This man ignores the evidence in clinical medicine and mental health, CDC and police statistics, that show the toll sexual sin takes on human lives and relationships. He ignores the core OT commandments (the Two and the Ten) and the whole counsel of Scripture from Genesis to Malachi, the commandments and the fact that nowhere does God allow or affirm homosex acts. Spiritual and sexual/relational pollution/confusion are the basic prohibitions of the Word and Commandments of God. Spiritual, sexual and relational purity/integrity are the whole aim of the Law and Prophets…as well as the NT Gospels and Letters.
May God restore His people to His Word to love it (Psalm 119) whole-heartedly, gratefully and joyfully!
So homosexual couples can ignore these two laws of the Torah and keep 99.67% and that’s good enough. What about keeping 95%? Is that good enough? (Maybe that adultery one is too hard for me.) Or how about 73%? Is that good enough? How about 13.2%?
There are three groups of Judaism in America: Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. Reform has done fairly well supposedly. But if you look at the numbers, Conservative Judaism has plummeted with members going to Reform or Orthodox. The reality is that Reform Judaism has simply been the stepping off place to nothingness.
Unless he has changed affiliation, Rabbi Boteach is an Orthodox Jew. Needless to say, most of his fellow Orthodox rabbis disagree with his views on homosexual sin, as do those Jewish thinkers, like Rabbi David Novak, who integrate the homosexuality mitzvah into a natural law perspective. But it is important for us to remember that Jews do not read the Torah through the lens of the Apostle Paul.
Unfortunately, I am unable to access this article, but I have read Rabbi Boteach’s earlier writings on the subject.
I looked him up and he does claim to be an orthodox jew. Had this tidbit from wikipedia:
[blockquote] In the 1990s, Boteach became a fixture of celebrity culture when he became a close friend, confidant and spititual advisor to Michael Jackson[1] after the pop star used his music to lash out at the Jewish community, and in particular lawyer Larry Feldman, who had settled a child sexual abuse lawsuit against Jackson for 22 million dollars. Jackson’s song “They Don’t Care About Us” from the 1995 album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I contained lyrics which were seen by some as anti-semitic; Boteach was instrumental in helping Jackson rehabilitate his image.[/blockquote]
But this essay, [url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-shmuley-boteach/gay-obsession-has-margina_b_777690.html ]Gay Obsession Has Marginalized Evangelicals Politically[/url], is probably most relevant. He completely misses the point of evangelical Christianity. He argues that evangelicals should ignore Biblical injunctions against homosexuality because it affects evangelicals political clout! Wow. How utterly clueless. We are dead when we make decisions on the basis of political expediency. Reading more about Boteach, it seems that his outlook is shaped primarily by how best to improve Israel’s standing. It seems to me that he views evangelical Christians as a card to be played to help out with Israel’s cause. Thus, he wishes the card to have highest political value.
[blockquote] Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.[/blockquote]
This man ignores the evidence in clinical medicine and mental health, CDC and police statistics, that show the toll sexual sin takes on human lives and relationships. He ignores the core OT commandments (the Two and the Ten) and the whole counsel of Scripture from Genesis to Malachi, the commandments and the fact that nowhere does God allow or affirm homosex acts. Spiritual and sexual/relational pollution/confusion are the basic prohibitions of the Word and Commandments of God. Spiritual, sexual and relational purity/integrity are the whole aim of the Law and Prophets…as well as the NT Gospels and Letters.
May God restore His people to His Word to love it (Psalm 119) whole-heartedly, gratefully and joyfully!
So homosexual couples can ignore these two laws of the Torah and keep 99.67% and that’s good enough. What about keeping 95%? Is that good enough? (Maybe that adultery one is too hard for me.) Or how about 73%? Is that good enough? How about 13.2%?
There are three groups of Judaism in America: Reform, Conservative and Orthodox. Reform has done fairly well supposedly. But if you look at the numbers, Conservative Judaism has plummeted with members going to Reform or Orthodox. The reality is that Reform Judaism has simply been the stepping off place to nothingness.
Unless he has changed affiliation, Rabbi Boteach is an Orthodox Jew. Needless to say, most of his fellow Orthodox rabbis disagree with his views on homosexual sin, as do those Jewish thinkers, like Rabbi David Novak, who integrate the homosexuality mitzvah into a natural law perspective. But it is important for us to remember that Jews do not read the Torah through the lens of the Apostle Paul.
Unfortunately, I am unable to access this article, but I have read Rabbi Boteach’s earlier writings on the subject.
I looked him up and he does claim to be an orthodox jew. Had this tidbit from wikipedia:
[blockquote] In the 1990s, Boteach became a fixture of celebrity culture when he became a close friend, confidant and spititual advisor to Michael Jackson[1] after the pop star used his music to lash out at the Jewish community, and in particular lawyer Larry Feldman, who had settled a child sexual abuse lawsuit against Jackson for 22 million dollars. Jackson’s song “They Don’t Care About Us” from the 1995 album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I contained lyrics which were seen by some as anti-semitic; Boteach was instrumental in helping Jackson rehabilitate his image.[/blockquote]
But this essay, [url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-shmuley-boteach/gay-obsession-has-margina_b_777690.html ]Gay Obsession Has Marginalized Evangelicals Politically[/url], is probably most relevant. He completely misses the point of evangelical Christianity. He argues that evangelicals should ignore Biblical injunctions against homosexuality because it affects evangelicals political clout! Wow. How utterly clueless. We are dead when we make decisions on the basis of political expediency. Reading more about Boteach, it seems that his outlook is shaped primarily by how best to improve Israel’s standing. It seems to me that he views evangelical Christians as a card to be played to help out with Israel’s cause. Thus, he wishes the card to have highest political value.
[blockquote] Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.[/blockquote]