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Foundationalism
A form of philosophy or theology that affirms certain basic presuppositions as the foundation to systems of knowledge and belief. Examples of assumed foundational principles would be the Law of Non-contradiction or the Law of the Excluded Middle. These assumed truths, according to foundationalists, give epistemic justification to other truths. Most people throughout history have [...] continue reading
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There was a time when I had a firm opinion about this, but what I have come to realise is that it was only an opinion. I used to share the idea that homosexuality is a sin, and I based my opinion upon what I was reading in the scriptures. I have since taken a course of education on Biblical studies and this has radically altered my outlook on many things.
It is important to understand certain things when reading the Bible, such as the historical context; each document is conditioned by the language, time, and culture in which it was originally written. The Bible, it has been correctly said, is the word of God given in human words in history. It has an eternal relevance, in that it speaks to all humankind in every age and every culture, and it is crucial that the historical particularity is taken into consideration when making interpretations.
The eternal relevance is not going to necessarily be the same message for today as it was when it was originally given. In speaking through real persons, in a variety of circumstances, over an extended period of time, God’s word was expressed in the vocabulary and thought patterns of those persons and conditioned by the culture of those times and circumstances.
I do not pretend to understand everything about homosexuality but I have to say that if two people are in a loving relationship with each other then I have to recognise the humanity of their circumstances and be ready as a Christian to offer love and compassion. And this level of understanding and faith-based compassion cannot be extended in an atmosphere of condemnation and judgement.
I’ll give Joel this much: at least he was unequivocal in naming homosexuality a sin.
Yet, it’s still sad to see him wiggling around the whole ‘judgmentalism’ thing. Osteen should fess up to the fact that God is judge of all people, and God has revealed his judgments in the Scriptures.
Is it ‘we’ who judge? Not necessarily: it’s the Word of God that judges the heart, and if men get angry at this, their problem is with God, not with us.
Osteen is a gentle enough man. If he were to repent of his half-truths and begin preaching the entire counsel of Scripture (instead of just the nice parts), then we might just start taking what he says seriously. Until then…he’s another half-truth telling snake oil salesman.
Joel Osteen is ill equipped to properly communicate and defend the Christian worldview on any level other than a Romans road approach. It truly disturbs me that people like this represent me on the national level.
To me, Joel Osteen does his thing of encouraging people. Like a Robert Schuller type. I’m sure he has no desire to have to give an opinion on homosexuality. But he’s forced to sometimes, because he’s saddled with these ancient texts that some people consider an authority from God.
He probably doesn’t care much one way or the other about homosexuality, but he can’t come right out and disagree with the Bible, cause he works as a preacher.
So he’s got this tightrope to walk. And of course what he’s saying in the interview makes no sense and doesn’t match up. Why? Because he’s trying not to offend anybody. Kinda like politicians. You’ve got to be bland and wishy-washy and very careful to not offend a big group of people.
So, does it make me feel good to listen to him once in awhile? Sorta. Although I don’t believe half of what he’s saying. I guess he’s trying to encourage people, and that makes him likable, even if he’s not making any sense.
I give credit to Joel Osteen for declaring that the Scriptures say that same-sex behavior is sin.
He also came off better than Piers Morgan.
@Truth Unites, I agree.