Christians “Homophobic” Because the Bible Tells Them So, Reports Say
A new op-ed in The Guardian claims Christians are “homophobic” because the Bible tells them so.
“This too-often-unacknowledged prejudice is the belief that what the Bible says or implies must take precedence over every other source of knowledge. If the Bible says or implies that something is wrong, it is wrong, regardless of what anyone might say, regardless of how sensible alternative ways of looking at things might seem,” writes Ken Mascord.
He points to Christians’ quotations of Leviticus 20:13 or Romans 1:24-27 as to why Bible-believing people oppose same-sex marriage.
“And the reason they do this is because of this overriding prejudice that the Bible is to be the Christian’s first and final authority, which must always take precedence over extra-Biblical sources of knowledge or understanding,” Mascord writes.
“It is this prejudice which helps to explain why some Christians are so opposed to same-sex marriage,” he says.
It’s these verses that landed people like Kim Davis and Felix Ngole in hot water.
Ngole’s college expelled the master’s student from his program for posting a photo of Leviticus.
“My beliefs about marriage and sexual ethics reflect mainstream, biblical understanding, shared by millions around the world. Simply expressing that understanding, in a personal capacity, on my Facebook page, cannot be allowed to become a bar to serving and helping others in a professional capacity as a social worker,” the father of four said.
Some Christians say the article could be a double-edged sword.
“It is nice to see an article that actually recognizes that the Bible does oppose homosexual behavior, instead of the revisionist views that argue otherwise. But the article commits the classical genetic fallacy, which is dismissing a viewpoint because of how it arises rather than on its own merits. As a Christian, I oppose same sex marriage for both biblical and sociological reasons,” says Biola professor Sean McDowell.
“As I lay out in my book Same-Sex Marriage, sociological research indicates that kids need a mom and a dad. Moms and dads contribute unique factors to child growth, and the government should not pretend otherwise. Second, Jesus taught that marriage is between one man and woman for life (Matt 19:3-4). As the Son of God, Jesus does have authority to speak on this issue. And even though he held this unpopular view, Jesus was hardly hateful, bigoted, or homophobic.”
