Gay Pastor's(xupc)recent Letter to the UPCI ! ! !

Originally Posted by Chan

Answer some questions for me:

1. Do you acknowledge that God created male and female?

I acknowledge that...
"God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." [Genesis 1:27]

"God said, it is not good that man should be alone; i will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field...and brought them to Adam...but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him." [Genesis 2:18-20]

Because no help meet was found from the beast of the field that "the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept...the Lord god had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man." [Genesis 2:21-22].

Originally Posted by chan

2. Do you acknowledge that opposite-sex marriage (the covenant relationship, not some ceremony), by which I mean opposite-sex mating (which includes the sexual/romantic relationship, not merely procreation), is God's created design for male and female?

I acknowledge that...
A covenant relationship between male and female is acceptable in God's sight but I do not believe He divinely designed it as the only possible covenant relationship.

"Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul." [I Samuel 18:3]

"Saul said to David, thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain (twice)...And Saul gave him (David) Michal his daughter to wife." [I Samuel 18:20,21]

"Jonathan made a covenant with the house of Daivd...because he loved hiim: for he loved him as he loved his own soul." [I Samuel 20:16,17]

David said of Jonathan, "thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women." [II Samuel 1:26]

Originally Posted by chan

3. Do you acknowledge that when God created male and female (referring to the first two humans), He did not create them with homosexual attraction (orientation)?

I cannot say with certainty what the orientation of Adam and Eve were but I would agree that they were attracted to each other which would indicate their orientation was heterosexual in nature.

Originally Posted by chan

4. Do you acknowledge that homosexual attraction did not exist in the Garden of Eden and, therefore, that it came to exist subsequent to Adam's sin?

I think I would be comfortable acknowledging this to be true. I would point out, however, that many things that did not exist prior to Adam's fall and that those things are not sinful because they are the result of his fall.

Originally Posted by chan

4. Do you acknowledge that Jesus equated the lustful thought with adultery?

I acknowledge that...
Matthew's account of Christ's teachings suggests that if a man looks at a woman with lust in his heart then he has comitted adultery (Matt 5:28).

"When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." (James 1:15)

Originally Posted by chan

5. Do you acknowledge that all sexual activity (including the thoughts) outside of opposite-sex marriage is fornication and, therefore, sin?

I acknowledge that...

Fornication, as defined by Strong's (NT:4202), means: as harlotry (including adultery and incest); and figuratively as idolatry.