Politics,  Theology/Bible

Huckabee on Homosexuality on ‘Meet the Press’

Governor Mike Huckabee appeared on “Meet the Press” this morning (Barack Obama was on as well), and Tim Russert threw a string of “faith” questions at him. You can read the transcript here, or you can listen to the entire interview below. The faith questions occur near the end (at 20:57-29:16).

[audio:http://msnbcpod.rd.llnwd.net/e1/audio/podcast/pd_mtp-12-30-2007-094559.mp3]

This is a fascinating interview in which Huckabee comments on abortion, homosexuality, the first amendment, separation of church and state, and more.

I will comment on one item that I thought was very interesting. Russert asked Huckabee, “Do you believe you’re born gay or you choose to be gay?”

Huckabee responded as follows:

“I don’t know whether people are born that way. People who are gay say that they’re born that way. But one thing I know, that the behavior one practices is a choice. We may have certain tendencies, but how we behave and how we carry out our behavior [is a choice].”

I think what Huckabee is saying here is that the moral status of homosexual acts does not depend upon the biological predisposition of different people. Even if people are “born gay” as it were, homosexuality is still a sin biblically speaking.

Dr. Albert Mohler made a similar argument in a little essay that he wrote earlier this year, “Is Your Baby Gay? What If You Could Know? What If You Could Do Something About It?” Mohler wrote that the direction of some research shows that there may be a biological basis for homosexuality. He then writes this:

“The biblical condemnation of all homosexual behaviors would not be compromised or mitigated in the least by such a discovery. The discovery of a biological factor would not change the Bible’s moral verdict on homosexual behavior.”

I think Mohler is essentially right on this point, and I think Huckabee may be thinking along the same lines. In any case, I don’t think what Huckabee says in this interview should cause any consternation to voters who believe what the Bible teaches about homosexuality.

6 Comments

  • Alex Chediak

    Denny,

    I saw the interview earlier today and was thinking the exact same thing. I was extremely impressed with Huckabee’s answer to the question.

    I also liked his definition of sin as “missing the mark.” He did a great job not backing away from his previous statements (about how homosexual expression is sinful), while insisting that he is not on some crusade to make homosexual behavior illegal. [Huckabee was extremely clear, which is why Russert followed up with the remark, “But you said you would ban all abortions.”]

    Equally impressive were Huckabee’s remarks on the first Amendment. (Again, this part sounded similar to what I’ve read so far in Mohler’s new book, Culture Shift.)

    Have you prepared your endorsement yet, Denny?

  • Steve

    I was impressed .. Man.. I wouldn’t like to be in that hot seat for that interview…
    He did well… and I can’t vote! 🙂
    Steve

  • Ted

    Thus far I am impressed that although Huckabee wants to put his ‘best foot forward’, he has not waffled on his answers nor tried to give the politically correct answer. Agree or disagree, I respect that.

    I appreciated Mohler’s article when it came out. Perhaps we need more theological reflection on the effect of the Fall not just in our choices but also in our biology. If indeed creation groans (and I believe Paul) then is not part of that ‘groaning’ the defects in humans?

    I’m not a theologian by profession, so this is somewhat of a comment but also an issue for discussion if the moderator so chooses.

    Blessings.

  • PaulD

    I agree with Huckabee that as Christians we should be agnostic as to whether homosexuals “are born that way.” It really makes no difference. Do we care whether or not men who sexually abuse children were born that way? As a heterosexual male I would say that I was born with impulses to commit adultery, but that makes adultery no less a sin.

    In answer to Ted, I would say that the groaning in Romans 8 is not a reflection of our fallenness, but just the opposite — the “new creature” aspect of our being which is groaning (along with, as Paul says, the rest of creation) as it longs for the perfection of our glorified bodies and the new heaven and the new earth!

  • Brian (Another)

    Dr. Burk:

    Sorry for perhaps splitting hairs here, but if you have a chance, would you elaborate on stating why you think that Dr. Mohler is essentially right on the last quote? Personally, I agree with the statement (believe the statement to be right) while having difficulty digesting other points of Dr. Mohler’s essay (e.g. #8, Not in an outright disagreement, just something about which I haven’t thought long and hard as Ted aptly and more eloquently suggests.). It could easily be that I’m not correctly regarding something in Dr. Mohler’s quote and would appreciate the feedback.

    Thanks for posting the interview.
    Brian

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