Stop. At first this statement seems SHOCKING but it should not be in today's society.
The STR blog astutely pointed out that this is no surprise after the shift of language used to refer to homosexuality as an innate orientation rather than a choice, preference, or even predisposition. Once we've started down the slippery slope of equating homosexuality with identity we must also grant that those who struggle with sexual perversions (and by that word I simply mean a deviation from God's intended norm) such as pedophilia are also simply following their innate genetic identity and cannot be punished or "discriminated against" for doing so.
There are three thoughts I'd like to give on these developments regarding their relationship to God, the Bible, and Christianity...
1. This line of thought originates in evolutionary theory - a la Charles Darwin
Evolutionary theory suggests we are nothing but products of our genetic make-up and therefore a survival of the fittest worldview makes sense. However we see the fallacy in such a view when we see the ridiculous conclusions evolutionists are forced to come to to remain consistent with their position.
Evolutionists first affirm we are products of our genetic make-up. Therefore homosexual behavior cannot be frowned upon or condemned in any way because it is simply a response to the way someone was born. Therefore it would logically follow that an adult who is sexually attracted to young children should also not be punished or condemned because such behavior is simply a following of his/her genetic make-up.
The logical conclusion of this line of thinking (and all evolutionary theory) is that there are no moral absolutes. Any horrible act of sin can be rationalized, justified, and explained away because in the end human beings just act as they are genetically programmed to act.
2. Homosexuality was once as shocking and abnormal to society as pedophilia is today
While genocide (The Holocaust), infanticide (abortion), and racism all prove that history cannot prove morality, this fact speaks volumes to the current sexuality debate. Until 1973 the American Psychiatric Association included homosexuality in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Al Mohler notes that, "The very notion of homosexuals as a category of persons constituted by sexual identity is a recent invention." (Desire & Deceit, 64) And many non-Christian biblical scholars agree that the Apostle Paul in his writings on homosexuality (especially Romans 1:25-27) had no concept of multiple options when it came to sexual orientation. Indeed every biblical author has no such concept in mind.
As mentioned above, there are horrific human acts that have occurred in the past that we in the present view as barbaric, senseless, and the product of an uneducated and undeveloped society. In fact many in the homosexual community liken the liberation and acceptance of homosexuals to the civil rights movement for African Americans led by Martin Luther King, Jr. Nearly every human being agrees that a black person has not done anything wrong by being black. So it's easy to see the homosexual movement's desire to gain acceptance for the language of orientation and identity over preference and even predisposition.
Which leads me to my final thought...
3. Sinful struggles such as pedophilia and homosexuality are not always chosen...
Yes... homosexuality is a sin. The Bible is clear on this issue. Yes... pedophilia is a sin. The Bible is also clear on this issue. Yes... every sinful act of homosexuality or pedophilia is a choice for sin. But not all those who are attracted to the same sex or attracted sexually to children have chosen this attraction. Some have indeed turned to these things in sinful reactions to sinful things done to them. But others, through no choice of their own whatsoever, naturally struggle with an attraction to the same sex or children.
Why must I refer to it as a struggle? First of all because I believe the Bible is God's self-revelation to his creatures and therefore it is authoritative on all ethical matters. Therefore when God calls something a sin, I call it a sin. Second, because the proper, God-honoring response to a natural predisposition to sin is to struggle against it your whole life.
One of the most wise pieces of counsel I've ever heard on this issue was given by Rick Warren to Today Show correspondent Ann Curry. Here Warren points out that even if homosexuality is biological and "natural" for some, they must still struggle against it because saying no to "natural" desires is part of what maturity means. Warren stated that it might be his own natural desire to have sex with every beautiful woman he sees but no one would agree that this is good for himself or his family.
The point is that the fall in Genesis ch. 3 meant that the entirety of God's good creation were affected negatively. Therefore there are now some human beings who - without any environmental conditioning - struggle with same sex attraction or sexual attraction to children. But just because these predispositions exist does not make them morally acceptable. The Biblical worldview explains this. The Evolutionist worldview cannot and therefore must accept both.
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