The Fort Worth Star Telegram ran a nice piece today on the conflict in Episcopal circles over the ordination of homosexual priests. The story was by Tim Madigan. He used the contrast between local bishop Jack Iker, a conservative, and Gene Robinson, who is about to be ordained in New Hampshire. Iker, of course, opposes the ordination, citing 2000 years of church history and the Bible. Robinson cites nothing except his emotions.

Anyone who has looked at the issue knows the Bible lands rather hard on homosexuality. Paul wrote "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For the exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason, God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire towards one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. See Romans 1:24-27 and it goes on further.

The church in general has held to this view, as Iker says, for about 2000 years without serious question. Only as the homosexual movement has gained steam in the U.S. in the last few decades has this become debatable.

Robinson originally married and had two daughters. He divorced and left his family to live the homosexual life. He eventually moved in with another man.

Robinson is quoted as saying: I don't believe in a God who would give us the gift of sexuality, then tell an entire class of people not to utilize or benefit from that.

The problem is, if God is God, Robinson does not get to define him in Robinson's image. If he does not believe in God, he should not be a minister. For what we have as God's word plainly says God does not approve of homosexuality. The God Robinson believes in is not in the Bible.