Cook: The Bible, the moon and why being gay is not a sin

A stained-glass window depicting Methodism founder John Wesley is seen at First-Centenary United Methodist Church on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, in Chattanooga, Tenn. A special session of the United Methodists General Conference begins Saturday in St. Louis, Mo., where delegates are expected to hear discussion on homosexuality in the Methodist church. A stained-glass window depicting Methodism founder John Wesley is seen at First-Centenary United Methodist Church on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, in Chattanooga, Tenn. A special session of the United Methodists General Conference begins Saturday in St. Louis, Mo., where delegates are expected to hear discussion on homosexuality in the Methodist church.

By David Cook March 17, 2019 5 min read

The email arrived a week or so ago, not long after the United Methodist church voted to affirm its ban on gay marriage and gay clergy.

(That vote has recently been called into question.)

I believe otherwise – that gay and straight do not matter in the kingdom of Heaven – and said so in a pair of columns.

That’s why the email appeared. It was only one sentence. A question, actually.

“Would you please share with me the scripture that supports your claim that being gay (and I assume you mean practicing a homosexual lifestyle) is not a sin nor a spiritual ‘crime,'” a reader asked.