Martin Luther Would Support Homosexuality?

I feel as though in my thirty-odd years that I have heard just about everything...and then I get wind of the following article:

When it comes to gays, 'What would Luther do?' by: Mary Zeiss Stange

I won't offend your sensibilities by attempting to build a straw man (or woman in the case of Ms. Stange), but her points display a gross misunderstanding of the great reformers character and Biblical scholarship. Sufficed to say that when you are so engrossed in error any fair handed treatment of the facts seems irrelevant.

One point that I feel compelled to make is the fact that Dr. Luther was a Biblicist par excellence. He found in the scriptures his basis for just about every aspect of life from eating and drinking to child-rearing and social manners. There is no way in the world he would have overlooked key texts such as:Genesis 19:1-13; Leviticus 18:22; 1 Corinthians 6:9. To emphasize this even further consider Paul's crystal clear teaching on the subject found in Romans 1:26-27:

For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. (ESV)

Now notice that these verses come from Romans 1. If you look back at verse 17 of this chapter you will find the verse, the very verse, that Luther explains led him to become a believer:

At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, "In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, 'He who through faith is righteous shall live.'" There I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith. And this is the meaning: the righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely, the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live." Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.-Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther's Latin Writings.(Wittenberg, 1545)

I think we can safely say that even if the sanctity of Scripture itself was not enough to cause Dr. Luther to be against the sin of homosexuality, the sanctity of this chapter would suffice. I'm sorry Ms. Stange you are wrong, Luther would be as against the act homosexuality as any other God-fearing, Bible believer.

Let me close by making a very important distinction. As believers our position should be that of hating sin but not sinners. We have no cause to make fun of or deride those caught up in sin; far from it! Rather our position, and I would hope that Dr. Luther would have agreed that we should react like the apostle Paul and say...

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. - Galatians 6:1 (ESV)

I credit Dr. Al Mohler for recognizing this article and calling attention to it on his blog which is found here.