After working with people who have legitimately wrestled with each of these two issues I have some thoughts pertaining to the two. This seems totally random as an entry and post to make, but the two have been stewing in my soul for quite some time and its time for them to come out.
First, I’m not the best gatherer of philosophical, psychological and scientific data. Although I have read extensively on these issues my thoughts don’t stem from the data I’ve read as much as my observation and assimilation of the conclusions advocates of each position posit. Here are some of my observations of society at large’s basic thoughts / beliefs on each subject:
Evolution: matter is eternal, matter came together by chance, matter evolved to its current form, natural selection randomly chooses the strongest to survive and eliminates the weakest, the universe is not getting older (its eternal) it’s just expanding and evolving, nothing has intrinsic meaning because it is rather its meaning is found in its ability to survive and be on top of the food chain, the actual evidence and inability to observe any tangible current macro evolution does not matter just blindly holding on to a naturalistic worldview in spite of the growing fascination with the non-natural
Homosexuality: homosexuality is normal and should not be suppressed, sexuality is a root of identity, affections are what they are and they are real, society forces the hiding of one’s sexual identity, Christians have done a poor job at addressing the issue, society in general has done a poor job at addressing the issue, people have been abused who claim a different sexuality other than heterosexuality (not all, but some), there is really not much information gathered by society at large to help us understand the connection between broken homes, poor fathers, poor mothers and the essential nature of man and one’s sexual identity, the Christian worldview of sexuality is repressive to one’s identity in limiting one’s expression of their sexuality
UNDERSTAND these observations are not all of my observations but some of them. Also UNDERSTAND that because I have observed some things does not mean I agree with them, just that I have observed them. UNDERSTAND this is not a full treatment of the ideas, just quick “bloggy” type observation to put the ideas in the public square.
First, I’ve noted that some people have compartmentalized these two issues and never allowed the implications of each to cross borders. Note that this is not the place to wax eloquent on why and how neat compartments for our ideas can’t exist with no implications on each other, but that is a fact. We can’t have ideas that contradict other ideas and cancel them out and hold on to them as separate truths or truth claims.
Having said that, if one believes the basic claims of evolutionary theory and the basic claims homosexuality as normal behavior and have never wrestled with those implications they are failing to be objective. If one does not want to do just that in a short and not fully adequate format, stop reading now.
Second, full-blown truth claims are spewed as fact without any invitation to critique them. Often these truth claims are emotive reflections not real observations. When these emotions disguised as facts are critiqued its creates a fire storm against the poor soul simply trying to understand the connection and implications, and the person is branded as “intolerant”. That’s just stupid.
Third, our society uses the same vocabulary but uses completely different dictionaries. Same language but different meanings. If we use the word “tolerance” at large that has come to mean “agree and don’t have an opposite view”. I understand the word “tolerance” to mean “we may not agree but we don’t shoot each other and actually remain civil toward one another and can actually still care about one another though we don’t agree”. Somehow we’ve lost that. Deconstruction is to blame for that, but that is another topic for another day. No Christian worthy their salt can hold a deconstructionist philosophy on language and words and maintain their Christianity. But I digress.
Fourth, if one dares to offer the implications of one’s ideas that person is branded.
Now, down to brass tacks. Let’s just lay the cards on the table. I have a desire to make disciples of all nations in the name of Jesus. My intentions are clear. Therefore, I intend to propagate a Christian worldview. That does not mean I don’t love people. I love everyone. I don’t count myself as having any enemies though some count me their enemy because I disagree with them. I want to rescue people from ideas that hold them captive and will destroy them, so I want to lay implications on the table and wrestle with them in hopes people will be rescued.
Big implication of evolution and homosexuality: if one holds to both of these ideas as true then they must admit that natural selection has chosen the homosexual for extinction because they have an inferior affection that leads to the inability to reproduce.
Lenin / Marx / Stalin etc. got this. That is why they latched on to Darwin’s theory of evolution. It provided a biological metanarrative for their sociological revolution, and they used it to justify the execution of anyone they considered sociologically inferior in the dialectic clash of thesis and antithesis to create the synthesis of the highest evolved order.
So, don’t ignorantly espouse evolution unless you are willing to embrace it for real. Don’t ignorantly embrace homosexuality’s claims unless you are willing to embrace it’s implications for real. Don’t embrace them separately in neat and separate boxes without crossing over the implications unless you want to be part of the masses taken captive by a hollow philosophy. Don’t buy the emotive sound bites that play on emotions rather than facts. Think people. Think. Observe. Think.
If these thoughts anger you, then good. Maybe that anger will lead to more inquiry. If you find you agree, then good. Don’t be arrogant, rather love enough to put the thoughts in the public square and see what Holy Spirit does with it.
Theology in the Dirt 