Homosexuality Sermon Prep

The family was sick all week last week.  I was invoking Darwiniansim with survival of the fittest, but the strongest got weeded out yesterday.  So, today I am preparing for my sermon and lying down when my head gets dizzy.

The key verse for me on the issue of Homosexuality is Romans 1:27-29.  I was reading James D.G. Dunn's commentary.   A great commentary of Romans.  Dunn makes a point that Jewsih culture was really against homosexuality in all forms.  I think that is a correct reading.  The Jewish law is fairly conservative when it comes to sexuality and many other things is what I have concluded in my studies. He notes the Greek world, homosexuality was pretty open and normal.

As I think about the NT.  The parts written by Paul who was a Jew mention homosexuality.  The parts written by Greeks, the gospels and other letters do not.  In the NT, only Paul speaks of homosexulaity.  The gospels and other letters do not.

Perhaps in the early church the issue of homosexuality was a debate.  The church was divided a bit.  There was the school of Paul and Jerusalem.  Then there were the Greeks who may have been more open. However, these two groups spoke enough truth about Jesus Christ that both of their writings could be deemed as Holy.

Could the modern church live that way?

Before Tough Topics, we have a big one.

This week just to let folks know. I will be speak about the financial meltdown.  I am not sure what the House will be doing, but the more important matter is what does our faith say about this issue?  Where is God in the midst of this problem?  Do we as a church need to respond?  See you Sunday.

Tough Topics Sermon Series

 

Tough Topics:

A Response of Faith

 

Oct 12-  Homosexuality: a gay man is a woman’s son

Oct 19-Abortion: Free will vs. Life

Oct 26-Evolution:Fish vs. Darwin on a bumper

Nov 2-Politics:Untangling faith from partisanship

Nov 9-Hollywood: Is the media the source of all evil?

 

 

This is an upcoming sermon series that I am leading at DOC-Visalia. I am going to address these topics in the following way.  I am going to give several viewpoints on each subject. Then I will tackle the issue pastorally.  I think the issues of homosexuality, abortion, and politics are personal.  They need to be treated with an attitutude that respsects other's feelings and experiences.  The goal is to open a conversation not close it.  It is a counter cultural experience, since most churches are liberal or conservative.  Few want to engage in dialogue. DOC-Visalia is attempting to live out that notion that all are welcome by God.