Homosexuals Should Not Be Ordained Into the Christian Ministry To believe that the laws written in the Bible came directly from God, as Christians do believe, is also to accept that all the laws stated in the Bible should be obeyed and that it is not up to man to decide what laws in the Bible should be obeyed and which can be ignored. While some attempt to justify lifestyles by stating the Bible does not apply to the modern world, these individuals fail to understand the consequences of these views. Though many have chosen to accept homosexuality and argue that same sex marriages and even ordination to the ministry should be acceptable, 1 Corinthians states, "Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or worship idols, or commit adultery, or who are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves are greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people -- none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God." (1Cor. 6:9-20 NLT). There is no room for misunderstanding here as the message is obvious. Homosexuality is expressed as an unacceptable act throughout the Bible. For example, both in the books of Romans and Corinthians Paul discusses this very issue of homosexuality. "And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned wit lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved." (Rom. 1.27 NLT). Paul focuses on the points of the act as being both shameless and in error to emphasize the point that any act of homosexuality should be considered sinful and God will condemn those involved. Paul continues to clearly state that homosexuals are not "acknowledging" God and God's will as they are being unfaithful to the will of the Lord. "Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done." (Rom. 1.28 NLT). It is essential to acknowledge that God does not like sin and homosexuality is a sin. It cannot be justified that some sins are not as evil as others or that God is accepting of sin just because he shows mankind grace and mercy. This does not give man permission to sin. Through man's fallen nature, he is going to sin and God is aware of this sinful nature, but that should not be confused with sin being acceptable. Man should make every effort to omit sin from his life. However, practicing homosexuality is considered an act of habitual and willful sin. Therefore, anyone living a lifestyle of habitual sin, such as homosexuality is not walking with the Lord and that individual should not be ordained in his ministry.

Research shows that "sexual preference is predominantly a socially learned response, not an orientation fixed from the outset by genetic or hormonal factors."[footnoteRef:1] Though this might be a debated point, there is no reference that homosexuality was accepted in any culture during any period and especially in the Christian Church regardless of the reasons for engaging in such acts. In other words, historically speaking this has not been an accepted behavior and only in modern times has anyone is society advocated the rights of those practicing these acts. Though homosexuality has existed since the fall of man, it does not make it permissible as it listed as detestable behavior along with other sins. "Homosexuality is simply one expression among many of the basic disordering of human life; all lust, whether heterosexual or homosexual, violates the divine law and reflects man's fallen nature."[footnoteRef:2] In Genesis, God purposefully created both man and woman to live together. When man was in need of a partner, Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.'"(Gen 2:18 NLT). In addition to being his companion, the purpose of this union was to "be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it." (Gen 1:28 NLT). In was not God's intention for same sex sexual relations to occur. This was something that only came into existence after the fall of man. There can be little debate that homosexuality is contradictory the will of God. Those purposefully engaging in such activity should not be ordained. [1: Davis, John Jefferson.2004. Evangelical Ethics. Philipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing...

117] [2: Ibid 122]
The Bible is quite clear in its position on homosexuality. "Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin." (Lev. 18:22 NLT). The use of the word detestable is a fervent statement highlighting it's abomination to God and stressing the fact that he will denounce those who disobey these commands. In fact, the consequences are severe; "If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense." (Lev. 20:13 NLT). However, it should be noted that homosexuality is not the only offense punishable by death under Mosaic law, as according to the bible there are other serious sins that are similarly punished such as "cursing one's parents…adultery, incest and intercourse with a menstruating woman." [footnoteRef:3] Though in today's world these sins may not be punished by death, it does not make them less serious in the eyes of God. Though these Mosaic laws are no longer in effect in today's society, there is also no indication that it is not considered a sinful act just as the other laws and commandments listed in the Bible are still followed and accepted today as law. Though some opponents will still argue that the Bible does not specifically condemn homosexuality, there are very specific passages about homosexuality and one of the most notable examples in found in Genesis 19. The Lord God, along with two angels, appear as men one night in the city of Sodom. Lot, demonstrating his hospitality, invites them to spend the night there in his own home. However, before they went to sleep that night, a number of local men of the city of Sodom surrounded Lot's house and yelled to him. "Where are the men who came to spend the night with you?" they demanded of Lot. "Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them" (Gen. 19: 1-5 NLT). When Lot denied their demands, they accused him of being wrongly judgmental. "This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he's acting like our judge!" (Gen. 19:9 NLT). Though the sins of Sodom were many, these sexual impurities were compelling factors in the ultimate decision of God to destroy the city. The Lord heard the outcry of immortality rampaging through the city and ordered for it to be destroyed demonstrating the seriousness of following his commands. It is important to understand that the purpose of these Biblical stories is not to state that homosexuals should be killed and the sexual perversions were only one of the sins perpetuated in the city and these sins ran rampant throughout the entire city. God also provides warnings before destruction but those too were ignored. "The Bible nowhere teaches that homosexuality is an unforgivable sin; churches must reject the sin but be willing and ready to be used by God in the reclamation of the sinner."[footnoteRef:4] In other words, churches are there to help those who are living in sin and save them rather than persecute them. One practicing homosexuality would not be in a position to save others as he himself would not be saved. It essential that anyone acting in a position of authority in the church be leading a Christian life. [3: Hekminiak, Daniel A., Ph.D. What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality. Episcopal Bishop of Newark NJ. 1994, 44] [4: Davis, John Jefferson.2004. Evangelical Ethics. Philipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 132]

One primary purpose of the Christian Church is to follow the laws of God to the best of its ability. Engaging in homosexual activities would not follow this purpose as there are numerous passages in the Bible providing evidence that it is considered perverse behavior not acceptable to God. Opponents will argue that any sinful act is unacceptable to God and that as all humans are sinful, it is not fair to single out homosexuality and that following those standards no one would be fit to be ordained. Therefore, it essential here to define how the term homosexuality is being used and considered in this context. "Homosexual is understood as one who in adult life is motivated by a 'definite preferential erotic attraction to members of the same sex and who usually (but not necessarily) engages in overt sexual relations with them.'"[footnoteRef:5] In other words, it is not just considered an act, but a willful lifestyle. This is a…