When you sue the Bible, who pays?
According to a report from WOOD TV
, local book publisher Zondervan
is being sued for $60 million for using the word "homosexual" in a negative sense in some of the translations it prints. The lawsuit centers on I Corinthians 6:9, which according to my Zondervan published TNIV reads:
"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals."
The filer of the suit, Bradley Fowler, says that his family's pastor used a Zondervan published Bible and as a result his family considered him a sinner and he suffered.
Zondervan publishing is a great company. They are located here in my home town and print bibles and other religious books. I don't see why this guy is suing them. If he believes in the bible, then it shouldn't matter if being gay is a sin, he should care that he can be washed clean of his sin because Jesus died for him, and he is forgiven.
It seems like this case opens itself up to all sorts of legal questions. For example, is Zondervan really to blame when they don't write these interpretations or own the copyrights for them? Can a book publisher, or anyone for that matter, be sued for something that is essentially a religious view? Does putting a religious matter like this on trial cross the line of separation of church and state?
Zondervan released a statement saying it "has not been served with a lawsuit and therefore cannot comment on it. However, it is important to note that since Zondervan does not translate the Bible or own the copyright for any of the translations we publish, we should not comment on the merits of how a word should or should not be translated. We rely on the scholarly judgment of the highly respected and credible translation committees behind each translation and never alter the text of the translations we are licensed to publish. We only publish credible translations produced by credible Biblical scholars."
My knee-jerk reaction to this story was that this lawsuit is completely ridiculous - but on second thought I think it really emphasizes the tension that exits concerning Christianity and homosexuality. It's clearly not a cut-and-dry issue. If you take the stance that homosexuality is wrong, then you might ostracize a portion of the population. As frivolous as this lawsuit seems, there is no doubt that Bradley Fowler must have faced tremendous criticism from friends and family to drive him to this point.
But on the other hand, if you take the view that the Bible does condone homosexuality then I think there are a lot of portions of scripture you have to find a way to reconcile.
So what do you do? Maybe the answer is that this won't be "solved" by looking at it simply as a broad, generic issue. It won't be solved by picking a side. It won't be solved by filing a lawsuit. And it certainly won't be solved by being overly critical and judgmental. Instead I think as a church we need to remember that we don't deal with sins, we deal with sinners, or since we all sin, to put it more appropriately, we deal with human beings.
These chapters of Leviticus form part of the Holiness code. Leviticus 18:22 says:
" 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.'"
and Leviticus 20:13 states:
" 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.' "
So, If the sign says, “Do Not Pass”, what do you do?
If the sign says to, “STOP”! What do you do?
If the sign says. “Road Closed” it means what?
These are questions that would be asked of me by a Judge after I drove around a road block.
I would have been found guilty and charged a fine. Do you think God would have responded in the same way?
(Cross-Posted from
zarniwhooper)
, local book publisher Zondervan
is being sued for $60 million for using the word "homosexual" in a negative sense in some of the translations it prints. The lawsuit centers on I Corinthians 6:9, which according to my Zondervan published TNIV reads:
"Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals."
The filer of the suit, Bradley Fowler, says that his family's pastor used a Zondervan published Bible and as a result his family considered him a sinner and he suffered.
Zondervan publishing is a great company. They are located here in my home town and print bibles and other religious books. I don't see why this guy is suing them. If he believes in the bible, then it shouldn't matter if being gay is a sin, he should care that he can be washed clean of his sin because Jesus died for him, and he is forgiven.
It seems like this case opens itself up to all sorts of legal questions. For example, is Zondervan really to blame when they don't write these interpretations or own the copyrights for them? Can a book publisher, or anyone for that matter, be sued for something that is essentially a religious view? Does putting a religious matter like this on trial cross the line of separation of church and state?
Zondervan released a statement saying it "has not been served with a lawsuit and therefore cannot comment on it. However, it is important to note that since Zondervan does not translate the Bible or own the copyright for any of the translations we publish, we should not comment on the merits of how a word should or should not be translated. We rely on the scholarly judgment of the highly respected and credible translation committees behind each translation and never alter the text of the translations we are licensed to publish. We only publish credible translations produced by credible Biblical scholars."
My knee-jerk reaction to this story was that this lawsuit is completely ridiculous - but on second thought I think it really emphasizes the tension that exits concerning Christianity and homosexuality. It's clearly not a cut-and-dry issue. If you take the stance that homosexuality is wrong, then you might ostracize a portion of the population. As frivolous as this lawsuit seems, there is no doubt that Bradley Fowler must have faced tremendous criticism from friends and family to drive him to this point.
But on the other hand, if you take the view that the Bible does condone homosexuality then I think there are a lot of portions of scripture you have to find a way to reconcile.
So what do you do? Maybe the answer is that this won't be "solved" by looking at it simply as a broad, generic issue. It won't be solved by picking a side. It won't be solved by filing a lawsuit. And it certainly won't be solved by being overly critical and judgmental. Instead I think as a church we need to remember that we don't deal with sins, we deal with sinners, or since we all sin, to put it more appropriately, we deal with human beings.
These chapters of Leviticus form part of the Holiness code. Leviticus 18:22 says:
" 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.'"
and Leviticus 20:13 states:
" 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.' "
So, If the sign says, “Do Not Pass”, what do you do?
If the sign says to, “STOP”! What do you do?
If the sign says. “Road Closed” it means what?
These are questions that would be asked of me by a Judge after I drove around a road block.
I would have been found guilty and charged a fine. Do you think God would have responded in the same way?
(Cross-Posted from
zarniwhooper)