Revisiting a project I began many moons ago - refuting revisionist theology on homosexuality.
Looking now at the writings of Protestant Reformers,in order to learn how they preached on the subject of human sexuality.
Apology of the Augsburg
Confession by Philip Melancthon was published in late April or early May,1531.
Article 23 is titled "Of the Marriage
of Priests." Here Melancthon debunks the requirement of a celibate Roman Catholic
priesthood. Although not mentioning homosexuality per se, his exposition of
God's design of male-female human sexuality leaves no room for any arrangement
save one man with one woman.
23.7 - Gen. 1:28 teaches that ...
one sex in a proper way should desire the other...this love of one sex for the
other is truly a divine ordinance.
23.8 - Therefore, just as by human laws
the nature of the earth cannot be changed...the nature of a human being can be
changed neither by vows nor by human law.
23.9 - ...because this creation or divine
ordinance in man is a natural right, jurists have accordingly said wisely and
correctly that the union of male and female belongs to natural right...natural
right is immutable... where nature does not change, that ordinance also with
which God has endowed nature does not change, and cannot be removed by human
laws.
23.11 - Therefore let this remain in the
case which both Scripture teaches and the jurist says wisely, namely, that the
union of male and female belongs to natural right.
23.12 - Moreover, a natural right is truly
a divine right, because it is an ordinance divinely impressed upon
nature...because the natural desire of sex for sex is an ordinance of
God...otherwise, why would both sexes have been created?
