Page 64 - Christ and Culture Textbook

Study Section 11: Christian Love and Cultural convictions.

11.1 Connect

When I was in the U.S.A working on MDiv I met a graduate from a certain Bible college who
strongly believed that there was nothing wrong with guy marriage. She argued that God is
love and he wants Christians to love one another. I was troubled by her reasoning and I
decided to share the truth from the Bible about this particular topic. To my surprise this lady
got offended with biblical truth that I presented to her. Then I knew that people get
offended with the truth when it is not appealing to them. How can one say something is
right, when God clearly says it is wrong? Is man’s opinion now above God’s word? How can Christians
exercise love and honestly share the truth? Is it possible love people and not embrace their culture?
Must we judge those outside the Church? How can we be okay with sin, when we know it will destroy
us and those we love? At one time, every state in the United States had laws against homosexual
practice called sodomy laws. The very name, sodomy, is a grim reminder of God’s destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah for the depraved behaviors of their people (Gen. 18–19). Let’s get started….

11.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to explain why Christian love does not promote or condone sin.

2. The student should be able to describe how the Bible judges homosexuality

3. The student should be able to discuss that cultural convictions can be misleading.

11.3 What is wrong with same-sex Marriage?

In many countries, homosexuality and lesbianism, same sex intercourse and same sex
marriage were not mentioned in public. Homosexual intercourse was considered even more
filthy. Over the past years, homosexuality has moved from being a taboo topic to center
stage. Gay and lesbian rights groups are now speaking up and seeking registration to protect
homosexuals. Gay union is legal in several U.S. states, but marriage amendments have
passed in other states. Pro-gay messages have bombarded the media, weakening traditional
resistance and biblical stance.

There are four main factors that has enhanced the growth Gay lifestyle.
1. The demands for freedom of speech and human rights.
2. The desire for morality to be based on empirical and scientific data.
3. The abandonment of Biblical values and beliefs.
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4. The rejection of God’s authority.

Homosexuality have come out of the closet. Though many are still uneasy about going public, there are
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equally as many or more who are not embarrassed about their sexual preference. We live in the age

27 S.W. Kunhiyop, African Christian Ethics (Hippo books publishing group, 2008), 305

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