Homosexuals Are Born That Way

Okay, okay put your eyeballs back in your head so you can read the whole post. Do I really believe that homosexuals are born that way? Yes, but let me explain. Here is my opening argument:

We are created in the image of God.

What? You already knew that? And here I thought I was being profound. But you're still not convinced? Well, let's dig a little deeper into what that statement means. What do we know about God? Many things, hopefully, but I'd like to narrow our focus to two. The first being that-


God loves us.


He demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The second thing is this-

God desires our love in return.

It's been said that God is a gentlemen and will not force Himself on us, BUT He does woo and pursue us, and He is delighted when we reciprocate affection through our prayers and praises. And so it stands to reason (and is clearly illustrated in all of history and humanity) that as His image-bearers, we all are born with a God-like, God-designed propensity to give and receive love. I believe the ideal expression of that love is between a man and a woman as illustrated in Scripture.

Okay, now we have to shift gears for a second. What do we know about Satan? Perhaps most importantly, we know that he is the father of lies. But this is where it gets tricky. You see, Satan isn't some amateur liar. He's not like the kid who has chocolate all over his face but swears he wasn't dipping into the cookie jar. No, no. He's much more cunning than that. Satan is the originator of the half-truth. He loves to take just enough of the truth to give his counterfeit scheme a nice glossy shine on the outside, like a piece of wax fruit -so close to the real thing but never as satisfying. And so, knowing that we have been fashioned with an innate longing to love and be loved, he has dangled the counterfeit in front of us.

This alluring imitation of God's ideal comes in many forms, the most common being pre-marital sex, adultery, and homosexuality.

Please understand, I'm not asking you to compromise the Word. I'm not asking you to excuse or accept homosexuality as an appropriate lifestyle. But I am asking you to think more deeply about it. To avoid the knee-jerk reaction that wants to label sin by the level at which it offends you. If God's ideal for sexual relationship is defined by one man and one woman in the confines of marriage, then any deviation from that plan is a perversion of it. Not just the one that makes us uncomfortable.

I'm amazed by how tirelessly we rally the troops, so to speak, to keep gays and lesbians from getting married. "Abomination!" we cry. But at the very same time, Sarah Palin's pregnant teenage daughter gets the support of the evangelical community because she didn't abort her child; and the boy who knocked her up is hailed as noble and responsible. Huh? Everything in me wants to scream "Abomination!!!" They didn't do it God's way either. Well, I'm not as grossed out by two heterosexual teenagers having sex before marriage. Is God?

Do I think homosexuals are born that way? Yeah, in so much as we are all born in the image of our Creator and desperately seeking love. And we are all born into a fallen world where we are constantly tempted to accept the counterfeit--any counterfeit.

And this brings us right back to the same conclusion I've been making all week. Somehow, we have to quit letting our politics define the Gospel and start letting the Gospel define our politics. To see people, all people, for who they are...the object of God's desire...first and foremost.

Coming soon...the conclusion of my political rantings and the return of all things silly. =)