A growing number of churches and Christian leaders on both sides of the Atlantic are changing their positions on loving, faithful, same-sex sexual relations.
The reason for this shift is, as far as I can tell, always because of personal experience. For example, an adult child of a pastor comes out as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and after much struggle, the pastor’s love for his child leads him to reevaluate what he’s always thought about same-sex sexual relations. Other ministry leaders listen to the stories of LGBTQ+ people who have been marginalized, ridiculed, and treated poorly by churches.
The common factor is that these leaders let personal experience be the starting point for how they form their theology rather than allowing the Word of God to be the standard for how they interpret life experiences, feelings, and sexual identity.
As evangelical Christians, we must give precedence to the Bible. We study the Bible to understand what God intended to communicate through its human writers and how the original recipients of a passage would have understood it, and only then do we apply the Biblical principles to our situations today.
So, what does the Bible say about same-sex sexual relationships?
- You have reached the end of this article preview. This article was published in the Summer 2023 Baptist Bulletin. Subscribe to the Baptist Bulletin or purchase a gift subscription. If you already subscribe to the print edition, sign up for free digital access.
Ray Baker is a missionary in Stockholm, Sweden. He has written and lectured extensively in Nordic countries on LGBTQ+ issues and God’s design for marriage and sexuality. David E. Strope, interim national representative of the GARBC, also contributed to this article.
