Matthew chapter 19 verses 4 to 6.

Haven't you read, he replied, that at the beginning, the Creator made them male and female,

and said, for this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,

and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God is joined together, let no one separate.

This is the word of the Lord.

What does this church believe about homosexuality?

I've been in pastoral ministry for 17 years now.

For 12 of those years, I've served in the role of lead pastor,

which, among other things, has put me in the position of speaking on behalf of the church

in a number of both formal and informal

settings. Speaking for how we, in this particular church community, interpret the ancient

collection of 66 biblical scrolls and bring them to life here and now a couple centuries

after the life of Jesus who came to fulfill them.

And there are plenty of questions that someone might have about that.

Biblical interpretation or the Bible itself, even for the lazy readers, should prompt a lot of questions.

And yet there is one question that I've been asked more than any other, and there is not a close second,

what does this church believe about homosexuality? And even though I've done it 100 times,

I feel a whole lot of tension whenever responding to that question, tension that hasn't gone

away, and I hope never does. I don't feel tension because I am

unsure of the biblical teaching or uncomfortable with the theology. I believe that scripture

tells a clear, coherent, and profoundly good story. One man and one woman in a marriage covenant

as one of just many iconic images in the world of God's Genesis design and

...