What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung

The cultural shift in attitudes toward homosexuality has been staggering in my lifetime.  We've transitioned from "don't ask, don't tell," to "accept and embrace gay people, or else you're a lousy bigot."  In the course of one presidential administration, we've seen a shift from "Of course marriage is only between a man and a woman," to "If you don't endorse and embrace gay marriage, you're a lousy bigot!"

The church is stuck in the middle.  More and more churches and church leaders are endorsing, even practicing, a homosexual lifestyle.  If a Christian has decided to come out of the closet, he or she won't have to look far to find a church where homosexuals are not only embraced but where homosexual activity is approved.  The question is, is there any biblical justification for condoning homosexual acts?  In What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality?, Kevin DeYoung cogently and definitively answers that question: No.

DeYoung, a pastor in the Reformed Church in America, unapologetically defends a traditional view of marriage between one man and one woman while presenting a biblical view of "homosexual practice" as "sinful because it violates the divine design in creation."  Surveying scriptures that address homosexuality and marriage, DeYoung points out that "no positive argument for homosexuality can be made from the Bible, only an argument that texts don't mean what they seem to mean."  Following Paul, he affirms that "homosexual activity is not a blessing to be celebrated and solemnized but a sin to be repented of, forsaken, and forgiven."

This message comes through loud and clear, not only from DeYoung, but from the defenders of homosexual behavior from whom he quotes: a Christian defense of homosexual behavior relies on a rejection of the historical Christian stance as well as scripture itself.  Supporters of same-sex marriage and defenders of homosexual activity openly reject scripture on the topic of sexuality.  DeYoung concisely meets the objections to the biblical, historical position point by point.

Perhaps most importantly, DeYoung makes his arguments not from a position of condemnation but of grace.  He points out that the Bible does treat sexual sin with more severity than other sins, but also points out the biblical condemnation of other sins.  Besides, all sin separates us from God and calls for repentance.  I appreciate DeYoung's making the case against homosexuality.  This book is a great resource for Christians who feel as if they are being swept up in a cultural flood, surrounded by pro-homosexual propaganda.  Stop feeling like a bigot for calling homosexual activity a sin.  It is, and should be treated as such, with conviction, repentance, and grace.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

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