Ooh, the drama of a game of dodgeball! It's tense stuff...

I can't imagine why you would want to, but in case you wanted to look up the Bible verses we used again here they are...

Type 1 - Funny
2 Kings 2:23-34
Proverbs 21:9
Proverbs 19:13
Deuteronomy 23:13
Judges 3:19-25

Type 2 - Rude
Deuteronomy 23:1
1 Samuel 18:25-27
Deuteronomy 25:11-12

Type 3 - It says what?
Amos 4:4
Deuteronomy 28:53
Psalm 137:9
Acts 8:37
Numbers 22:27-28
1 Kings 14:10
2 Kings 18:27
Isaiah 16:11

Yup, A was right - we're bribing you this week to get blogging! There's a yummy treat for every runwayer who shares with us their favourite Bible verse and a little bit of blurb about why.

To leave a message, click on 'Comments' (under the title) then click on 'Post a comment' and choccie here we come.

It doesn't have to be a funny or rude one... Wasn't last night's look at the Bible just inspirational? (ahem)

For this weeks' airborne challenge, you have the choice of two levels: low altitude (easy) and high altitude (more challenging).

Low altitude challenge:
Stop using the word 'gay' in a negative or jokey context. It's probably really hurtful to people who are gay to hear the word used as a term of abuse.

High altitude challenge:
Challenge your friends when they use the word negatively and explain how you feel.

Tonight we looked at the area of homosexuality. We thought about how lonely it can be to feel that you're different from everyone else and considered how the church could be more welcoming to gay people.

We looked at what the Bible has to say about homosexuality and talked about possible interpretation problems.

Homosexuality is an issue that we each need to reach our own conclusions about. There are lots of things in the Bible that aren't black and white and it's okay to admit that you're just not sure what you think about something.

Below is a very brief guide to some Bible verses that mention homosexuality and my personal view on their context and interpretation. (It's worth mentioning that Jesus didn't once mention the issue; he was more bothered about people who were unkind, selfish and greedy and I suspect his priorities haven't changed today!)

An Old Testament reference often quoted:

"Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." (Lev 18:22)

There were two lots of Old Testament rules: the purity codes and the moral laws (10 commandments). This one was a purity code. Other purity codes include things like not cutting the hair at the sides of your head (19:27) and not wearing clothes made from two different kinds of thread (19:19). When Jesus came, it meant that the purity codes no longer applied.

Some New Testament references:

"Neither the sexually immoral nor... homosexual offenders... will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor. 6:10)
The word translated as homosexual here is the word ' arsenokoitai' in the orinial Greek. It's meaning is ambiguous as scholars are unable to pin down its meaning with any certainty. They know that it refers to some sort of sexual behaviour, but it's unknown what it is.

"...God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones..." (Romans 1:26)
I would interpret this passage as referring to straight women deciding to indulge in homosexual behaviour for the fun of it, and not to people in loving, committed gay relationships.

Church tradition:

It is important to remember that church tradition (what the church has held to be true for a long time) has always held it that Paul condemned homosexual behaviour. (But it's also true that the church has also traditionally been against women in leadership roles too).

It's not an easy issue. Here are some important things to remember when thinking about this issue:

• Jesus taught us to be kind and loving to everyone without exception.
• You may decide that the Bible says homosexual behaviour is wrong, but don't forget that homosexual orientation (having the feelings) isn't.
  
• If we as a church decide that the Bible says that gay people should stay celibate (not have sex), we need to be prepared to offer an alternative: everyone needs companionship and affection.
• It might be that Christian homosexuals decide to live together celibately.
• We need to make sure our views are based on Jesus' love and not our own homophobia (fear of homosexuals).
  
• If a friend tells you that they're gay, make sure you respond gently and lovingly. Try not to feel awkward or threatened.
  

Tonight we looked at the whole area of sex and relationships. The talky bit included lots of TV clips (Borat's guide to love, Britney talking to Frank Skinner about abstinance, The Simpsons 'Sex Ed' episode, The Silver Ring Thing promo video, and Family Guy's take-off: 'The Opal Ring Thing.')

We talked about lots of different areas: sex in the media, what sex is for, how far you should go, what it's like, what the Bible says about it, homosexuality, porn, masturbation... It's a huge area! You guys did really well to chat about it all so easily.

We then split into same sex & age groups for discussions.

The main conclusion we reached was that God's perfect plan for us is to wait until we're married to have sex.

We ended with this weeks airborne challenge: to think through the issue and maybe decide to tell God that you're committing to saving sex till you're married.