How did Paul respond to Homosexuality in his world? The New Testament Evidence is clear to me.
serialz absynth 1.3.2There was homosexuality in the ancient world. There was homosexuality in the Greek and Roman world where the Gospel took root. It was an accepted part of the culture. It was practiced by the intellectuals and the cultural leaders. Paganism provided a worldview where homosexuality was justified as morally acceptable, even desirable.
Paul was certainly aware of this. As a Jew, he would have been outraged by this distortion of God's created order and perfect will. He understood the spiritual center of human sexuality, and how the holiness of God was on display in our created sexuality. He understood the teaching of the scriptures and knew that the law of God was unambiguous about this kind of sexual practice.
When Paul was in the city of Athens, he saw the heart of this culture that approved of homosexuality. Acts 17:16 16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. What "provoked" Paul would have included sexual immorality.
Paul's deep disapproval of this pagan view of homosexuality is evident in his choice of homosexuality as the primary example of the fall and it's effects in Romans 1:
Romans 1:18-28 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 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. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.To this point, I am sure that I am in agreement with the vast majority of conservative Christians. Where I am in disagreement, is in answering the question, "What did Paul do in response to the sexual immorality of his culture?"
The answer to this question seems clear to me: Paul proclaimed and communicated the Gospel, and built the church as an alternative community where God's holiness in sexual matters was practiced and proclaimed. This was Paul's entire agenda for confronting homosexuality in his culture.