A new documentary called 1946: the bad translation that changed culture claims that the mistranslation of a word in the 1946 Revised Standard Version of the Bible led to the rampant “homophobia” that now infects the Church. In the film, a biblical scholar and author claim that a Greek word finds in 1 Corinthians 6:9 should not have been translated as “homosexuality”.
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Make no mistake: neither the fornicators, nor the idolaters, nor the adulterers, nor those who practice homosexuality… will inherit the kingdom of God.
The film claims that the word translated as “homosexuality” is a compound Greek word that combines the concept of an effeminate man with a man sharing a bed with another man. Although this sounds exactly like the definition of “homosexuality”, film scholars assure viewers that “historical context” is missed, and Paul was condemning sexual predation and pederasty rather than homosexuality. This claim is not new, nor is the film “revolutionary,” as some have claimed.
The normalization of homosexuality has long involved efforts to reconcile this behavior with biblical morality. These efforts took various forms, such as appealing to the “truly loving God” who “would never demand” that people give up their desires; or claim a moral trajectory toward the Bible so that prohibitions against homosexuality no longer apply. Of course, some simply dismiss the Bible as no longer relevant to our lives, while others employ this strategy of claiming that the Scriptures have been mistranslated.
What is clear from the frequency with which these arguments surface, the speed with which they are adopted, and the passion with which they are defended is that many people, in reality, Really I wish the Bible said something different about homosexuality. It is also clear how unprepared many Christians are to respond to the latest reincarnation of any of these arguments, even when they are demonstrably false or, well, silly. Although it can be difficult to remain confident in our beliefs as the truth becomes more and more unpopular, shaken confidence usually leads to either embarrassed silence or strong anger. Either way, it leaves those who need the truth without the truth.
This documentary is the latest example of arguments being pulled out of thin air for LGBTQ affirmation and then treating those arguments as legitimate. The trend started about 10 years ago, when Matthew Vines gave a speech in a Kansas church that went viral. Citing his personal struggles with same-sex attraction, Vines claimed that the Bible does not prohibit homosexual activity, because it I could not. If that were the case, he said, it would be too painful for homosexuals, and that pain would be the “bad fruit” that Scripture warns us about.
Despite a 2,000-year history of Christian belief, tradition, and contrary exegesis, many found Vines’ claims compelling, a fact that said far more about the sad state of Christian discipleship than about his theology. Of course, distorting Scripture to justify beliefs or behaviors is nothing new. At no time until now has anyone attempted to claim that the Bible does anything other than condemn homosexual acts, a historical fact that contradicts the documentary’s assertion that Christian morality on this point only dates back several decades.
At the same time, this historical consistency reveals just how serious the problem is when Christians find these new claims so compelling. With few exceptions, the questions and complexities of Christian theology have been explored and resolved in depth. Most of the challenges posed to Christian belief and morality by cynics and skeptics have been resolved. However, there is a considerable gap between existing answers and those known to Christians. The result is that even absurd claims, like the one made in this new documentary, confirm the beliefs of those who are already convinced and convince those who should know but don’t.
In fact, the strangest claim in this new documentary isn’t even the allegation of poor translation. This is the claim that Christian opposition to homosexuality began in 1946. Of course, the opposite is true. Despite all the theological disputes on all kinds of subjects between various Christian groups throughout the history of the Church, it is only in recent days and only in a very limited part of the Western world that anyone has put questions the fact that the Bible rejects homosexuality.
Christians believe that God has revealed himself in the world he created and in his Word. On this issue, the two are clearly telling the same story. In fact, they are The same story. Christians who know this will not be.”tossed back and forth» by all the winds of false doctrine or by the idiotic assertions of a documentary.
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