgmental, bigoted? I don’t know how a person gets to be like that. I mean, who’s it hurting, you know?"

5. Two Sources of Truth Special Revelation Natural Revelation

6. Two Sources of Truth Special Revelation Natural Revelation

7. If you leave the realms of truth Exegesis Truth correlatedEssential Doctrine Or Fringe / Lone Ranger Theology False teaching – depart orthodoxy Embrace lies Spread Propaganda God’sWORD Hypothesis Research Theory Repeated Testing If not supported but held to then embrace illusion Self-deception Dogma Propaganda Impose ideology God’sCR EATIO N

8. Understanding Scripture Originally featured as articles in the ESV Study Bible, these eighteen essays have been repurposed and republished in a convenient format. Covering a diverse range of essential subjects, including how to read the Bible well and why it is reliable, the essays delve into specific topics such as world religions, canon, and archaeology.Useful as both a general overview of the Bible and as a tool for more specific reference and training, readers of this book will grow in their understanding of Scripture and their ability to apply the Bible to their lives. Written by notable contributors, including J. I. Packer, John Piper, David Powlison, and Vern Poythress.

9. Understanding thescientific process Thomas Kuhn is very well known in the history of science and his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions remains one of the most cited academic works of the last century. Kuhn’s use of the terms “paradigm” and “paradigm shift” had a lasting impact on the language, twisting a term that had previously meant “model” or “example” so that it signified traditional structures of thought, which sometimes change in dramatic ways through innovation..

10. Science or Opinion? “We can no longer simply consider ideas according to rules of logic and evidence, but must now take into account the political and polemical forces that surround them and gave them form. Henceforth, the history of ideas about homosexuality is at least as much the history of opinion as it is of ideas.” Kenneth Lewes, PhD The Psychoanalytic Theory of Male Homosexuality

11. Christians Are To “Speak the truth in love” • Accurate • Biblical – doctrinally sound and balanced • Considerate “I love you, and yes I think homosexual behavior is a sin.”“I love you but I disagree with you.”“Loving you does not mean approving everything you do.” “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” (Ephesians 4:15, ESV)

12. II. Special Revelation – What God’s Word Says about Homosexuality • Sex of any kind is no small matter to God. • Be careful not to practice the interpretive twisting God’s Word to make is say what you want.

13. Types of interpretation • Normal interpretation • Literalistic interpretation • Allegorical interpretation • Devotional interpretation • Ideological interpretation - looking for what fits your ideological bias (ideologies including the feminist, liberation or gay activist ideologies = reader-centered bias determines the meaning of the biblical text. God’s Word is made to say what it does not say. Credible scholars outside the ideological group do not agree with the interpretation made.)

14. II. Special Revelation – What God’s Word Says about Homosexuality • God’s Created Intent Genesis 2:24 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and (cleave) be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”

15. Jesus repeated this template Matt 19:4-5 “He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? (see also Mk 10:7)

16. Paul repeated this template Ephesians 5:31“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

17. D. Specific sins that fall outside God’s Created Intent Romans 1:20-32 23 specific sins are listed Homosexual behavior is listed as one of these sins. “The progression of human depravity in Romans 1 it appears that the lowest step in our downward fall as a human race is not homosexual relations but such things as greed, envy, strife, gossip, slander, faithlessness and heartlessness.”

18. Which is the greater sin? “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” (Romans 1:28–32, ESV)

19. What the Bible says about homosexual behavior Genesis 19:4-9 - The destruction of Sodom Leviticus 18:22“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” Leviticus 20:13“If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”

20. What the Bible says about homosexual behavior 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

21. What the Bible says about homosexual behavior 1 Timothy 1:8-11“Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.”

22. E. Jesus’ ministry of compassion and healing 1. Jesus affirmed the Genesis standard 2. Jesus affirmed that all scripture is our binding authority 3. Revisionist interpretations do not pass the test of credibility 4. Jesus got involved as a compassionate healer

23. III. Natural Revelation What do we learn from the studies of the natural and social sciences?

24. The Controversy About Change • Ongoing public debate about causes and changeability of homosexuality • Mounting political pressures within some professional associations and academic environments if individuals do not embrace the current politically correct dogma • Raises the fundamental question about the place for Christians in the mental health fields. • From a Christian point of view, change should not necessarily be defined as a complete cessation of all SSA feelings or temptations.

25. There is a price to be paid for not embracing what is “politically correct” • In certain professional and academic environments the only option for helping those with Same Sex Attraction (SSA) is to offer gay affirmative therapy. See Dallas, Heche starting on page 44 for a partial list of the price people are paying for standing up to political correctness.

26. The current politically correct claim: “sexual orientation is inborn” but… Homosexuals are “homosexually oriented by learned preferences.” Masters and Johnson, 1979 “The idea that people are born into one type of sexual behavior is foolish.” Dr. John DeCecco, Editor of the Journal of Homosexuality, 1989

27. Dean Hamer, Ph.D Is homosexuality rooted solely in biology?“Absolutely not…From twin studies, we already know that half or more of the variability in sexual orientation is not inherited.”

28. Discredited 1991 Study by Dr. Simon LeVay • 41 cadavers, 19 allegedly homosexual men, 16 heterosexual men and 6 heterosexual women • Study size of anterior hypothalamus (INAH3) • INAH3 reported to be larger in heterosexuals than homosexuals • Flaws – measurements of INAH3 not taken properly; results not consistent, etc. Never repeated and not held to be credible today.

