same-sex attraction

Does My Gender Define Me?

April 19, 2019 by wagraham 1 Comment

In the mid-nineteenth century, European legislators invented a taxonomy of gender to identify various sexual disorders (Blank 2012: 15–21). In this way, legal scholars created the idea of orientation, and new words like heterosexual and homosexual came into use.

As Michael Hannon explains, “Heterosexuals, like typewriters and urinals (also, obviously, for gentlemen), were an invention of the 1860s.” And according to Hanne Blank, “It has, in point of actual fact, only been possible to be a heterosexual since 1869” (2012: xiv). It would take about 60 years until these theories made their way into North America.

The straight truth is: heterosexuality is an invention of European legal philosophy. It is neither good nor bad for this reason. And yet we seriously need to question the validity of such gendered-identities. Especially now, since gendered categories have made their way into popular social paradigms.

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What Does James Say about Sin, Temptation, And Desire?

April 16, 2019 by wagraham 2 Comments

Both Jesus and his brother James discuss how temptation turns into sin. For Jesus, hating or lusting mentally commits murder or adultery. James concurs with Jesus’ teaching and discusses how desire, temptation, and sin interrelate.

Since getting temptation, desire, and sin right matters so much for our personal growth, we need to get this right. And besides, current discussions on same-sex attraction revolve around these same subjects. So it is also a timely subject for discussion.

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When Does Temptation Become Sin?

April 13, 2019 by wagraham 1 Comment

In John Owen’s well-known work on sin and temptation, he defines two kinds of temptation: ones that come from without and others that come from within (Works, 6:194). The first kind of temptation works like this. I am hungry. And someone offers me stolen food. This temptation comes from without and is morally neutral.

The second kind of temptation works like this. From within me, I propose a desire to steal food for the pleasure of eating. According to Owen, “the very proposal from within, it being the soul’s own act, is its sin” (Works, 6:194).

Although this taxonomy of temptation may seem overly detailed, it becomes important when we ask the question: when does temptation become sinful? Or more specifically, when does sexual or romantic desire become sinful?

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What Is The Disagreement on Same-Sex Attraction about?

April 11, 2019 by wagraham 3 Comments

Evangelical Christians are currently debating how to think about same-sex orientation. Within this debate, one particular subject has come to the front: same-sex attraction (SSA). There are at least four different positions:

First, some define SSA as sexual desire and therefore always sinful (Burk, Lambert, Strachan).
Second, others see SSA as a pattern of temptation, which should be resisted (Allberry, Shaw, Butterfield with some nuance).
Third, another group defines SSA as a condition that can be transformed into something good (Hill, Collins).
Fourth and lastly, one group affirms the goodness of gay identity (Vines).

Of these four views, the first three views overlap so much that it would be helpful to define each of these positions to understand where and why they differ.

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How Should Christians Understand Same-Sex Attraction?

March 26, 2019 by wagraham 7 Comments

If you are coming here via social media, consider reading my article where I clarify my argument by clicking here.

According to Christian theology, God created humanity in his image as both male and female. And so humans live and marry according to these sexes: males marry females. The first marriage recorded in Scripture narrates such a relationship: Adam marries Eve. They cleaved together.

Yet some people romantically desire those of their same sex. And the reality is that many Christians today have experienced same-sex attraction, do experience it, or will experience it in the future. For this reason, believers should seek to understand those who experience same-sex attraction. That way, we can gain understanding in order to increase our ability to love and to support others.

By looking at Scripture and history, we can start to understand same-sex attraction through the biblical concept of desire. Scripture defines desire as a neutral organ that can either tend to vice or to virtue. The theologian Maximos (580–662) understood desires similarly and provides conceptual clarity on the matter of desire.

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