Al Mohler on Gay Babies | Part 2

In a new article, Was it Something I Said? Continuing to Think About Homosexuality, a rather frustrated Al Mohler responds to all the discussion that has erupted from his first article, Is Your Baby Gay? What If You Could Know? What If You Could Do Something About It? He hopes this second article will clear up the widespread misunderstandings from his first.

I must admit much frustration about the way many in the media have handled the issue. Headlines proclaimed “Seminary President Says Babies Born Gay”—something I neither believe nor said. Other articles and reports claimed that I suggested that homosexuality may be genetic in origin and that genetic therapies should be used to create customized and corrected babies. I never even mentioned genetic therapies or germ-line experiments, and I am adamantly opposed to genetic therapies of such a sort—real or hypothetical. Reading these reports and headlines was a painful and exasperating experience. If I believed those things attributed to me, I would not agree with myself and would condemn myself.

Here are ten big points he makes.

1. Let’s get this straight—God’s condemnation of sin is not determined by science, but by God’s Word. The Bible could not be more clear—all forms of homosexual behavior are expressly condemned as sin. . . .
2. There is no conclusive research that indicates any biological basis for sexual orientation. But—and this is a big “if” here—if science were ever to discover a correlation or causation with biological factors, Christians should not be surprised. We believe in the catastrophic and comprehensive effects of the Fall and God’s judgment upon sin.
3. Such a discovery, if it were to be accepted, would not change God’s condemnation of all forms of homosexual behavior, nor would it mean that this represents the inviolable “identity” of any individual. . . .
4. Some Christians seem absolutely convinced that there is no such thing as sexual orientation. There is a point to be made here. No “orientation” can alter the sinful status of sinful acts. Some have written me to say that there is no such reality as a homosexual, only those who perform homosexual acts. This flies in the face of the Bible. . . .
5. Research into the human genome and the possibility of germ-line therapies raises all kinds of moral concerns, ranging from the creation of designer babies to the redefinition of humanity. In one article, I was said to advocate genetic therapies. I never said that, and I resolutely oppose such proposals. . . .
6. Caring Christians will be aware of the fact that many persons who struggle with homosexuality—males and females—testify as Christian believers or as those troubled in conscience that they simply have no idea where same-sex desire originated in their lives. They do know that they did not choose this pattern of attraction. Again, that does not reduce their moral responsibility in any way or to any degree. But caring Christians, fully committed to the sole authority of the Bible, must want to help persons to understand and deal with this specific temptation to sin.
7. The causes of same-sex attraction are likely to be very complex. The research of Joseph Nicolosi and others points to specific social and environmental factors as a prime cause. Boys who do not identify themselves with Dad by age two are clearly at risk. Dr. James Dobson addresses many of these factors in his book, Bringing Up Boys. Given the devastating impact of the Fall, we should not be shaken to our foundations if other causative factors are found. . . .
8. Let’s remember that all of us are born with a huge moral defect — we are sinners from the start. Christians who have responded with claims that God would not allow a person to be born with a bent toward sin miss the clear biblical teaching that all of us are born with a bent toward sin and with a sin nature. We are born marked by Adam’s sin and already under God’s just condemnation for that sin.
9. The only cure for sin itself is the cross of Christ. No therapy will cleanse us of sin, no treatment will atone. Only the shed blood of Jesus Christ will save, and salvation is found in Him alone.
10. Thanks are due to all who wrote or contacted me about these issues. That is not an easy thing to write, given the caustic tone of many communications and the fact that so many did not even bother to read my article. Nevertheless, I learned from your responses, and I am sure that God intended them for my good. . . .

The article is definitely worth a read.

See our previous post about Mohler’s first article.

Here’s some additional coverage:

• Furor Over Baptist’s Gay-Baby Article | ABC News
• Al Mohler takes the heat | WorldMagBlog
• Mohler weighs in again on gays, genes, etc. | DallasNews Religion
• Top Baptist draws fire over comments on homosexuality | Bible Belt Blogger
• An Evangelical’s Concession on Gays | TIME
• Gay fetuses possible, Mohler says | Louisville’s Courier-Journal
• ‘Gay baby’ article irks both sides | Chicago Tribune
• Whatever Happened to Sin? | Christian Worldview Network

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Al Mohler on Gay Babies

A couple weeks ago Al Mohler wrote a blog post entitled, “Is Your Baby Gay? What If You Could Know? What If You Could Do Something About It?” These ten points summarize its essence.

1. There is, as of now, no incontrovertible or widely accepted proof that any biological basis for sexual orientation exists.
2. Nevertheless, the direction of the research points in this direction.
3. Given the consequences of the Fall and the effects of human sin, we should not be surprised that such a causation or link is found.
4. The biblical condemnation of all homosexual behaviors would not be compromised or mitigated in the least by such a discovery.
5. The discovery of a biological basis for homosexuality would be of great pastoral significance, allowing for a greater understanding of why certain persons struggle with these particular sexual temptations.
6. The biblical basis for establishing the dignity of all persons—the fact that all humans are made in God’s image—reminds us that this means all persons, including those who may be marked by a predisposition toward homosexuality.
7. Thus, we will gladly contend for the right to life of all persons, born and unborn, whatever their sexual orientation.
8. If a biological basis is found, and if a prenatal test is then developed, and if a successful treatment to reverse the sexual orientation to heterosexual is ever developed, we would support its use as we should unapologetically support the use of any appropriate means to avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin.
9. We must stop confusing the issues of moral responsibility and moral choice. We are all responsible for our sexual orientation, but that does not mean that we freely and consciously choose that orientation.
10. Christians must be very careful not to claim that science can never prove a biological basis for sexual orientation.

These remarks have caused quite the stir from conservative Christians and the gay community.

Read more from The Christian Post: Furor Over Baptist’s Gay-Baby Article.

Here are a couple blog responses:

• Dr. Mohler: Homosexuals Don’t Choose Their Orientation by Jennifer Epstein
• Al Mohler and Gay Babies by Scott Aniol
  

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