Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. – Paul in his Letter to the Romans

Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is degrading to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. – Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians

My theology of homosexuality is described thusly. That being gay was considered by biblical authors like Paul to be “unnatural” and as such was wrong. But there were other things considered to be unnatural as well, like having long hair, or having women as equals and as leaders. Likewise, slavery was also considered natural by many ancient worldviews.

The Bible was a product of its time, and wise theologians have always recognized this. So, just as we as Christians fight against slavery, we should also fight for the rights of gay and lesbian people and make the church a s safe place for them to be who they are. Many churches are, in fact doing just that.

This is me, circa 2010, with “unnatural” long hair.