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Last Wednesday, The New York Times blithely made reference to "a Bible verse that calls for the execution of gays," meaning St. Paul's letter to the Romans (1:18-32).
The next day, Thursday, the NYT carried 4 op-ed articles, each responding to the question posed by the NYT: "Have Christians Created a Harmful Atmosphere for Gays?"
Are the writers for The New York Times simply that uninformed, or are they that blatantly anti-Christian?
New York Times writers Jeremy W. Peters and Lizette Alvarez make reference in what appears to be a hit piece on the Bible and those Christians who believe it, to verses in Romans chapter 1 which according to the Times instructs Christians to execute gays.
In their article titled, "After Orlando, a Political Divide on Gay Rights Still Stands," the Times, rather blithely, refers its readers to "a Bible verse from Romans that calls for the execution of gays"---referring to Romans chapter 1.
Breitbart News says, "In the wake of the Orlando attack, many have attempted to compare Christian beliefs regarding the morality of homosexuality with those of Islam, in an apparent attempt to make Christians guilty by association."
Anyone who has ever read the New Testament knows Paul teaches that Christians should abstain from violence, not participate in it.
Did these writers at the Times think most people are so unaware of what the Bible actually says that the public would simply swallow their misleading, incorrect information regarding the teaching of St. Paul?
Or are they so focused on advancing their agenda that they are willing to skip the fact check and advance the lie?
Recently, Republican Congressman Rep. Rick W. Allen from Georgia, read from Romans 1:18-32 and Revelation 22:18,19 during his opening prayer prior to a vote on the Energy-Water spending bill and an amendment that would reinforce a presidential directive prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT employees.
While Allen did not mention the bill in his comments and prayer, a number of Congressman and journalists immediately made the connection and attacked him.
The press in general, many in the GOP, the homosexual Human Rights Campaign and the New York Times, in particular, took on Congressman Allen, and biblical Christianity---in the case of The New York Times, they misrepresented what the Bible teaches.
The biblical passages in question actually speaks of God's anger toward sinners who reject God despite the abundance of evidence for His existence in Creation. It says that those who failed to honor God "became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened."
The NYT, in defending themselves after the fact, have used the following version of the Scripture:
"Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves."
Then Paul writes, "For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and the same way also with men, giving up natural intercourse with women were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error."
The passage ends with a list of the behaviors that displeases God: "They were filled with every kind wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious towards parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. They know God's decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die---yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them."
There is a move to censor the Bible as "hate speech" in regard to homosexual behavior, however, to censor any part of the Bible is a very dangerous precedent for religious liberty in America---as well as an affront to the 2 billion Christians worldwide who believe that the Bible is God's inspired Word.
America was founded on biblical principles. One only has to take a quick glance at the speeches, letters, and documents created by our Founding Fathers to see the profound biblical, Judeo-Christian influence on their thinking and actions.
The New York Times and others are not going to let this effort to censor the Bible be lost in a news cycle or two.
Journalists who are not affiliated with The New York Times are picking up the narrative that Christians are responsible for the Orlando shooting.
CNN contributor Sally Kohn tweeted, "Hey right wing Christians desperately trying to point out that right-wing Muslims are more anti-gay than you are: Your guilt is showing."
Three minutes later she tweeted, "Last I checked, it's not Muslim religious extremists shooting up abortion clinics and killing abortion doctors."
In a continuing effort to advance the conversation about whether Christians are responsible for the Orlando killing, last Thursday the NYT ran their feature: "Have Christians Created a harmful Atmosphere for Gays?"
They quote Florida Bishop Robert Lynch from Saint Petersburg: "Sadly it is religion, including our own that can plant the seed of contempt, then hatred, which can ultimately lead to violence" against gays, lesbians, and transgender people.
The NYT op-ed feature includes an article by Rod Dreher in which he says they are "Waving a blood-soaked rainbow flag to scapegoat Christians".
Jim Daly, with Focus on the Family, writes, "Restricting free expression is not the answer to terrorism."
Julie Rodgers, an LGBT Christian advocate, writes that "Even when the message is wrapped in Christian love, the message is very clear: LGBT people are not wanted."
David D. Gushee---Professor of Christian ethics says, "Without full acceptance, gays are demeaned and hurt even polite tolerance leaves LGBT people in a demeaning, second class position."
Bishop Robert Lynch says, "We are not blameless"---the "seed of contempt, turns into hatred," the bishop says, and, "Unless this attitude changes, we can expect more Orlandos."
Is the Bishop, the New York Times and other journalists calling for Christians to change their beliefs regarding homosexuality and biblical teaching?
I believe they are.
The religious Left---Protestant and Catholic---are leading the rebellion against biblical teaching on human sexuality.
Interestingly, the Scripture they use to mislead and accuse also speaks to the darkness and confusion that results from "exchanging the truth of God for the lie."
Be Informed. Be Vigilant. Be Discerning. Be Faithful. Be Prayerful.