When Genes Trump Red Letters
by Gary DeMar
02/26/08

Red Letter Christians such as Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis put the emphasis of their cultural ethic on the words and ministry of Jesus without (they claim) denying the validity of all of Scripture. One area in which to test their methodology is on homosexual rights. Campolo devotes a chapter to the subject in his book Red Letter Christians. What is surprising is that Campolo does not address the subject biblically. He references, but does not actually cite, three verses at the end of the chapter on a question about what is the Greatest Commandment (Matt. 22:37–39):

And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”

And how do we know when we are loving God? When we keep God’s commandments (John 15:10; 1 John 5:2–3; 2 John 1:6). How do we know when we are loving our neighbor? When we Keep God’s commandments (Rom. 13:8–10). Love is not a feeling; it is an act based upon a set of moral standards. Instead of turning to the Red Letters in his New Testament, Campolo appeals to scientific studies that “have found that same-sex attraction is not chosen” (89).

Just because some condition has a genetic determiner does not mean that it should be left in its abnormal condition. Joe Dallas, president of Exodus International, a network of former practicing homosexual ministries, writes:

Even if it can be proved that genetic or biological influences predispose people toward homosexuality, that will never prove homosexuality is in and of itself normal. It will only prove what we already know—that genetic variances can and do affect future behavior, sometimes in undesirable ways. . . . Are we to think that because something might be genetic in origin, it is therefore “natural”? What, then, do we say about genetic deformities or birth defects?1

The genetic factor moves to the important question of whether those who practice homosexuality can change their behavior. As we know, there are many former homosexuals.2 If homosexuality is genetically determined, then there can’t be former homosexuals.

For years I have been collecting articles on genetic explanations for various abnormalities. Some are behavior related (eating too much) ,and some are disease related (prostate and breast cancer). In each case, however, the genetic cause is viewed as undesirable. Extraordinary measures are recommended to fix the flaw. When scientists say they had discovered a “fat gene,” “the finding was hailed by other researchers as pointing to a day when drugs might correct imbalances that cause some people to be hounded by food cravings and extra pounds while others remain lean.”3 If the cause of fatness is genetic, as homosexuals claim is true of their “orientation,” then why the elation over the fat-gene discovery? If you’re fat, it’s not your fault. Anyone who proposes that a fat person should get thin, considering homosexual logic, is “fatophobic.” An advertisement for Ultra-Metabolism carries this claim: “Learn how food can change your genes!”4 If being fat is genetic, why change your condition? Of course, the advertisement implies that genes can be changed. If this is true regarding being fat, then it can be true for engaging in sodomy. Eleven cousins had their stomachs removed because they carried a “rare hereditary stomach cancer that killed their grandmother and some of their parents, aunts and uncles.”5 Just because something is genetic does not make it a desirable trait. Here are some examples of gene-related conditions that are considered to be undesirable:

- “A genetic double-whammy rarely found in whites dramatically increases the risk of congestive heart failures in blacks.”

 - “Scientists say they have found a gene that predicts whether prostate cancer will develop into its most lethal form.”

 - “Researchers at McGill University in Montreal have discovered the gene that causes a devastating neurological disorder that is found almost exclusively among families along Quebec’s North Shore.”

- “A research team at two Mideast universities has developed a new way to genetically alter cells in living mice; offering new possibilities in the war against cancer and other diseases.”6

- “Some of us, it seems, were just born to be bad. Scientists say they are on the verge of pinning down genetic and biochemical abnormalities that predispose their bearers to violence. An article in the journal Science . . . carried the headline EVIDENCE FOUND FOR POSSIBLE ‘AGGRESSION’ GENE.”7

- “Apparently healthy men with normal weight and cholesterol levels are at three times higher risk of a heart attack if they have a common variation of a particular gene, researchers say.”8

- “Salk Institute scientists say they have uncovered a gene that triggers certain forms of Leukemia, a discovery that may lead to the development of a screening test within the next few months.”9

- “Researchers have found a brain chemical that boosts the craving for fat—and a way to block it without affecting the appetite for healthier foods.”10

- “Why do gamblers often bet more after a losing hand? Or investors throw good money after bad? The answer may lie in the science of the brain.”11

- “Is racism simply human nature or something learned from society? Neither, says a team of psychologists who, despite criticism, argue that racism represents an accidental side effect of evolution.”12

- A recent article published in The Sciences, a New York Academy of Science magazine, stated that “rape is a ‘natural, biological’ phenomenon, springing from men’s evolutionary urge to reproduce.”13

A recent article states that “researchers have found the genetic basis of two forms of inherited hair
loss.” This has led scientists to find a treatment to reverse the condition. Why bother since hair loss has a genetic cause? Keep in mind that there are no real ill effects associated with hair loss, but there are with male homosexuality. “In the USA, it is estimated that nearly 300,000 men were living with AIDS at the end of 2002, and another 420,000 had died. Almost 60% of men diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the USA were probably exposed to the virus through male-to-male sexual contact.”14 This is empirical evidence that there is something wrong with homosexual behavior beyond the fact that consistent homosexual behavior will never result in children, the designed purpose of our sexual anatomy.

Robert Kelly-Goss, writing for The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, cites a study produced by British researchers that “genes account for about three-quarters of the differences in a child’s waistline and weight.” While “family environment” was a factor, it was not the key factor.  While Kelly-Goss believes “there is a genetic predisposition for being overweight,” “there is a trend in our society today that suggests many of us have fallen into apathetic behavior, leading us away from not only good eating habits, but basis physical activity like walking or just playing outside.”15 So then, genetic predisposition does not automatically relieve someone of behavioral responsibility.

As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, Campolo never discussed this issue by a direct appeal either to the black letters or the red letters. How Campolo can even suggest any legitimacy for homosexuality marriage given the red letters of Matthew 19 is a mystery to me:

And [Jesus] answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife , and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

We all struggle with sins. Blame is often laid at the feet of our parents, teachers, and employers. Maybe we didn’t have a loving father or an understanding mother. The schools may have failed us. The Columbine shooters were said to have been picked on. I grew up with a young man who had been a thief at a very early age, a behavior he learned from his older brother and a neighbor. People in similar and worse conditions made choices to change the direction of their life. Campolo and other Red Letter Christians are leading homosexuals astray. Attributing their sexual behavior to a genetic predisposition and other “causal factors” (89) leads them away from the gospel. Will this mean that those who were engaged in the homosexual lifestyle will be free of those desires? No more than any of us who struggle with the same sins that led us to Jesus in the first place.