 A Synopsis of John Stott’s Booklet, Same-Sex Partnerships? By One-by-One November 2000 The following article is a synopsis of John Stott’s arguments against same-sex union ceremonies as presented in the booklet, Same-Sex Partnerships? A Christian Perspective (Michigan: Fleming H. Revell, 1998). This booklet can be ordered at www.amazon.com. In his booklet Same-Sex Partnerships?, John Stott affirmatively answers the following question facing the contemporary western Church: “Is there a Christian way to combine Biblical thinking about God’s intention for human sexuality with an equally Biblical attitude of understanding, respect, and support for persons with a homosexual disposition?” (p. 7) Stott prefaces his discussion with numerous important statements: (1) We are all human beings. “However strongly we may disapprove of homosexual practices, we have no liberty to dehumanize those who engage in them” (p. 9); (2) We are all sexual beings with a particular sexual inclination, (though studies in the early 1990s “suggest that in the western world less than 2 percent of the male population, and less than 1 percent of the female, are exclusively homosexual in inclination and practice”) (p. 11); (3) We are all sinners; (4) those debating this issue in the Church are all Christians; (5) the question presented to the Church is not whether to bless casual sex between members of the same gender, but rather to bless long-term, loving homosexual partnerships. The basic question is whether or not these types of homosexual relationships are a Christian option (p. 15). Scriptural texts that condemn homosexual behavior Stott begins to answer this question by turning first to Scripture. He cites seven Scriptural texts that refer specifically to homosexual behavior:
The pro-homosexual lobby often argues that the Scriptural prohibition against homosexual behavior is based on exegetical proof-texting. And, there are only seven texts which directly refer to homosexuality. However, “the negative prohibitions of homosexual practices in Scripture make sense only in the light of its positive teaching in Genesis 1 and 2 about human sexuality and heterosexual marriage” (p. 30). Sexuality and marriage in Scripture Scripture makes numerous fundamental assertions about sexuality and marriage (noted below).
Refuting contemporary pro-gay arguments 1. Pro-Gay Argument #1 – Biblical texts which condemn homosexual behavior are culturally bound. For example, the Sodom/Gomorrah and Gibeah stories were really addressing a lack of hospitality not homosexuality; the Levitical laws address homosexual behavior in fertility rituals; and the Apostle Paul was addressing pederasty among the Greeks. These texts did not refer to the homosexual condition or orientation; and the authors could not conceive of loving, faithful homosexual relationships. Thus we cannot use these texts to address the contemporary issue of same-sex unions. Errors in Argument #1 – “Modern loving homosexual partnerships are incompatible with God’s created order (heterosexual monogamy). And since that order was established by creation, not culture, its validity is both permanent and universal. There can be no ‘liberation’ from God’s created norms; true liberation is found only in accepting them. This argumentation is opposite of the ‘Biblical literalism’ of which the gay lobby tends to accuse us. It is rather to look beneath the surface of the Biblical prohibitions to the essential positives of divine revelation on sexuality and marriage. It is significant that those who are advocating same-sex partnerships usually omit Genesis 1 and 2 from their discussion, even though Jesus our Lord himself endorsed the teaching of those passages” (pp. 43-44). 2. Pro-Gay Argument #2 – The acceptability of a relationship, homosexual or heterosexual, depends on whether it is just and loving. A homosexual relationship “can be just as rich and responsible, as liberating and fulfilling, as a heterosexual marriage” (p. 51). Thus, we should embrace and bless such homosexual partnerships as a Christian expression of sexuality. Errors in Argument #2 – There are numerous problems with this line of argumentation. First, the concept of lifelong, quasi-marital fidelity in homosexual partnerships is largely a myth, a theoretical ideal which is contradicted by the facts” (p. 51). [For more statistical information see Thomas Schmidt, Ph.D., Straight & Narrow? Compassion and Clarity in the Homosexual Debate (InterVarsity Press, 1995), and Jeffrey Satinover, MD, Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth (Baker, 1996).] Second, when discussing Biblical ethics, love cannot be separated from truth. Christ did not abrogate the law; rather he fulfilled it. Surely homosexual relationships can be loving, but this does not justify them. “Although the loving quality of a relationship is an essential, it is not by itself a sufficient criterion to authenticate it” (p. 54). 3. Pro-Gay Argument #3 – Like women and African Americans, homosexuals have been oppressed and discriminated against. They have been the victims of homophobia. Jesus embraced the oppressed and offered them justice. Thus the church should follow Christ’s ministry of justice and celebrate homosexual unions. Errors in Argument #3 – Treating homosexuals with rejection, hatred and discrimination is morally wrong. Yet we must distinguish between true discrimination and what is often labeled as homophobia. “If ... the ‘wrong’ or ‘injustice’ complained of is society’s refusal to recognize homosexual partnerships as a legitimate alternative to heterosexual marriages, then talk of ‘justice’ is inappropriate, since human beings may not claim as a ‘right’ what God has not given them. The analogy between gays and the liberation of slaves, blacks and women is inexact and misleading. In each case we need to clarify the Creator’s original intention. Thus, in spite of misguided attempts to justify slavery and racism from Scripture, both are fundamentally incompatible with the created equality of human beings. Similarly, the Bible honors womanhood by affirming that men and women share equally in the image of God” (p. 57). Finally, true gay liberation is the freedom to live a life of obedience to Jesus Christ. 4. Pro-Gay Argument #4 – The heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God loves and accepts us just as we are. Thus, the Church must accept homosexuals as they are and bless their loving relationships with one another. Errors in Argument #4 – It is true that God accepts us just as we are; there are no stipulations for receiving God’s love. However, God does not condone our continued sinning. God longs to transform our lives, as God loves us too much to leave us the way we are. Thus, “it is true that we must accept one another, but only as fellow penitents and fellow pilgrims, not as fellow sinners who are resolved to persist in our sinning” (p. 59). The testimony of Scripture and the refutation of contemporary pro-gay arguments lead us to conclude that homosexual relationships deviate from God’s created intent for human sexuality. Yet the discussion cannot end here. What can and ought the Church offer individuals with a homosexual condition? Faith, Hope and Love. Faith, hope and love applied to homosexually-oriented people
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