Abstract
This article deals with the issue of sexual minorities, which is currently one of the most pressing issues among Korean protestant churches. For Christians, the scripture is a touchstone for faith and practice, and the extreme anti-homosexual stance of current Korean protestant churches is based on several anti-homosexual texts in the Bible. To begin, this article clarifies the hermeneutical principles that need to be considered when dealing with the problems of sexual minorities in terms of the Bible. It then goes further, providing a critical exegesis of the specific biblical texts that have provided the basis for justifying the widespread homophobia in protestant churches in Korea.<BR> This study’s exegetical work starts with critical analyses and reinterpretations of the anti-homosexual texts in the Old and New Testaments. Then, it tries to provide common and healthy understandings of sexual minorities today for Christians, based on the interpretation of the creation stories in Genesis 1 and 2. In the Bible, no text that refers to sexual orientation as such, for instance, LGBT, could be found. Instead, the study found several texts that only seem to prohibit same-sex sexual intercourse. Among them, none were attributed to Jesus, leaving about 10 phrases that are frequently cited by Korean churches to justify their anti-homosexual stance (Gen. 1:27-28; 2:18-25; 19:1-29; Levi. 18:20-23; Judg. 19:1-30; Deut. 23:17; 1 Kings 14:24; 15:12; 22:45; 2 Kings 23:7; Rome. 1:18-32; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Eph. 5:33; Jude 5-7), regardless of whether those texts really deal with homosexuality as such. In particular, the Sodom and Gomorrah story and the sacred code in the book of Leviticus are dealt with among the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Paul’s mentions of homosexual behaviors in the letters to the Romans and Corinthians are examined. Finally, the study tries to apply radical inclusivism appearing in Galatians 3:28 to LGBT people today.
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