As John Bice wrote in "Homosexuality as a sin one more example of Bible's primitiveness" (SN 8/1), religious conflicts do often arise based upon one's exegesis of Biblical texts (the task of drawing, but not reading in, and applying the author's intended meaning).

Unfortunately, Bice fails miserably by demonstrating his own lack of Biblical knowledge and exegetical methodology. As anyone who has dealt with any modicum of biblical theology would know, the Jewish law given by God through Moses does not stand today for all the people of the world; its necessity passed with the coming of God into the world through Jesus of Nazareth. (A good way to learn more about this would be to read chapters 5-7 in the Gospel of Matthew, known as the "Sermon on the Mount.")

Therefore the "primitive" laws of the Old Covenant (or Testament) are done away with unless otherwise renewed or carried over in the New Covenant.

Bice therefore has no grounds for using these laws to prove the Bible is archaic and dismissible. Similar methodological and philosophical faults mar his other editorials as well.

But upon reading the New Testament, one will easily find that there are, in fact, standards for sexuality regarding all people, including statements concerning homosexuality (see Romans 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9).

Falling short of any such standards is sin that leads to God's eternal judgment, even if "only" committed in our hearts and minds (see Matthew 5:27-28).

Whether the sin is done by a heterosexual or a homosexual person makes no difference.

I will be first to declare myself, a straight male, guilty and deserving of punishment. And yet God declares that his love and forgiveness are freely available to any sinner who will come to him through Jesus Christ - and Christians are to be the representatives of this love and forgiveness to this world.

Drew Hall
2004 graduate