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Harry Potter and the Secrets of Dumbledore
If you’ve been keeping up with all things Harry lately, you undoubtedly heard the ‘news’ that the beloved by millions wizard Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is in fact gay. The announcement came from the mouth of the author herself, when she answered a planted question from a fan about whether or not Dumbledore ever finds ‘true love’. Rowling replied that Dumbledore is gay and in love with a rival wizard named Gellert Grindelwald.
I think my response to that question might have been something like- "no, he didn’t find true love, because- y’know, he’s DEAD!"
(oops, maybe I should have put something about a spoiler warning there- sorry- mea culpa)
According to news reports, the audience at Carnegie Hall both gasped and applauded at this revelation. You might say there was a rainbow of responses- not only from them, but across the ‘net and beyond. Everything from ‘go gay pride!’ to ‘Rowling and her evil agenda’ has been declared and discussed so much you almost wish you could wave a magic wand and make it all go away.
But evidently it isn’t, at least not the subject of homosexuality anyway. There are gay/lesbian clubs in schools, scientists searching for the ‘gay gene’, and the word ‘homophobe’ has worked its way into common use. This is why Christians need to approach this ‘in your face’ cultural component with a perfect balance of love and truth.
How? Well I certainly wouldn’t claim to have all the answers, but I know a Book that actually does. So rather than passing judgment and making decisions on our own about how believers in Jesus Christ should approach the subject of homosexuality, let’s make sure we get the facts from the right place:
Fact #1- Homosexual behavior runs contrary to God’s design for sexuality, and is therefore a sin.
Did I just claim that the temptation to engage in homosexual behavior is a sin? Nope. Have I characterized homosexual behavior as a ‘worse’ sin than say, premarital sex or adultery? Nope and nope again. And why not? Because the Bible doesn’t do that either. See if you agree:
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders (1 Corinthians 6:9)
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and *perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7)
That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires
If you’ve been keeping up with all things Harry lately, you undoubtedly heard the ‘news’ that the beloved by millions wizard Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is in fact gay.Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. (Romans 1:26-27)
Notice that all these passages from the Bible reference homosexual behavior as something that keeps people from inheriting the Kingdom of God, is also something that draws God’s judgment, and is ultimately a result of God abandoning people to their own evil desires. I don’t know about you, but it kinda tough to take these passages seriously and maintain that homosexual behavior is ‘normal’ and ‘acceptable’.
At the same time, though, these passages list homosexual behavior on the same starting lineup of sins as any other kind of sexual activity that is outside of God’s design- which leads to fact #2:
Fact #2- God’s design for sexuality comes from His desire for us to enjoy life.
Maybe somewhere along the line you were told that God doesn’t want anyone to sin because he’s a cosmic kill joy and he doesn’t want anyone to enjoy life. The truth is actually the opposite. The universe is set up with rules that are set to keep us from messing up our lives. So rather than God’s laws being seen as ‘don’t play on the swing set’, it should be more like’ hot stove- do not touch!’
The good news is that since God invented sex in the first place, He included an amazing plan for it. It is the most powerful connection known to humanity, which is why it’s reserved for a man and woman in the permanent relationship called marriage. The fire that fuels the passion between a married couple is the same fire that damages and destroys people who ignite it outside of marriage or with a person of the same gender.
So God’s commands against homosexual behavior and all other sexual immorality flow out of a Parent’s desire for His kids to not get hurt. And should you doubt that sinful sexual acts hurt people, you’re either in denial or you are giving more credit to the media than the words of God.
So the next time we get a breaking news story about some fictional character who is officially ‘ousted’, remember that believers need to do more than just gasp or applaud. Get your Bibles off the shelf or out of the closet and be prepared to speak the truth in love through the power of the Holy Spirit…because there’s no magic trick to doing that!
*note- the word for ‘perversion’ here is literally ‘strange flesh’- which most Bible scholars interpret as homosexual activity
It's hard to take an article like this seriously when the fictional character in question's name is spelled incorrectly in the very first line and neither the author nor the editor caught it before publishing to the web. Also, I think going to our Bibles for the answers to the questions that arise as HP fans or HP foes involves more than looking to those passages which mention homosexuality. If we are to approach this in perfect balance of truth and love, then where's the love? The truth is that, yes, the Bible describes the sin of homosexuality, and as the author of the article points out it is part of a long list of sins. Thankfully, we can find love in our Bibles amidst the truth. God does not turn away from us because of our human actions, but rather our human actions are our choosing to turn away from God. And whether our earthly cultures choose to encourage or reproach our myriad sins, it is the Son of God who will be the judge. The truth is that Jesus is not as fluffy and nice as we make him out to be a lot of the time. The truth is that Jesus did not come to ignore the laws of Moses, but to fulfill them. And the truth is that Jesus says, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone..." and despite being sinless, not even He condemns the adulterous woman. The love of Jesus's death and resurrection, the grace of God that comes out of the truth we find in the Bible is that thankfully we do not have the burden of judging others (because isn't living a life devoted to Jesus's teachings quite the responsibility to start with?), that in Christ we have new life, that no matter how many times we turn our backs to God or in what way we turn our backs we can turn around and see Jesus standing there ready to say, "Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."
Elizabeth 1:11:02pm on 11/08/2007
OffensiveChastity as well runs contrary to God’s design for sexuality.
Creon 11:11:06pm on 11/07/2007
Offensive
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