Are Gays, their Supporter (including the Church) for or against God?

Are Gays, their Supporter (including the Church) for or against God?

                                               2012 Mr. Gay World Contest

Exactly a month ago, South Africa host Mr. Gay World contest, the first ever on African soil, featuring the first black African contentants with other contestants from different countries around the world. Mr Gay World started in Canada in 2009. This year Andreas Derleth, a 32-year-old German living in New Zealand, took the crown, while South Africa's Lance Weyer became the first runner-up. Other blcak African contestants include Mr Gay Ethiopia, who was disowned by his father, Mr Gay Zimbabwe, who pulled out after his mother was allegedly followed by government agents, Mr Gay Nambia whose father called for the police and sent him to the hospital for psychiatric treatment when he first came out as gay at age 16. Mr Gay Zambia was said to be proud to represent his country.  He was even accompanied by his family members to the airport for a warm send-off when he left for the competition, which culminates for him and 21 other men in the finals at a Johannesburg casino. “Bring the trophy home,” Mr Gay Namibia said his mother told him.―culled from www.gaurdian.co.uk

The above is one of the activities of the end time. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ in his letter to Timothy described what this present world would look like.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despiser of those that are good― 2Timothy 3: 1-3(KJV). Unnatural affection here means love, attraction, or sexual relationship between same-sex. The manifestation is what we see today.

Homosexuality is not a new phenomenon, it didn’t just start now. But in our contemporary world, homosexuality has assumed a greater dimension. What we now have are higher concepts ―gay marriage, gay world contest etc. In the past, no one would openly admit that he or she is a gay or lesbian both in the church and in circular world because of the stigmatisation that accompany such. But these days, it is quite unfortunate that homosexuality, having existed in the circular world for long, gradually crept into the body of Christ―the church. Since the 1990s, the Anglican Communion had struggled with controversy regarding homosexuality in the church.

The crisis deepened in 2003 when two openly gay men in England and the United States became candidates for bishop. The Episcopal Church of United States of America (ECUSA) appointed Canon Gene Robinson, an avowed gay, bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. He became the first openly homosexual bishop in the history of “Christiandom”.

Even though Homosexuality is now illegal in 37 African countries including Nigeria, I like to highlight some of their (homosexuals) arguments.

Homosexuals and their sympathisers, particularly those in the church have used the Bible as their point of reference in arguing. For instance, homosexuals and their sympathisers in the west claim that the world has gone beyond the age of the Bible as exemplified in Sodom and Gomorrah. One of such sympathisers, Sherwin Bailey challenged the interpretation of Sodom and Gomorrah story on two grounds.

Stott (1999:193) citing Sherwin Bailey said that it is a gratuitous assumption that the demand of the men of Sodom, ‘Bring them out to us, so that we may know them’ does mean so that we may have sex with them. He added that the Hebrew word ‘know’ (yada) occurs 943 times in the Old Testament of which only 10 occurrences refers to physical intercourse, and even then only to heterosexual intercourse. “It would therefore be better to translate the phrase as ‘so that we may get acquainted with them. We can then understand the men’s violence as due to their anger that Lot had exceeded his right as a resident alien, for he had welcomed two strangers into his home whose intention might be hostile and whose credentials―had  not been examined.”  In this case, he said, “the sin of Sodom was invasion of privacy of lot who they belief flout the ancient rules of hospitality.”

To be continued tomorrow…