Because membership in a church is an outgrowth of accepting the Lordship and leadership of Jesus in one’s life, someone unwilling to repent of their homosexual lifestyle would not be accepted at a member at Saddleback Church.
-- From the Saddleback website.
And from the same passage, there's this:
I've heard it asked, "Isn't being homosexual something that a person is physically born with?" First of all, there are absolutely no facts to support this claim. From time to time studies have been reported in the news that seemed to indicate this, but every one of these studies has proven to be wrong. Secondly, even if some physical difference were discovered, it would be no excuse for sin. We know that some people can develop a stronger physical addiction to alcohol than others, but that's obviously no excuse for living an alcoholic lifestyle.
So Rick Warren agrees with Pat Buchanan who once said, "[H]omosexuality is an affliction, like alcoholism." I don't remember clarion calls to accept and embrace Buchanan (or Santorum) when he repeated such nonsense.
Furthermore, Warren is suggesting that genetics is irrelevant. So by the same reasoning, all of the terrible quotes in the Bible about genetic females -- those verses are perfectly acceptable, too. More after the jump...
"And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire." (Leviticus 21:9)
"When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets: then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her." (Deuteronomy 25:11-12)
"For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man." (I Corinthians 11:8-9)
"Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." (I Timothy 2:11-14)
"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." (I Corinthians 14:34-35)
"A shameless woman shall be counted as a dog; but she that is shamefaced will fear the Lord." (Eccles.26:25)
Biologically, you're all guilty, ladies.Anyone is at liberty to believe this, of course, and I will vigorously defend their right to do so as long as it doesn't interfere with liberty. I'm not arguing against religion or evangelicalism here. That's a broader debate for another day. I'm arguing that aggrandizing these views on the inaugural dais is highly offensive to significantly large groups of people. I would be equally as vehement if these views grew from secular justifications.