Once in downtown Fort Worth, I was at a Whataburger and I saw a homeless man outside. I invited him to come in and order a meal and I’d pay for it. He ordered a combo meal and we sat down together. He was an old black man and he told me stories about his life. He told me that he loved Jesus and I was impressed by his faith.

Another man came over and said he also wanted to talk to me. I couldn’t tell whether he were homeless. He said that he also wanted to “talk about Jesus.” 

So after I said goodbye to the old man, this other guy comes over and starts talking about the Bible. However, he was strange and odd. He eventually announced that he was a “gay Christian.” We then had a lively discussion on the Bible and its condemnation of homosexuality.

Today I don’t want to focus on the Biblical condemnation of homosexuality (I made a thorough argument  against homosexuality in a chapter of this book). Rather I want to look at the way Saint Thomas Aquinas “groups” homosexuality within a broader understanding of sexual sins.

Notably, Thomas groups four venereal sins together as “the unnatural vice.” These are:

1) masturbation

2) bestiality

3) homosexuality

4) contraceptive practices

Thomas labels all four as “the unnatural vice” because they thwart nature. That is, they thwart the purpose of the genital organs – human procreation.

My own theological failure in the past is to isolate homosexuality alone as “unnatural.” There is perennial wisdom in the way that Saint Thomas groups all “unnatural” means. If Christians could re-frame the debate, we would certainly help ourselves. We need to focus on the nature and use of the reproductive organs. First ask the “Why?” and then ask “What?” and “How?”

In The Catholic Perspective on Paul, I discuss all these issues from the writings of Saint Paul. You can read a preview of the book and explore the table of contents by clicking here. If you’ve already read the book, I’d love it if you’d leave a comment about your thoughts on that chapter. Even more, I’d love it if you’d write a short review of the book on amazon.com.

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