Friday, January 31, 2014

John Shore on "God Said It, I Believe It, That Settles It Argument": What Jesus Actually Says




John Shore suggests that Christians who say they intend to take the bible literally when it addresses the topic of homosexuality (as they believe it does) should also take Jesus literally when he talks about money. Here's his rationale for making this suggestion:


Nowhere in the Bible is Jesus more explicitly clear about anything than he is about money. He cuts off any and all wiggle room on the matter. 
Because he does, I do not see how it is possible to avoid the conclusion that there is something profoundly wrong with any Christian who is not voluntarily as poor as the proverbial church mouse pointing to the Bible as justification for the condemnation of gay people. 
How can any Christian insist on taking literally what Paul said about homosexuality*, but at the same time refuse to take literally what Jesus Christ himself—who never said a single word about homosexuality—said about money? 
Gee. I wonder.
* Nowhere in the Bible does Paul or anyone else say that homosexuality, in and of itself, is a sin. 

I'm grateful to Dan Savage at the SLOG site for the link to John Shore's outstanding commentary.

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