03 (March 2014)

Is God anti-gay?

Is God anti-gay?
John Palmer
John Palmer John Palmer lives in Ormskirk, Lancashire.
01 March, 2014 2 min read

Is God anti-gay?
Sam Allberry
The Good Book Company
96 pages, £3.99
ISBN: 978-1-90876-231-3
Star Rating: 3 stars

The author discovered that he was attracted to people of the same sex at the same time as he first heard the gospel. So he is well placed to write as a Christian about the Bible’s teaching and its application. He now serves in a Church of England parish.

He tells the biblical teaching as it is. All people are sinners and need the same message: repent and believe. The Bible is not fixated on homosexual practice. However, it does teach that it is an abomination to God. It is an unnatural act, and desires to commit it are sinful.

To teach that homosexuality is not sin is to help send people to hell, and the church must not tolerate such teachers (Revelation 2:20-21). If a society is given over to it, this is God’s judgement on its rejection of him (Romans 1).

The author also helpfully points out that the Bible teaches that man and woman are complementary and their union should therefore illustrate that of Christ and the church. This cannot be true of two people of the same sex.

The author refuses to be defined by his sexuality — he is far more than his sexual orientation. However, for him, part of self-denial is to refrain from homosexual sex.

He urges those in his position to learn from what the Bible says about the advantages of singleness and celibacy; orientation is not a lifestyle choice, but practice is. Even the desires are not inescapable, by God’s grace. He has helpful advice to churches on how to help those who struggle in this area.

The book is easy to read and short. It says nothing on two important points. The first is how to deal with a couple who claim to be both Christian and proudly gay (except that it does point out that faithfulness in sin does not diminish the sin!). The second is what the Bible says about the church seeking to influence and warn society.

Within its range, this is a biblical and helpful book to those who suffer the affliction of being attracted to those of the same sex, or who are seeking to help those who do.

John Palmer
Tredegar

John Palmer
John Palmer lives in Ormskirk, Lancashire.
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