The church's response to homosexuality (Part 3)

One of the remarks many evangelical Christians have made in recent decades regarding homosexuality goes something like this: "It is a choice."

In so doing, we have seemed to make no distinction between homosexual attractions and homosexual acts. That, I believe, has been a mistake -- a mistake we need to correct if we have not done so already. Before you write me off as a sin-condoning compromiser and trash this blog, please let me explain.

To me, when we paint with such a broad brush by declaring, "Homosexuality is a choice," we are in danger of confusing desires with choices. We don't do this with other sins. We seem to cordon off homosexuality and same-sex attraction into a land all its own. For instance, we seem to grant understanding to people, including some fellow believers, who say they have a propensity toward alcoholism and drunkenness. And there may be other sins and temptations to which we are willing to grant such a possible explanation -- but not homosexuality.

It seems to me this language of "choice" has left us insensitive to people who struggle with same-sex attraction and temptation for which they recognize no origin. Since sometime in their childhood or youth, they have felt these desires and have not known what to do with them. Make no mistake: Anyone who gives in to such a temptation is responsible for his sinful choice to act on such a desire. But to imply even the desire is a "choice" not only seems to reflect a refusal to try to understand others' struggles, but it seems to undermine our ability to evangelize and minister to such people.

Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote in a 2007 blog post, "Caring Christians will be aware of the fact that many persons who struggle with homosexuality — males and females — testify as Christian believers or as those troubled in conscience that they simply have no idea where same-sex desire originated in their lives. They do know that they did not choose this pattern of attraction. Again, that does not reduce their moral responsibility in any way or to any degree. But caring Christians, fully committed to the sole authority of the Bible, must want to help persons to understand and deal with this specific temptation to sin."

Describing the causes of same-sex attraction as "likely to be very complex," Mohler also wrote, "Let’s remember that all of us are born with a huge moral defect — we are sinners from the start. Christians who have responded with claims that God would not allow a person to be born with a bent toward sin miss the clear biblical teaching that all of us are born with a bent toward sin and with a sin nature. We are born marked by Adam’s sin and already under God’s just condemnation for that sin."

So yes, we should affirm that participating in homosexual behavior is a sinful choice, but we should be careful about ascribing "choice" language to attractions and temptations that may lead to such acts. The gospel of our Lord Jesus holds the only hope for those involved in homosexual acts and those struggling with homosexual attractions. May we be bold and compassionate ambassadors for the One who delivers from sin and temptation.