~Bible Stories 21: Jonah (Jonah 1-4)
A resource on Jonah
Another resource on Jonah
~What should we do with the fact that the Old Testament made homosexuality a capital offense?
Key texts: Ezekiel 16:48-50, Lev 18:22, Lev 20:13, Acts 15:20,29, Rom 1:27, 1 Cor 6:9-11, 1 Tim 1:8-11, Jude 5-7.
Post-show thoughts: I'm still lost on this one. But it sure feels like I can't embrace the text as it declares homosexuality (and a bunch of other currently decriminalized behavior) to be capital offenses. Also, I surely can't embrace the full liberal position that these things are all just fine. the question I keep coming back to is whether my view would be any different if the capital sentence attached to this behavior weren't actually given in the Bible. And if my view wouldn't be changed by such a removal, then am I not practically acting as if it's not actually there already?
How do we maintain any consistency in saying that homosexuality is wrong, even wrong enough to be criminal if we could have our way, on the basis of these Old Testament (and somewhat weaker New Testament) passages without also going all the way to embracing that the correct punishment should be death? There is coherence in just embracing the behavior as the liberal churches do and being honest about rejecting these passages, and there is coherence in embracing these passages and calling for the execution of witches, adulterers, the incestuous, those who lie with animals, and homosexuals. The former don't mind jettisoning Scripture, and the latter don't mind jettisoning what looks like simple compassion and mercy. But there doesn't seem to be a Biblically plausible middle position, either. So I'm stuck. What to do...what to do? If I figure it out, I will gladly and loudly exposit my insight.
5 comments:
Here's my take on it. I tried to call in but the cell phone kept cutting out.
In the Old Testament God was giving those laws specifically to and for His "chosen" people, and not to the entire human race. The Old and New Testaments both make it pretty clear that men are not able to live up to God's standards, (laws).
As far as God's "chosen" people are concerned, Matthew 7:13,14 makes it clear that God's people are in the minority.
And finally 2 Timothy 3:1-4 describes how things will be in the last days.
Therefore, "IF" it were possible to actually get the majority (non-believing) world to accept God's laws and punish sin according to the Old Testament, we would make those verses (and that prophecy) in 2 Timothy a lie.
The same bible (Word of God) that stated homosexuality is punishable by death, also states that it will occur more and more as time goes on. In Genesis 2:17 God told Adam not to eat the fruit, "...for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die." Adam ate the fruit - did he die that day?
I would suggest that the punishment for unrepentent homosexuality IS in fact still death - and always has been.
I don't know that setting up a biblical punishment structure would necessarily unravel the prophecy in 2 Timothy. Those in enforcement of the law, or even the preaching of it, are just as likely to break it, and not all violators are caught and brought to judgment.
Of course. But these problems apply to all laws, which are inherently unenforceable so long as we define unenforceable as anything less than perfect compliance and perfecly applied justice. Murders go unpunished, thefts go unpunished, and even speeding is unevenly enforced. Justice is irregular, precisely because people apply it. But humans are the only option for enforcement...at least until Cyberdine takes over. So we live with these defects. If we take the "humans are fallible, laws get broken by cops, and justice is uneven" meme too seriously, we conclude that nothing should be illegal.
"But these problems apply to all laws"
Precisely. The point then being that the potential negation of the prophecy is an insufficient argument against the enforcement of death to homosexuals, witches, adulterers, etc.
Though the problem of balancing law with kindness is still there. Are there biblical distinctions between the way individuals and states are to behave?
Ah. I see I've mistakenly thought we were disagreeing. Sorry. =)Yes, the argument Marc posts about this prophecy is surely no reason to abandon the world to anarchy in the hopes that we won't violate the prophecy. Besides, this sort fo fatalism bothers me greatly. "The Bible says it's all going to fall apart eventually, so why bother doing anything good?" Because we're called to it. Besides, if God inspires the prophecy, neither our efforts nor our negligence will change the fact. But I want to be found working when Jesus arrives, not sitting around telling everybody that I did nothing because I didn't want to interfere with the prophesied decay of it all.
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