Tuesday’s U-Wire column “Homosexuals and the church: issue is about gender roles” by Ashon Crawley is miserably wrong. One can argue the legitimacy of the Christian religion, but to purport the Bible does not explicitly condemn homosexual behavior and damn homosexuals to hell is an outright lie.

I’ll begin by correcting some of Crawley’s mistakes and mistruths. Ironically, after warning people of biblical misinterpretation and ignoring context, the author commits the very errors he or she seeks to avoid. Looking first into the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, Crawley suggests this passage is about “the desire to rape two men.” He then suggests it condemns rape and says nothing about homosexuality.

According to Genesis 19:12-13, men of Sodom had gathered around Lot’s home and demanded homosexual relations with two men Lot was housing. The depravity of Sodom was so heinous, God sent two incarnate angels – the same angels the men lusted after – to destroy the city. Thus, God poured cataclysmic wrath on Sodom specifically because of its utter immorality (see Jude seven).

As Crawley skirts over Leviticus and Paul’s writings, he erroneously claims, “a thorough examination of these texts show that these prohibitions are against pagan worship, involving folk having sex with each other in order to worship their gods, not (homosexual) relationships.” That is a damning lie. Babylonian cultic mystery religions believed sex with priestesses would bring you closer to God, but this prohibition is only one of many in a laundry list of warnings Paul makes (1 Thessalonians 4:3ff). The Bible is full of warnings against all aberrant sexual behavior – anything outside a monogamous marriage relationship.

In the beginning, God created man and woman to complement each other. Since then, God has been clear, through his word, about deviating from his divine instruction. My list does not claim to be complete, but I hope you will be convinced of God’s scorn of sexual immorality.

Amidst many restrictions on despicable sexual behavior in the Old Testament, Leviticus 18:22 says, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” Clear enough. Further in that book it is written, “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death” (Leviticus 20:13). There is no ambiguity here; one cannot claim “That’s just your interpretation!”

Inevitably, some will remind me Christians are not bound by Old Testament law (that’s why we don’t stone homosexuals), for we are in the new covenant with God (see the New Testament).

But God’s character does not change; his hatred of homosexuality does not waiver. Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

In Romans chapter one, Paul writes extensively against sinful sexual behavior. He labels them “vile passions,” “uncleanness,” “shameful,” “debase,” “not fitting” and “dishonor(able).” Moreover, Paul sternly warns “those who practice such things are deserving of death” (Romans 1:32). This is in response to men who “leaving the natural use of the women, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due” (Romans 1:27). Do not be duped into thinking this is in reference to pagan practices of a particular cult. God hates homosexuality, and will give those who commit homosexual acts due judgment, which Paul writes of in Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” What is the kingdom of God? Heaven.

This column is not intended to present my moral case against homosexuality. Rather, it serves as an explanation of the biblical mandates regarding homosexuality. You can reject Jesus Christ altogether and claim that unnatural sexual behavior is permissible, but it is impossible to claim to be a born-again, Bible-believing Christian and think homosexuality is acceptable. God strictly forbids it and promises wrath to those who reject his commands.

But there is hope. Paul says, “such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

To those living in the homosexual lifestyle, I beseech you to heed the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Lindsay Brown is a junior music performance major. He welcomes comments at [email protected]