Church Splits Over Homosexuality Issue

Now, Religion in the News, a report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media. This week’s item is from the Lexington Herald Leader, August 6, 2005. The following are excerpts: “Since presiding over the ordination of an openly gay bishop, Frank T. Griswold, the presiding bishop primate and chief pastor of the 2.3 million member Episcopal Church, USA, has struggled to repair frayed ties within the Anglican communion. 

Question: Here in Kentucky, members of three Episcopal churches have voted to leave the denomination. They say that the church has departed from historic Christianity. What would you say to these people?

Answer: We all claim the authority of Scripture, the ancient creeds, the doctrine of the Trinity, the nature of Christ. All these things are not up for negotiation. I would say if sexuality becomes the ground on which division occurs, then it means that sex is more important than the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and divinity of Christ, which is a very sorry situation to find oneself in. Isn’t it ironic that people can overlook Jesus’ words about divorce and remarriage and claim Biblical orthodoxy, and become hysterical over a reference in the letter to the Romans about homosexual behavior? The Bible, of course, didn’t understand homosexuality as an orientation. It only understood it as a behavior. Clearly, the Biblical writers presumed that everyone was naturally heterosexual.”

Tom: Dave, it’s amazing that the Bible was able to get it right about the deity of Christ, and the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, but somehow these guys blew it when it came to really understanding and misunderstanding homosexuality.

Dave: Well, he is saying that the Bible is not God’s word. On one hand…

Tom: So how does he know about the Trinity? So how can he be confident that Jesus is God?

Dave: That’s a good question. He says, “We claim the authority of Scripture.” But then he goes on and he says the Bible didn’t understand homosexuality and the biblical writers presumed everyone was actually heterosexual. So apparently he doesn’t give the biblical writers credit for being inspired of the Holy Spirit.

But Peter said, “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” So you make a good point. Why would you accept the Bible on one thing but deny it on others? But, Tom, that’s the problem today: we judge the Bible, and we say, “Well, if it agrees with me at this point, then it must have been inspired there. Other places that it doesn’t agree with me, so it’s not inspired.” Now, we’ve dwelt with that a lot on this program, Search the Scriptures Daily. Why do we search the Scriptures? We can prove the Bible is God’s Word, every word of it. If it isn’t, then how do I know which part is not, and we are totally lost. So we either accept all of the Bible or we don’t have an authority. It’s up for grabs. Whatever you want, ok, well then you and I will argue about it. Now, does the Bible - he says, “Just because Romans said a few words about it…”

Tom: Very tough words, by the way! Wow!

Dave: But that’s not the only place. The Old Testament makes it very clear. So God was so concerned about this that He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. That was because of their homosexuality, and we’ve called them Sodomites ever since. This was written in the laws of all countries, practically, and in fact it was recognized even by psychiatrists and psychologists as improper behavior until threatened by the homosexuals at their national gathering in San Francisco. They broke and they voted - this was a vote. I think it was about 3,000 to 2,000 to say that it’s okay. So they took it out of the DSM, the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of…

Tom: Mental Disorders.

Dave: Right.

Tom: Dave, let me quote from Romans. This is Romans 1, as you know, and I’m going to pick up with verse 21: “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the women, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.” 

Now, Dave, the irony of this interview with this man who leads the Episcopal church in this country, do you know where it took place? In Berea, Kentucky. 

Dave: Really?

Tom: Is that irony or what? For folks, if you’re not aware, the Bereans - this is Acts:17:10And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
See All...,11 - they searched the scriptures daily to see if what the apostle Paul was saying was true, and that’s what these people need to do.

Dave: And Paul is inspired of the Holy Spirit; he’s speaking for God, and he says, “Wherefore God gave them up to vile affections.” Okay? So this is against God; they deny the true God. “…when they knew God they glorified Him not as God.” This is all about God; this is all about what God says. This is not the opinions… He says, “Well, clearly the Biblical writers presume that everyone is naturally heterosexual.” Now, this is so far from a rational answer, let alone a Biblical answer, by this man who heads the Episcopal church.

Tom: And, Dave, as we do here, we’re not to take your word for it, no one’s to take my word for these things. We are to be like the Bereans, to “search the scriptures daily” to see if what we’re hearing is true.

Dave: “The Bible,” he says, “of course, did not understand homosexuality as an orientation.” Oh, so it’s an orientation? Oh, well, that’s okay then. I have an orientation toward bank robbery, or I have an orientation toward murder, or an orientation toward homosexuality; that makes it okay. 

So we’ve changed the definition, and of course the Bible didn’t understand that because it isn’t true, but it’s not a matter of understanding. It’s a tragedy, Tom, but we’ve documented it in this program in many ways. We are getting away from the Bible, we are abandoning Scripture, and we’re following the ideas of men.