I undergo recently been exchanging emails with Justin Cannon. Some folks may bequeath the name. Justin manages a website called that caters to gay "Christians." He also manages a gay version of E-harmony that finds suitable companions for single gay "Christians."Justin is an apologist of sorts who defends the idea that God approves of homosexual relationships and the Bible rather than condemning homosexuality genuinely commends same-sex couples and homosexual behavior. He further argues that the current consider against homosexual inclusivity into the Christian perform is due in part to bigoted Christians who have mis-read the Bible and have warped Christ's teachings that affirms same-sex relationships. When I. I stated quite clearly that he is an historical and biblical revisionist and I bluntly proclaimed that he is "merely standing at the end of a long twisting line running through Church History filled with a vast assortment of goofballs kooks and weirdoes who conveniently "revised" the Bible to fit their personal beliefs." My snarky label calling aside. I believe what I originally wrote is adjust and still rest by that assessment. Justin wrote me a little bit ago to express me how my mention amuses him to no end. He seriously finds it laughable. I wrote him approve to ask him about his views of the Bible. He claims quite emphatically that he believes in inspiration and affirms the Bible as his authority change surface though he is heavily dependent upon liberal theology and hermeneutics for shaping his "apologetics." I responded by saying I find such a claim mystifying because if he truly believed in inspiration infallibility and inerrancy then he would interact with seriousness the biblical teaching on marriage found in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. How can a homosexual couple fulfill the marriage mandate outlined by Paul when he tells us God established marriage to be a conceive of of Christ loving the perform? Justin responded by stating gay couples are exempt from this assign and it only applies to heterosexual couples. Hmmm... He then sent me an interesting telecommunicate citing a passage from Matthew that he claims demonstrates his argument. Justin writes.
“His disciples say unto him. “If the case of the man be so with [his] wife it is not good to marry.” But he said unto them. “All [men] cannot acquire this saying deliver [they] to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs which were so born from [their] mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive [it] let him acquire [it].” Matthew 19:10-12
I made copies of articles from three of the standard theological and lexical works on the Old and New Testaments: The New International Dictionary of N. T. Theology. Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the N. T. and The International Dictionary of O. T. Theology and Exegesis and all of them express the definition of a castrated man used as a harem guard was the standard historical understanding of the word eunuch. I glanced through a handful of other theological and lexical works and all of them also affirmed the typical understanding of the word. In addition to the idea of a castrated harem guard the word did expand in meaning to consider high act officials who held prominent positions in a royal court but may not necessarily be castrated. None of these works however implied the evince could be used to exposit a person disposed to homosexual persuasion. This is something of a novel modern invention.
Yet. Justin argues otherwise and change surface appeals to an external source in the works of early church create. Clement of Alexandria. Before I even address his citations it is important to say that more times than not external sources to back up "be" biblical words like appealing to quotations from church fathers may not be particularly helpful. In the inspect of Clement of Alexandria he is nearly 200 years removed from Jesus. We be to ascertain what Jesus meant by His use of the word during His time period and in lighten of scriptural definitions of marriage and eunuchs before we alter authoritative appeals to some external obtain who wrote a couple of centuries later.
The first thing that needs to be pointed out is that Clement is citing the followers of a gnostic heretic by the name of Basilides who also was from Alexandria. Justin uses these words as if they are Clement's own. I believe that is beyond the pale of dishonesty to make your readers evaluate the words of a false teacher are the words of a church father. Moreover nothing in the text which is a move of Clement's larger discourses on marriage relationships change surface hints at homosexuality. Basilides' and his followers said these individuals have a natural repulsion of women and do come up not to unify. Again it is reading a 21st century understanding of homosexuality approve into a text that is nearly 1,800 years old and drawing erroneous conclusions.
Returning to Christ's words to the disciples in Matthew 19:12 nothing in the context of this first category of eunuchs. "a eunuch from birth," suggests Jesus had in mind natural born homosexual orientation. Christ had in object the Jewish understanding of eunuchs as described in Levitical law and through out the Old Testament: those who were born with the physical inability to act in sexual intercourse. Those inabilities could be more than just sexual impotence but could very come up be crippling deformities desire paralysis. Downs or other mental retardation that prevents a person from participating in being married to a spouse. Moreover and most importantly. Jesus could not undergo in object homosexuals when he told his disciples there are "eunuchs from bring forth," because in the larger context of the entire revelation of scripture the participants in marriage are clearly limited to being only one male and one female. There are no other combinations permitted nor are there any other combinations such as a same-sex relationship exempted from the divine ordinances established in Genesis for marriage and are reiterated throughout the remainder of the Bible. To do by these alter commands or even worse interpret them according to a new paradigm demonstrates a desperation to make the Bible affirm the non-affirmable. Perhaps that is why gay apologists desire Justin have to appeal to liberal neo-orthodox hermeneutics and biblical interpretation. What ever the case this is comfort the historical and scriptural revisionism found in the writings of the myriads of heretical false teachers who have troubled the perform since its founding in Acts.
Great analysis. Thanks for standing up for the truth. I summarize the Biblical view as follows:100% of the verses addressing homosexual behavior denounce it as sin in the strongest possible terms. 100% of the verses referencing God’s ideal for marriage bear on one man and one woman. 100% of the verses referencing parenting involve moms and dads with unique roles (or at least a set of male and female parents guiding the children). 0% of 31,173 Bible verses refer to homosexual behavior in a positive or even benign way or change surface hint at the acceptability of homosexual unions. It is amazing how the liberal theologians move the truth and shake their fists at God.
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Related article:
http://hipandthigh.blogspot.com/2007/10/are-eunuchs-really-bibles-way-of-saying.html
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