You may have heard the claim that the Bible, when read correctly, is not against believers entering monogamous, faithful same-sex relationships. The arguments sound quite compelling. "Jesus never talked about same-sex relationships.” “Paul was only condemning exploitative relationships, not consensual ones.” “We don’t keep the Old Testament food laws, so why would we keep the ones on same-sex sex?” “If God is love, he can’t be against relationships of love.” And more. Have Christians through the ages just been getting this one wrong?
In this concise book, Rebecca McLaughlin looks at ten of the most common arguments used to claim that the Bible affirms same-sex sexual relationships. She analyses the arguments and associated Bible passages one by one to uncover what the Bible really says.
For Rebecca, as someone with a lifelong history of same-sex attraction, this is not just an academic question. But rather than concluding that the Bible does affirm same-sex marriage, she points readers to the gospel purpose of male-female marriage, a different kind of gospel-centred love between believers of the same sex, and God's life-and-love-filled vision for singleness.
Contents
- Introduction: A Tale of Two Testimonies
- Claim 1: Christians Should Just Focus on the Gospel Message of Jesus’ Love
- Claim 2: Jesus Was Silent on Same-Sex Relationships
- Claim 3: God’s Judgment on Sodom Isn’t a Judgment on Same-Sex Relationships
- Claim 4: It’s Inconsistent to Keep the Old Testament Laws on Same-Sex Sex but Not Shellfish
- Claim 5: Paul Condemns Exploitative Same-Sex Relationships, Not Consensual Ones
- Claim 6: The Word Homosexual Wasn’t Used in Bibles until 1946. It’s a Misinterpretation
- Claim 7: Paul Was Condemning Excessive Lust, Not Same-Sex Sexual Orientation
- Claim 8: The Trajectory of the Bible Is Toward Abolishing Slavery and Affirming Same-Sex Marriage
- Claim 9: Unchosen Celibacy Yields Bad Fruit
- Claim 10: A God of Love Can’t Be Against Relationships of Love
Epilogue