29. 1991 Pillard & Bailey Twin Study • Both Pillard(gay rights advocate) and Bailey (openly homosexual). • Studied sets of twins, one of which was gay • 52% of identical twins were both gay • Only 22% of fraternal twins were both gay • Problem: 48% of identical twins were not both gay = something besides genetics; each set of twins raised in same household = could be environment and not genetic.

30. Bailey, Dunne and Martin Pioneers in the research of causal factors of homosexuality later refuted their earlier findings (their 1991 study) of fairly large concordance rates (in twin studies) stated that they failed to find a significant genetic influence on homosexual orientation. (Jones & Kwee, 2005)

31. Bearman and Brucker “Even if females were ‘masculinized’ by androgen washing in utero, it is not clear why this would lead them to prefer females as romantic partners…The mechanism linking hormone imbalance to same-sex preference appears extremely weak.” Article: Opposite-sex twins and adolescent same-sex attraction. The American Journal of Sociology, 107(5), 1179-1205

32. Hallman / Satinover “I do not believe that any single factor individually determines or directly causes famale SSA.” Hallman, p. 54 “We should stop asking simplistic questions such as whether homosexuality is genetic or begin to ask the much more realistic question, “To what degree is homosexuality (or any other behavioral trait) genetic and nongenetic, innate and acquired, familial and nonfamilial, (etc.)…and after we’ve put these all together, how much is left over to attribute to choice, repetition, and habit?” Satinover, M.D. University, Prof at Harvard Medical School

33. American Psychiatric Association and the 1973 change in the DSM In 1973 a small group of the Board of Trustees of the APA made a decision remove homosexuality from the DSM. Usually this would require a preponderance of scientific evidence. However, throughout the committee’s deliberations no conclusive scientific evidence was presented or analyzed to prove that homosexuality was inborn or unchangeable. In fact, studies supporting the changeability of homosexuality were deliberately overlooked.

34. D. Haldeman “Psychology does not have the right to interfere with individuals’ rights to seek the treatments they choose…Psychology’s role is to inform the profession and the public, not to legislate against individuals’ rights to self-determination.” Article: The Implications of Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy, Professional Psychology, 33(3), 260-64

35. Elaine Siegel Siegel reported that more than half of the lesbian women with whom she worked became fully heterosexual. “The patient, not the analyst, decides what is ‘good’ for him or her and what he or she wishes to change, what to retain.” Female Homosexuality: Choice Without Volition, p.xiii

36. Myths • Male and female homosexuality are essentially the same. This list needs lots of additions

37. Issue of “cause” is complex Nurtureattachment patterns, relational interactions + personal perceptions and reactions, choices, decisions, beliefs. Influences of parents, siblings, birth order, relatives, friends/enemies, neighbors, teachers, pastors, youth leaders, camp counselors, TV, radio, movies, internet, politics NatureDNA, hormones, neurons, inborn personality traits Development:physiological, psychological and spiritual Impact of Culture

38. Innate (born that way) Influence • Studies fail to link significant genetic influence in homosexual orientation • Link between hormone imbalance and Same Sex Attraction preference is extremely weak

39. Very important distinctions

40. Therapeutic Approaches

41. Therapeutic Approaches

42. Therapeutic Approaches

43. Why do people experience SSA?“Why do I have these feelings?” Bottom line: the “why” is complex and there is no consensus Two polarized views – which side are you on?

44. My personal goal… Is to continually renew my commitment to do whatever it takes to live my life free from the ultimate control of my life being that of my sexual struggles! To living my life under the liberating, joyous control of God’s Word and God’s Spirit

45. Important Acknowledgements • Same Sex Attraction is an extremely complex, multi-dimensional biological, cognitive, emotional, behavioral and relational dynamic

46. Resources, not recommended to you casually Hellman, J. (2008). The Heart of Female Same-Sex Attraction, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Dallas, J., & Heche, N. (Eds.). (2010). The complete Christian guide to understanding homosexuality: A biblical and compassionate response to same- sex attraction. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Purblishers. Yarhouse, M.A. and Throckmorton, W. (2002). Ethical issues in attempts to ban reorientation therapies. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 39 (1), 66-75.

47. Resources, not recommended to you casually Yarhouse, M.A. (1998). When clients seek treatment for same- sex attraction: Ethical issues in the “right to choose” debate. Psychotherapy, 35, 248-59. Eliot, L. (2009). Pink brain, blue brain: How small differences grow into troublesome gaps -- and what we can do about it. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. (Lisa Eliot is a medical research scholar. She is a professor at the University of Chicago. Her book explores both the innate, prenatal gender differences between female and male infants. She devotes some 30 pages to the issue of the origin of homosexuality. Lisa is not an evangelical Christian. She is a medical scientist. Her research almost completely dismisses any innate origin of homosexuality. )

48. Resources, not recommended to you casually Jones, S.L., & Yarhouse, M.A. (2007) Ex-gays?: A longitudinal study of religiously mediated change in sexual orientation. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. Jones, S., & Yarhouse, M.A. (2000). Homosexuality: The use of scientific research in the church's moral debate. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

49. Resources, not recommended to you casually Throckmorton, W., & Yarhouse, M.A. (2006). Sexual identity therapy: Practice framework for managing sexual identity conflicts. Webb, W.J. (2001). Slaves, women & homosexuals: Exploring the hermeneutics of cultural analysis. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsityPress.

50. Conflicted, developmental areas in SSA • Attachment (emotionally very close … or emotionally distant or unavailable) • Formation of self • Gender identity • Socialization (VIP to note: not necessarily due to poor environment or abusive experiences – read Hallman)