READERS RESPOND

AT ISSUE: Readers disagree with Dr. Gary Barmore’s letter regarding gay

clubs on campus (“Acceptance of others is a Christian way,” Dec. 18).

There is much in this letter that is true to my understanding of the

Gospels: Jesus’ love for the outcast, his challenge to the sinful nature

of all hearts.

However, the writer’s interpretation of what the Apostle Paul said about

homosexuality is just not correct. It is important to take what is said

about the Bible and compare it with the words of the Bible. I’d invite us

all to study I Corinthians, Chapter 6 and Romans 1:8-32 and ponder what

Paul wrote. We should also study these scriptures in the context of the

whole Bible (a lifetime effort).

Gay activists have pushed the issue of homosexuality into the public

forum and thoughtful Christians now need to address the subject in order

to arrive at a biblically true response. I don’t agree that this is

“homophobic.” It is exercising Christian responsibility in the world.

LINDA MAGSTADT

Newport Beach

I have some serious problems with Dr. Gary Barmore’s letter. Our

Christian belief is not based on tolerance or accepting others -- it’s

based on loving others, and encouraging them into a relationship with

Jesus Christ as savior. Has Dr. Barmore read from I Corinthians 6, or

Romans 1 lately?

Those who joined Jesus in community repented of their sins and their

hearts were changed. God created Adam and Eve as man and wife. That

sounds like a heterosexual union to me. How does Dr. Barmore know that

“others were created naturally homosexual?”

There are some absolutes in the Christian faith.

JEFF MUMMA

Huntington Beach

At the risk of being labeled an “intolerant Christian fundamentalist,” I

feel I need to provide a different Christian perspective than that of Dr.

Gary Barmore.

Some people seem to feel that if you do not accept others’ behavior, you

are not modeling Jesus’ example of love. In contrast, however, I look at

Jesus’ handling of the situation with the adulterous woman about to be

stoned by the crowd (John 8:3-11). First he shows her love and kindness

by protecting her from the crowd, but he then tells her to “Go now and

leave your life of sin.” Is he simply being intolerant of a lifestyle

choice different than his own?

Dr. Barmore states that “The Apostle Paul simply asks that people not

exercise sexuality other than what is ‘natural’ for them.”

Unfortunately, Dr. Barmore does not provide us a specific reference, but

that would be a most unusual interpretation of Paul’s letters to the

churches in Rome and Corinth (Romans 1:26-27 and I Corinthians 6:9). The

Apostle Paul clearly speaks against homosexuality in both cases.

Like Dr. Barmore, I realize that many issues arising from intolerance

become flash points for hatred. No one should condone violence or acts of

hatred against another. But I also feel that it is a Christian’s

responsibility to take a stand against wrong, and not to try to interpret

scripture through the filter of today’s society. When a group is trying

to promote an agenda clearly contradictory to that stated in scripture,

Christians are being obedient, not intolerant, in standing up for what is

right.

ROBERT SNYDER

Costa Mesa