Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Should Christians Quote the Old Testament to Oppose Gay Marriage?


In response to an earlier post asking if gay marriage is an economic issue, a former student sent me a link to the clip from an episode of The West Wing in which the President responds to a radio host who quotes the Old Testament to denounce homosexuality as an abomination.

A Wikipedia episode description says:
In its second season episode "The Midterms", President Bartlet admonishes fictional radio host Dr. Jenna Jacobs for her views regarding homosexuality at a private gathering at the White House. Dr. Jacobs is a caricature of radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger, who strongly disapproves of homosexuality. Many of the president's biblical references in his comments to Dr. Jacobs appear to have come from an open letter to Dr. Schlessinger, circulated online in early May 2000.

Is it fair and reasonable for Christians to cite parts of the Old Testament as justification for beliefs while ignoring other parts? Do the messages of love, compassion, and forgiveness in the New Testament contradict the vengefulness of the Old Testament?

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