Interpreting the Bible on homosexuality

The latest noise in the ongoing Anglican-Episcopalian debate on homosexuality prompted an article in the Chicago Tribune about what the Bible says on the issue and how the Bible should be read. "We don't worship the Bible, we worship Jesus Christ," says Rev. William Persell, Chicago's outgoing Episcopal bishop. The Bible is a core document and if we find internal disagreements or if we disagree with Paul or Leviticus we need to come back to Jesus for a conversation about those passages, says Liz Stedman, a lesbian pastor. While the body of the article counters some of the passages, it ends with a bare listing of the problematic 7 verses. Alas, it doesn't offer alternative definitions of many of them. For the record:

Genesis 2:21-25: Saying that male and female is needed to create life and straight marriage is the norm for 95% of the population says nothing about the morality of gay relations practiced by maybe 5% of the population.

Sodom and Gomorrah: Elsewhere in the bible the crime is said to be inhospitality to strangers, not amoral sex.

Leviticus: The people who trumpet this one don't follow anything else in Leviticus and can't say why this is the only one that must be followed. Besides, Jesus says salvation is through him, not the law.

Romans 1:26-28: The quote is missing the leading "Therefore" which means much of this perversion is a result of disobeying God. It does not say loving same-gender couples are automatically perverted.

Corinthians 6:9: "Homosexual offenders" is a mis-translation of a Greek word whose true meaning is unknown.

Timothy 1:10: Huh? Doesn't even mention gays, unless we are lumped under "perverts" and that cannot be assumed. Another case of bad translation.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-scripture_thinknov18,0,6677080.story

Details of my rebuttal at:

http://www.soulforce.org/pdf/whatthebiblesays.pdf