Prof says homosexual orientation is a sin

I haven't read Burk's paper (yet) but as presented in this article, Burk presupposes that the Bible is a ruling document for all actions and assumes that homosexuality is "unwanted".  Homosexuality is not a "predisposition" or a learned behavior.  It is not a desire, it is part of who I am.

Guess I'll be brushing up on Augustine, the "doctrine of original sin" and free will.

The article titled Is Homosexual Orientation Sinful? addresses neither those who believe sexual orientation is fixed and no more changeable than the color of one’s eyes nor those who believe homosexuality is a choice and that even acknowledging the existence of a sexual orientation concedes too much to the ways of the world.

Instead Burk targets a group “that is on the ascent right now in conservative circles of the evangelical movement,” who believe the Bible clearly teaches same-sex behavior is sinful but are reluctant to say that same-sex attraction itself is sinful.

Burk, author of the 2013 book What Is the Meaning of Sex?, said while he sympathizes with those who don’t want to add another burden to those who continue to struggle against unwanted same-sex attraction, the Bible does not support the view that a desire for sexual activity with a person of the same sex is morally benign.  [Desire?]

“In the terms that Jesus teaches us, it is always sinful to desire something that God forbids,” Burk wrote. “And the very experience of the desire becomes an occasion for repentance.”  [Wondering where exactly does God forbid this desire?]

Burk termed it “pastoral malpractice” to tell someone feeling sexual attraction for a person of the same sex that they need not repent. “In the moment they feel their sexual desire aroused in such a way — in that moment — they must confess the desire as sinful and turn from it,” he said.  [The heart of reparative therapy, denial of core self.]

He said a common objection — if a person cannot control whether he or she feels a same-sex attraction, then how can it be sinful? — is not how the Bible speaks about sin.

“There are all manner of predispositions that we are born with and that we experience as unchosen realities,” he said. “Nevertheless, the Bible characterizes such realities as sin: pride, anger, anxiousness, just to name a few. Why would we put same-sex attraction in a different category than those other predispositions that we groan to be delivered from and that we are called to repent of?”

The theological basis for Burk’s argument lies in teaching of St. Augustine, a fourth-century cleric credited with developing the doctrine of original sin. Burk said a touchstone of the doctrine is “concupiscence,” a term derived from Latin that means strong sexual desire or lust.

“Augustine sought not only to account for the sinful deeds that we commit but also for the desire that produces those deeds,” Burk explained. “He labeled that desire ‘concupiscence’ and sought to explain from Scripture how Christians should think about their own indwelling attraction to sin.”
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Burk said Roman Catholic tradition reflects the view that only conscious acts of the will can truly be deemed to be sinful. The Reformed tradition differs sharply, he said, with John Calvin citing Augustine in declaring “believers, in so far as they are liable to carnal concupiscence, are chargeable with sin.”

Prof says homosexual orientation is a sin