Due to the flurry of denunciations against Trent Lott, Senate Majority Leader, and Dick Armey, House Majority Leader, some may have lost sight of what was originally said. Trent Lott was being interviewed for The Armstrong Williams Show. The host asked the Mississippi senator if he believed homosexuality is a sin, and he affirmed that it is (does anyone know why that particular question was asked?). Lott then added:
“You should still love that person. You should not try to mistreat them or treat them as outcasts. You should try to show them a way to deal with that problem, just like alcohol. . .or sex addiction. . .or kleptomaniacs. There are all kinds of problems, addictions, difficulties, experiences of things that are wrong, but you should try to work with that person to learn to control that problem” (The Dallas Morning News 4A, June 16, 1998).
On June 17th, the same newspaper reported that Dick Armey also said that homosexuality is a sin.
“The Bible is very clear on this,” said Mr. Armey, citing passages in 1 Corinthians and elsewhere. “It is not for me to judge what is or what is not, but I do abide by the Bible” (6A).
Now the reader might think that these are levelheaded statements and that they were phrased very well with no intent to slander anyone. Furthermore, both men spoke the truth. The Bible does define homosexuality as a sin, but that does not mean Christians should act with hostility toward homosexuals any more than they would toward a thief, fornicator, or adulterer. Yes, these were thoughtful answers.
But liberal columnists and the news media in general went ballistic. Michael Piazza (“senior pastor” of the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas) responded with a column in The Dallas Morning News on June 23rd, which was titled “Politics Prod Lott, Armey, to Bash Gays.” Now see there? While most Christians were happy to hear what Lott and Armey had to say and the way they said it, it appears that we really goofed. While we thought these men were being honest and forthright (not to mention kind in the way they approached the subject), but we were wrong; they were actually bashing gays.
You and I would never have thought such a thing had occurred, brethren. That’s the reason we need The Dallas Morning News headline writer to straighten us out. See, newspapers can spot things the average person would overlook. So in their headline, they assure us that Lott and Armey are guilty of gay bashing. Guess what? If we were to be so foolish as to agree with the Scriptures that homosexuality is a sin, they would accuse us of bashing gays, too. Which just goes to show you that you don’t know your own heart as well as The Dallas Morning News does. You can’t make reckless statements, such as calling a sin a sin when they are around. They will straighten you out FAST. Before you can say “Sodom and Gomorrah,” they will have you pegged as a bigoted homophobe.
And Mr. Piazza agrees with them. He accuses Armey and Lott of “beating up on gays” (11A). But he knows much more than that. He knows that Armey and Lott got their message from the radical right. Notice, not just the right–the radical right. Whew! This is scary.
Of course, one wonders if anyone who believes the Bible might not be lumped into that category. Piazza thinks that these two political leaders might be following the dictates of Dr. James Dobson. Oh, now there’s a name that should strike terror into everyone. Dobson has written several excellent books on marriage and family relationships. He has a radio program called Focus on the Family. Most of us didn’t realize, however, until we read this article, what a dangerous fanatic Dobson is. All that emphasis on the family must be some kind of subterfuge. He’s really a leader of the radical right. Of course, Mr. Piazza didn’t cite any examples of his radicalness, but evidence is rarely the long suit of moral liberals.
Mr. Piazza writes: “It is clear to me from their comments, however, that neither man knows much about God or gays–at least the God I worship or the gay and lesbian community I know” (11A).
Well, Mr. Piazza, not only do Lott and Armey not know about the God you worship, neither do the rest of us. The only one we know about is the One who reveals Himself in the Holy Scriptures. We are so limited. You evidently have some other source of information–or some other god.
We’re at a disadvantage about knowing those in the homosexual community, too. The only one we have read about was Sodom, and they were not too appealing a group. In fact, God thought so little of them that He destroyed them (Gen. 19). I’ll bet YOUR god wouldn’t have done that.
These gentlemen from Washington could have quoted the Bible in an attack on the pork industry. After all, there are more biblical prohibitions against pork than against homosexual acts. Or they could have begun quoting what the Bible says about divorce because it has much more to say on that subject than it does about homosexuality (11A).
The first reference to pork is the latest argument being used by homosexuals to justify their sin (see the next article). The dietary laws were only given to the Jews, not the Gentiles, and they were done away with at the cross (Col. 2:14). God explained to Peter that those prohibitions were no longer in effect (Acts 10). For anyone to use this argument, he must be 1) ignorant of the fact that there are two distinct covenants (Heb. 8:6-7), and 2) ignorant of the fact that homosexuality is condemned under both (while pork was only condemned under the old). Could Piazza have missed the fact that Armey quoted 1 Corinthians, a New Testament letter? Has he never read Romans 1 or Jude 7?
The second argument falls into the “You’re just as bad as I am” category. This particular dodge is not at all unusual. Basically, it goes like this: “Okay, I’m a homosexual, but you’re divorced.” It may or may not be followed by sticking one’s tongue out and grunting, “Nyeah.” It serves, however, as no real defense. To point out a sin in another does not in any sense justify oneself. The best it can do is prove both parties are guilty; neither sin is justified by this method.
From this point, Piazza waxes arrogant.
I don’t need Mr. Lott or Mr. Armey to provide me with religious education. Neither man went to seminary, and neither man has met the 2,200 worshippers who fill the pews of my church every Sunday, most of them lesbian and gay (11A).
Mr. Piazza, you may be correct that these two politicians cannot provide you with any religious education, but somebody certainly needs to. You not only approve of homosexuality, which the Bible calls a sin throughout; you don’t even know the difference between a covenant given to Jews and the one Jesus gave to all mankind. Furthermore, if you are the product of a seminary, they are not doing what could even be called an adequate job in teaching the Scriptures.
As for your 2,200 worshippers, Baal had more than that in Israel. Numbers do not prove much–especially when they have a vested interest in your approval and endorsement of their sin.
You wonder why homosexuality is selected as a target instead of the pork industry. Eating pork is not a sin. You wonder why divorce is not rather singled out? When was the last time you saw naked divorcees parading with numerous floats through the streets of major cities, perhaps even enlisting the endorsement of the mayor? When was the last time a controversy was created in kindergarten because somebody forced the children to read Heather Has a Stepmother? Divorce and remarriage on any other ground than fornication is a sin (Matt. 19:3-9), but where is the divorced persons’ lobby trying to get laws passed in their favor?
Homosexuality is a moral issue, but when homosexuals lobby lawmakers to pass legislation that would allow them to marry and have rights equal to those of a husband and wife, THEY have made it a political issue.
Recently, Rep. Barney Frank from Massachusetts (home of the nation’s least responsible voters) and his homosexual lover of more than a decade split up. Frank’s male lover “was the first partner of an openly gay member of Congress to receive spousal access privileges through the Capitol, although the decision was controversial” (The Dallas Morning News, 2A, July 5, 1998). Mr. Piazza, the agenda of homosexuals is known to all; you are not fooling anyone.