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Newspaper Articles Below is a Newspaper Article published in the Oroville Mercury - Register 11-29-2000 A Response To Jerry Maneker This is in response to the two articles written by Jerry Maneker on the subject of Homosexuality and how it relates to the Bible. I share Curtis Barbarick’s thoughts in a response to Mr. Maneker that Christians should not bear any malice towards someone who has chosen a homosexual lifestyle. As he says, “all people should be treated with love.” To treat someone with love is to act in his or her best interest. To discipline a child when he runs across a busy road is to demonstrate love; you are teaching him or her a lesson about safety that is vital to their existence. Therefore, to reveal God’s will on any matter is not “hate” simply because one’s lifestyle contradicts God’s principles. Nor it is “anti-gay rhetoric by sexually repressed” people to stand up for God’s laws. Mr. Maneker seems rather intolerant, exclusive, and hateful toward those who might disagree with his views! Are their people in this world who express hate? Yes! But to lump all people into this group simply to promote your view of homosexuality is shameful and deceptive. It also illustrates a person with a weak argument. The title to Mr. Manker’s second article, “When did you choose your sexual orientation?” seems to indicate he would make a strong argument to prove his point. However, he simply makes the statement, “ We don’t choose our sexual orientation! It chooses us!” He then proceeds to spend a great of time in Romans Ch. 1 and makes a distinction between men engaging in homosexuality in worship to idols as sinful but homosexuality in “loving” relationships as proper. The apostle Paul makes no such distinction. Rom. 1:24-28 says that, “God gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves…verse 27…”.Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, …And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.” It seems to me Paul condemns homosexual conduct with out qualifying it in any way. Notice too that Paul states what is natural---“leaving the natural use of the women, burned in their lust for one another.” Not only do we see evidence that man makes the decision to engage in homosexuality on his own (choosing his own sexual orientation) by pursuing “the lusts of their own hearts” but also homosexual conduct is unnatural or abnormal. To interpret the scripture in any other way is to twist it to mean something else. The Bible tells us that “untaught and unstable people” will do this to their own destruction (2Pet 3:16). Consider a lesson from an old story. When God was going to destroy the earth due to sin, one man found favor in His eyes; Noah. Noah was a just man who walked with God (Gen 6:9). God revealed to Noah His plans to destroy the people of the earth and He also revealed His plans for Noah. Verse 14 of chapter 6 says, "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.” Then he gives instructions on how to build the ark, i.e., the blueprint. The lesson we can learn from this is this; when God authorizes something, human beings do not have the right to change it. We know this from many O.T. examples. The story of Cain and Abel makes this point clearly. Both offered a sacrifice to the Lord. Only one, Abel, acted appropriately and by authority (Gen 4:1-7). Heb 11:4 says, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous...” The Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom 10:17) therefore both Abel and Cain were instructed as to what would be an appropriate sacrifice. Abel obeyed---Cain did not, its’ that simple. He rejected that which God commanded and substituted his own will. Since he was not the rightful one to authorize his sacrifice, he was rejected; God did not respect his sacrifice because it was not what He commanded. Today, there are many people who want to change that which God authorized for a variety of reasons. Rather than moving toward Christ and casting off the old man (Eph 4:20-23) these people want Christ to come to them and accept their choices. It wouldn’t have worked for Noah and it certainly did not work for Cain. Homosexuality is incompatible with Christianity because God has excluded it. The only proper means of sexual expression is in a lawful marriage between a man and a woman. Thereby excluding all other relationships. Genesis 2:18-24 says, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." …But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him…Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Jesus put His stamp of approval on this when he quoted it in Matt 19:4-6. He said, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” God excluded all other forms of sexual expression. Whether it is adultery, fornication or homosexuality! It is sad but there will always be people who want to alter the word of God to fit their desires. Their thoughts are futile, their hearts are darkened, and they become fools unable to discern what is right and wrong (Rom 1:21-22). Carlos Aguilar, Evangelist
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