Soul Force Talking Points vs. Christian Marriage and Biblical Authority

Journalists are following a gay advocacy script in composing the news articles about the battles over biblical authority and maintaining the traditional definition of marriage. Below are are the 8 Messaging Points from the Soulforce website.

1. Most people have not carefully and prayerfully researched the Biblical texts used by some people to condemn God's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender children.

2. Historically, people's misinterpretation of the Bible has left a trail of suffering, bloodshed, and death.

3. We should be open to new truth from Scripture. Even heroes of the Christian faith have changed their minds about the meaning of various Biblical texts.

4. The Bible is a book about God. The Bible is not a book about human sexuality.

5. We miss what these passages say about God when we spend so much time debating what they say about sex.

6. The Biblical authors are silent about homosexual orientation as we know it today. They neither approve it nor condemn it.

7. The prophets, Jesus, and the Biblical authors say nothing about homosexual orientation as we understand it today. But, they are clear about this one thing. As we search for truth, we are to "Love one another."

8. Whatever some people believe the Bible seems to say about homosexuality, they must not use that belief to deny homosexuals their basic civil rights. To discriminate against sexual or gender minorities is unjust and un-American.

This week, reading the news articles about the same sex marriages in California, I did notice that some seemed to follow a story line. Then I noticed that even the articles about the Anglican Communion seemed to fit the pattern.

Now I see that it is based on the first three of these talking points with another I would add. I've also added in certain language in italics that I've noticed:

1. Biblical scholars say that the Bible's handful of passages on homosexual behavior don't mean what many Christians think they mean.

2. Conservative Christians are picking and choosing the texts, ignoring others. This is used to support 1. and also used to retort when Progressives are accused of ignoring texts.

3. Interpreting the Bible passages on homosexual behavior the way conservatives do results in the death penalty for homosexuals.

4. Biblical scholars say that we should be open to new interpretations from Scripture.

I would like to have brief responses to each of these messages and also to have the messaging points for defender of traditional marriage.