Midweek Meditation: "On Homosexuality" (Hot Potato #2)

(Word Publishing, 1998)

TITLE: 20 Hot Potatoes Christians are Afraid to Touch (Paperback) - Common
PUBLISHER: Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, 1998, (240 pages).

"I am not asking that Christian people gloss over biblical teachings or ignore their conviction that homosexual acts are sin. I am not asking that we make a case to justify homosexual behavior. I am simply reminding Christian people that we are supposed to love people - even those people who offend us. I am calling on Christians to reach out and show kindness and affection toward their homosexual neighbors. If we Christians cannot love these neighbors as we love ourselves, then we are violating the command of Jesus (Matt 19:19) and ought to cease calling ourselves His followers. Loving people is more than trying to generate some mushy sentimental emotions. Loving is a commitment to treating people as Jesus would treat them if He were in our places." (Tony Campolo, "Does Christianity Have Any Good News For  Homosexuals?" p109)

"It is very important that all of us distinguish between homosexual orientation and homosexual behavior. Homosexual orientation is an inclination to desire sexual intimacy with members of the same sex. Homosexual behavior is 'making love' or seeking sexual gratification through physical interaction with members of the same sex. The first is desire. The second is action. The first is temptation. The second is yielding to temptation." (110)

"Please remember that I do think that homosexual behavior is contrary to the will of God. But I do not think the Scripture should be made to speak in ways which are not in accord with how it was intended to speak in order to make my case. It is too easy for any of us out of intense emotion to use Scripture in inexact ways to affirm what we believe to be right or to condemn what we believe to be wrong. While there is no doubt in my mind that homosexual behavior has always been unacceptable to Christians, I find it interesting to note that the New Testament does not give as much space or attention to this sin as it does to others, such as neglect of the poor or lack of love for others. Actually, Jesus never alludes to homosexuality in His teachings. The fact that homosexuality has become such an overriding concern for many contemporary preachers may be more a reflection of the homophobia of the church than it is the result of the emphasis of Scripture." (115)